Gas regulators are designed to do precisely that—regulate gas pressure—so it can be cause for concern when you notice your gas pressure "creeping up". Sometimes this happens naturally over time and use, but for new regulators it's more commonly attributed to cold...
I used Booster Rouge commercially in Olin wines where I knew the tannin structure was a little lacking. Booster Rouge gives a backbone to wine and at the same time enhances fruitiness which is always appreciated.
Opti-Red was our default SIY when making wines commercially at Olin Wines. I love the soft rounding of the tannins and the silky body that opti-red provided the Cabernet we were making. Once in awhile if I knew we wanted more structure or was seeking more of a fresh fruit component I...
For 50mL samples, 0.2mL of a 0.01% Copper Sulfate solution adds 0.1ppm. So, starting with your 1% stock solution, mix 1mL of that solution with 99mL distilled water to make a 0.01% solution to use in the trial, and add 0.2mL of the trial solution for every 0.1ppm you want to add to the...
We would not hesitate to use these for wine storage for 6 months, give or take depending on the kind of wine and the size of the tank (more on that later). Speidels are made from thick HDPE, the same material as Flextanks are made from. For those not familiar with Flextanks these are similar...
The jaws of these corkers are made from brass, which can create a surface tarnish over time. After not using the unit for a year, this will not be surprising to see!
To clean this so that your corks are not stained, a solution of two parts white vinegar, to one part hydrogen...
Turning a Fridge into a Walk-in Cooler
Q: I have a chest-type freezer that works well for lagering. It gives me little space, however, for lagering and controlled fermentation year round. Can I turn a currently serviceable refrigerator/freezer into a small “walk in”...
There are a variety of resources available to home winemakers nationwide when it comes to sourcing fruit. These sources range from the vineyard down the road to a commercial broker of wine grapes. Many home wine and beer making shops maintain a bulletin board where local grape growers can post...
Once the alcoholic fermentation is over it is time to begin the Malolactic Fermentation (the next chapter will discuss the MLF in detail). Before MLF is possible, it's important to get rid of the unwanted solids left in the wine after pressing. A large amount of sediment will settle out of...
This question has no right or wrong answer. Sur Lie aging as it's called (leaving the wine on the lees throughout the malo and aging) will result in a wine with increased body, decreased diacetyl from malo, and a more thoroughly integrated oak character. The lees do this for your wine...
A flabby wine is often the result of a lack of acidity keeping the fruit flavors from shining through. Oftentimes with a wine like this you can do bench trials for tartaric acid additions. Generally adding a couple of g/l will brighten a wines flavor, allowing fruit flavor to come through and...
Variable Volume tanks are undeniably one of the most versatile vessels that you can have in the winery. They are able to accommodate any volume of wine up to their limit. The lid can be held just above the level of the wine, negating excessive head space and increasing aging potential of the...
The conical bottom is a helpful feature for larger tanks when it comes to draining entirely, cleaning, etc. The slight conical shape will also assist with the dumping of lees during aging. Without the conical feature you are left with tilting the tank to fully dispense whatever is inside.
SIY (Specific Inactivated Yeast) additives such Booster Rouge, Opti Red, Opti White, Nobless, and Sur-Lie are natural products made from inactive (dead) yeast cells. Savvy commercial winemakers utilize these as tools to make better wine. MoreWine! recognized this, repackaged these into smaller...
Yes, you can standardize a sample and then use this to confirm accuracy of the test! So with TA we're checking for acid concentration in grams per liter. So basically, if we make a solution, wherein we take a liter of water, and add 10 grams of tartaric acid to it, we would be at ten grams...
White wines are much more susceptible to the negative effects of oxidation than are reds at the stage of fermentation. White's are generally fermented separate from their tannin containing skins, these tannins have anti-oxidative properties that protect the must during fermentation. On top...
No, commercial wineries will generally not go through a fining operation on red wine. The aging process and tannic addition of oak barrels will do a thorough enough job of cleansing the wine of anything which will cause haze. These fining agents are included in kit wines to help speed settling...
Yes, and at any point truthfully. Pressing now will cut off the extraction of all the good stuff from you grape skins. If you have fermented in a warm environment >70F, for 10-14 days, you should be good to press and have an adequate amount of grape flavor to the wine you are making. You...
Aluminum rollers have more of a tendency to shred the fruit somewhat as it moves through the unit, due to the sharp edges of the aluminum. Rubber rollers are generally more rounded and much softer on the fruit. The difference you'll see as a result the softer crush is less extraction of...
Stems contain rougher tannins that will impart a harsh tannic bite to your wine if the majority are not removed prior to fermentation.
You can, however this is not ideal. The excessive pressure from fruit above will result in harsher crushing and potential clogging issues. We recommend a constant feed that does not result in backup on the machine.
