We need more leaf topping and thinning especially around the fruit. Some of the clusters are touching and overcrowded and really should be removed, but it’s just so difficult to cut off a happy cluster.
Tag: Diane Rudnick
It’s been 2 days since we moved our 2021 Breakthrough Pinot Noir from the fermentor into 2 carboys to settle out the gross lees (the heaviest particles the pressed juice which settle to the bottom)
We put each carboy into the same size carboy, keep the free run separate from the pressed juice. Unfortunately we ended up with more headspace in the carboys than we can safely protect from oxygen with just Argon gas.
So what to do? We didn’t want to consolidate the free run with the pressed wines so we opted to add bottled wine to our wine to bring the levels up. This is what is suggested for home winemakers.
In making our choice of what to pour in .. we decided to use 3 bottles of our own “C.R.A.P. wine we made from the Brehm Pinot Noir frozen must in 2019. That way we can still say it is 100% our wine we made!
This years Pinot Noir is on high speed fermentation. We pitched the yeast and yeast starter on July 12. The must was pretty cold ~ on the cusp of too cold 66-68º. We put a little heat in the room and 36 hours later it kicked off.
In fermenting red wine you need to keep punching down the “cap” that forms as a result of the yeasts eating up the sugars and producing co2. The punchdown keeps the must from drying out and keeps the skins in contact with the juice to extract color and tannins.
This batch is requiring a punchdown 3-4 times a day. It nearly reforms just as soon as we punch it down. It’s also fermenting very fast. Yesterday our brix was 24º (percentage of sugar) and today it’s down to 10º. We aren’t sure why as the temperature is right. Perhaps this strain of yeast Lalvin Bourgovin RC212 is just fast acting.
Today we’ll pitch in Fermaid K, a yeast nutrient to help the yeast finish the job without getting “stuck” or “sluggish” .. which it doesn’t seem like a possibility. Hopefully it won’t kick it into overdrive!
Secondary fermentation AKA Malolactic Fermentation or MLF is a process that is used in most red wines and some whites .. like our Chardonnay. It lessens the malic acid and turns it into lactic acid and give wine a smoother taste or better “mouthfeel”. Lactic acid is softer on the palate.
We have found a lot of conflicting information on MLF and decided after reading that you can’t “over” inoculate that we’d just use it generously.
Here’s where we are truly flying by the seat of our pants: We didn’t stick to the formula on the package. The package of Viniflora Oenos was enough bacteria to inoculate 66 gallons of wine. We hydrated the entire lot into a small amount of juice – then after mixing it up we used about 1/2 of it in our 8 gallon batch. (Technically then enough bacteria for 33 gallons when’s e only have 8). In addition we now realize this package should have been kept frozen until use. A practice we will now try to abide by when buying winemaking yeasts, bacteria, enzymes, etc.
Our first batch of Chardonnay from our 2019 grapes came out pretty darn good. We bottled 15 and drank it all or gave it away with confidence. But we did a few things differently on that small batch of 3 gallons. We performed 1º fermentation inside the carboy with an airlock, only removing the bungs to stir and replace so at not to introduce oxygen to the wine.
This time we have 8 gallons vs 3. We somehow forgot to ferment it without contact with the air. So we don’t know how it may or may not adversely affect our end product.
So today another arduous task of shoot thinning and pulling leaves. All the fruit is set and nearly done flowering. In order for the next phase to take place we need to let in sufficient sun and airflow.
Did we mention these vines grow like weeds? Even though we pruned to 1 to 2 spurs every hands’ width apart; these vines take on a life of their own and want to grow in every direction despite your best efforts to train them.
The best method would probably be to walk the vineyard daily or at least every other day during the growing season, especially early on. Tasks never get any easier when you let things pile up!
Today we mostly pulled shoots that had no fruit production or very little as well as any lower leafage where the fruits will drop as they ripen and get heavier. Spackled sunlight for any fruit on the vine is the goal.
Found this guy on a leaf today. Not sure what it is. No sign of damage.
C.R.A.P. Wine Cellars (Cheap Retired Airline Pilot) 