Today started with finishing up a task left over from yesterday, raising the acid level of the smallest fermenter. We had some tartaric acid left over from our earlier batch of Cab. Using some quick calculations I determined that that to get the must within the desired range (6.0-8.0 total acid) we needed to add 46 g of tartaric acid [show your work: volume of must x .8 = volume of wine after pressing, (goal Total Acid - actual Total Acid in g/mL) x gallons of wine after pressing x 3.785 (to convert gallons to Liters) x 10 = grams of tartaric acid to to must, using our number (6.1 [goal acid] - 5.85 [actual acid]) x (4 gallons x .8) x 3.785 x 10 = 151 g of tartaric acid]. The tartaric acid is then mixed with water and then this solution is added to the fermenter and stirred in.
Based on yesterday's Brix numbers the must is getting close to the point where 1/3 of the sugars have been fermented. This is the point where a vintner is supposed to add DAP, a nutrient for the yeast, to the must. For every gallon of must, add 1 gram of DAP. I only had 48g of DAP, so I had to under each batch a little.
After measuring out the DAP for each fermenter add water, mix and add it to the fermenter. Nothing too fancy here.
Now that the additives have been placed in the fermenters it's time to make sure they get dispersed. Mixing the cap into the must, in the form of a punch down, is the easiest way to accomplish the mixture. Just make sure that the skins and detritus floating on the top gets mixed into the must.
The last issue that needs addressing today was the temperature of the fermenters. I took the temperature today, the 32 gallon fermenter was only at 60 degrees F, the 20 gallon fermenter was at 56 degrees F and the 5 gallon fermenter was at 54 F. With a goal temperature of 80 to 90 degrees during fermentation, that's too cold. The higher temperatures are necessary to develop some of the desirable flavors in red wine. In order to help our must reach these temperatures I pulled out a few old towels and blankets to insulate the fermenters. These insulators might get stained, but it's important to make sure our must is cuddled up snugly while it's still young and impressionable.
Today started with finishing up a task left over from yesterday, raising the acid level of the smallest fermenter. We had some tartaric acid left over from our earlier batch of Cab. Using some quick calculations I determined that that to get the must within the desired range (6.0-8.0 total acid) we needed to add 46 g of tartaric acid [show your work: volume of must x .8 = volume of wine after pressing, (goal Total Acid - actual Total Acid in g/mL) x gallons of wine after pressing x 3.785 (to convert gallons to Liters) x 10 = grams of tartaric acid to to must, using our number (6.1 [goal acid] - 5.85 [actual acid]) x (4 gallons x .8) x 3.785 x 10 = 151 g of tartaric acid]. The tartaric acid is then mixed with water and then this solution is added to the fermenter and stirred in.
Based on yesterday's Brix numbers the must is getting close to the point where 1/3 of the sugars have been fermented. This is the point where a vintner is supposed to add DAP, a nutrient for the yeast, to the must. For every gallon of must, add 1 gram of DAP. I only had 48g of DAP, so I had to under each batch a little.
After measuring out the DAP for each fermenter add water, mix and add it to the fermenter. Nothing too fancy here.
Now that the additives have been placed in the fermenters it's time to make sure they get dispersed. Mixing the cap into the must, in the form of a punch down, is the easiest way to accomplish the mixture. Just make sure that the skins and detritus floating on the top gets mixed into the must.
The last issue that needs addressing today was the temperature of the fermenters. I took the temperature today, the 32 gallon fermenter was only at 60 degrees F, the 20 gallon fermenter was at 56 degrees F and the 5 gallon fermenter was at 54 F. With a goal temperature of 80 to 90 degrees during fermentation, that's too cold. The higher temperatures are necessary to develop some of the desirable flavors in red wine. In order to help our must reach these temperatures I pulled out a few old towels and blankets to insulate the fermenters. These insulators might get stained, but it's important to make sure our must is cuddled up snugly while it's still young and impressionable.
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