Yes, it is not only ok, but an industry standard! During the ageing period, an open-topped container like our white plastic fermentors would be detrimental to the wine due to oxidation and spoiling. However during fermentation, you need access to the wine so that you can punch the cap, and...
Yes. The order of words does matter. In a crusher destemmer the fruit will be crushed first, then destemmed. In a destemmer crusher, the same happens in opposite order. The reason this matters is those stems contain the harsh tannins that we want to avoid. and if they are removed prior to...
On a smaller scale the amount of tannins extracted from the fruit will not be a noticeable flaw, and in fact will contribute to the body and flavor of the wine. Oftentimes larger vineyards will be adding back a portion of the stems back to the fermentation to ensure that some of these flavors...
The beauty of our destemmer-only units is that the process of destemming and the subsequent must pumping action actually crushes the fruit. More than enough to sufficiently extract all of the juices during fermentation. This type of machine is ideal for the vintner dealing with soft fruit...
Other than the ease of punching and mixing your must, the holes in the bottom help insure that you are not crushing your seeds on the bottom of your fermentor, which will release harsh tannins and astringent flavors that are less than desirable in a world-class wine.
The cap is a layer of grape skins, seeds, and stems that forms as a result of the off gassing of co2 formed during fermentation. Basically it's a thick grapey mass that needs to be kept submerged during fermentation.
The negatives: if not punched, the cap will oxidize, harboring spoilage organisms and generally fouling your wine. It will also act as insulation, keeping heat from dispersing and potentially killing your fermentation. The positives: Punching the cap keeps your grape skins in contact with the...
Anything would work to physically punch down the cap, you just need to make sure that whatever you're using is sanitary and will not contaminate your wine. The problem with wooden tools is that due to their porosity they are nearly impossible to fully sanitize. That being said, were you to...
Degassing is the process of removing dissolved co2 from your wine. During ethanol fermentation co2 is produced as a byproduct, most of which is allowed to escape through the airlock. Some of this gas dissolves into solution, and must be removed to ensure that you do not end up with a partially...
What we call "aging" in fact refers to an extremely complex set of reactions that happen over time in our wine while it rests. The main factor that we can pay attention to is the rounding of tannins that happen over time. The simplest means of judging a wines required aging minimum and maximum...
It's totally drinkable at that point! If you haven't been sampling throughout the process then you haven't had a chance to learn! That being said your wine will be nowhere near its potential at this point. For lighter reds / extract kits without grape skins, a month or two will...
Maceration is the process referring to the grape juice resting on the skins in order to extract color, flavor, and tannic compounds. Oftentimes winemakers desiring heavy extraction of color and flavor compounds, along with oenological tannins, will allow their wine to rest in contact with the...
Yes! Every wine kit will come with everything you need to maximize the flavor and results from that particular kit, the yeast being part of that. However, if you want to switch it up and try something else, have at it! If you stay within the recommended varietal strains, there are no wrong...
As with most things in the winemaking world, there are pros and cons. Chips are great if you're making something that will have a shorter aging period, or when you need to extract a lot of flavor/tannins in a short period. Most wines will benefit from the slower smoother extraction you get...
Fermenting hotter will extract more flavor compounds from the grape skins, and get the fermentation done faster. This will also increase the risk of spoilage, oxidation, etc. Fermenting cooler will take longer, both in terms of ethanol creation, and color and flavor extraction. This will also...
Cooler fermentations will take longer and also help prevent the loss of aromatic compounds. Too cold and it's easy to stick a fermentation. Generally you will want to ferment between 56 and 62 F. Oftentimes winemakers will innoculate at an elevated temperature in order to speed/ ease...
Malolactic fermentation is the process of acid conversion that takes place in winemaking. The softening and rounding that occurs is a result of the bacteria consuming malic acid and producing lactic acid and other byproducts which contribute to the perceived mouthfeel of a wine.
Tartaric, Malic, and Citric are the three main acids present in grape (along with a number of relatively insignificant ones). Citric acid is present in rather small quantities(on the scale of 5% that of tartaric), and if added in large enough quantities to adjust acid levels will be consumed...
By itself, no. Sulfite is ineffective when the ph is over 4.2. Your option in this case is to use an acid to lower the ph to a point where this is effective. Using either tartaric or citric will work for this purpose. However, Tartaric is expensive, and Citric, if added in excessive quantities...
Rose/blush wines are generally the result of a specific winemaking process, rather than a specific varietal. Any type of grape can be made into a white or rose depending upon how you treat the must. All of the color compounds (anthocyanins) are contained within the grape skin. Using the same...
Carbonic Maceration refers to the process of beginning fermentation through intracellular enzymatic reduction of grape sugars to alcohol in a co2 rich environment. Basically, if you put whole grapes into a vessel that is subsequently filled with co2 (either artificially or through partial...
The Malic acid present in the grape will generally be in high enough concentrations, that if left in the final product, will result in off flavors and instability. The off flavors would be a result of either the acid itself, which has a green apple flavor, or a byproduct of whatever else ate...
The main factors that will determine your decision in this case are environmental rather than flavor driven. The three main factors here are going to be temperature, PH, and free SO2 content. If your temperature during the course of MLF is going to be 70-75 degrees, your PH is higher than 3.4,...
The main costs associated with Malolactic bacteria are those of packaging and handling, rather than the amount of bacteria itself. Unfortunately this means that for the home winemaker, you are left with the choice of either a relatively large recurring cost, or relying on whatever is naturally...
Unfortunately not with any sort of guarantee. Once opened the packages are susceptible to contamination and resulting mutations. It's possible for your yeast or Malo bugs to be fine, especially if care is taken to seal them up quickly after opening, but it's a great way to ruin your...
Nutrients serve to supplement the naturally present ones found in the grape itself. Certain grapes will not need this addition, yet some will require it to get things done. Because of this we generally recommend a baseline set of additions that will act to insure that your fermentation...
As a general rule, yeasts will die between 105 and 108 F. During fermentation this terminal temperature will lower as a result of alcohol presence. As a wine approaches 10% alcohol content, the terminal temp for yeasts can be as low as 90F. This is a major contributor to stuck fermentations,...
The yeasts and bacterias sold commercially have been dehydrated in order to survive the storage period that is required of such products. This dehydration process can harm the yeasts, especially if they are unable to unfold back to their usual useful form. Rehydrating will help insure that...
Yes PET and PETE refer to the same material, Polyethylene Terephthalate. You can also check out the Wikipedia page for Polyethylene Terephthalate at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyethylene_terephthalate
We think it is actually better. While both are of great quality, this PET carboy is thicker and does not have ribs. The thicker walls could lead to less oxygen ingress (not proved) and not having ribs makes it easier to clean. Our PET Carboys are made by the Vintage Shop in Canada and they had...
Yes, in small amounts. The law sets limits for the lead content in brass fittings to be used in drinking water to 8%. In a normal water supply the calcium carbonate from the water will line the fitting after a few years and stop all leaching of this lead. In a brewery the acidity of wort and beer...
Yes, and it is very simple to do! The recipe is:
2 parts White vinegar
1 part Hydrogen peroxide.
When the water turns blue after you have soaked the parts for 15 minutes. Remove them and rinse well. This only removes the lead from the surface. As the acidity of the wort dissolves the...
The pressure is not all that important - slower is generally better for quality. We recommend filtering at 4-6 psi for starters. You can judge the flow by sight and slow down or speed up as necessary. The actual pressure needed will vary with how the filter cartridge is handling the workload...
Especially early in the winemaking process, SO2 additions can be bound up to a large percentage or even completely within a very short time of being added to the wine. This is because at this time the wine has the largest amount of dissolved oxygen, pigments from the skins (red wines), other...
Following the harvesting of grapes, these are crushed to liberate the juice from their flavorful and colorful skins. In red winemaking, this mixture of grape skins, fresh juice, and seeds is called "must" and is fermented together to allow for extraction of flavor and color...
The term "lees" refers to the substances that settle out following fermentation and pressing. In red winemaking the "gross lees" are compounds that settle within the 48 hours following pressing. These are generally negative substances that will contribute to...
"Racking" is the process of moving wine from one container to another, leaving the sediment that has formed behind. This is normally done with a relatively slow flow to minimize agitation and oxygen uptake to the wine.
Temperature control in one of these tanks is easy, the control will be based off of a small temperature controller (FE610, fe611, fe608) which regulates the power on either a heating or cooling device. For heating, fermwraps can be used on a small scale. Simply affix these small wraps to the...
Beer bottles and crown caps can be used for wine storage, the issue that arises is when your wine is in contact with the seals. If stored on their sides, the seals on the crown caps will eventually degrade, resulting in quick oxidation and potential leaking. However, if stored...
Pomace is the term given to the solids remaining after the juice/wine has been pressed from the must. It contains all of the skins, seeds, and stems that were present during fermentation.
The stated volume of our Plastic Carboy fermenters is to the brim of the of the vessel. Often, with Glass Carboys, the stated volume is measured at the shoulder as opposed to the brim, and that is where the confusion can come from.
These crystals are from the storage solution changing from a liquid to a solid. The storage solution is meant to protect your probe from drying out during storage and shipping.
Your probe simply needs to be conditioned to prepare it for use.
To condition the probe, use tap water...
