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Making Wine in My Own Backyard, Part 2
This story follows after Making Wine in My Own Backyard 1
Then clean up the mess and seal up the tanks.
Just like TV time -- it's now 5 pm and we are agitating the berries again. The pink foam is on top of the berries, and is a result of the fermentation.
Some of the customers (visiting from Chicago) come from the wine bar back to the winery area and are watching us mix up the tanks. Each tank contains about 1400 lbs / 600 kg of berries and juice.
After every tank is mixed for 4.5 minutes, the plastic tank is wiped with a sulphur dioxide mixture to ensure cleanliness. No mold, mildew, chlorine, etc. is allowed near the tanks or the berries.
It's 6 pm and the process starts again at 10. I plan to be sleeping then...
It's noon and I'm heading for the winery to help punch down the berries in the vats of fermenting wine. At this point in the process, the tanks get mixed 4 times a day. Temperature and Sugar (brix) are checked at 6:30 am every day.
A cap of berries is floating on top of the juice, forced upward by the CO2 released by the yeast during the fermentation process -- they are converting sugar into alcohol now. The smell is wonderful.
Mix each batch for 4.5 minutes - that's what the winemaker says.
A cap of berries is floating on top of the juice, forced upward by the CO2 released by the yeast during the fermentation process -- they are converting sugar into alcohol now. The smell is wonderful.
Mix each batch for 4.5 minutes - that's what the winemaker says.
Then clean up the mess and seal up the tanks.
Just like TV time -- it's now 5 pm and we are agitating the berries again. The pink foam is on top of the berries, and is a result of the fermentation.
Some of the customers (visiting from Chicago) come from the wine bar back to the winery area and are watching us mix up the tanks. Each tank contains about 1400 lbs / 600 kg of berries and juice.
After every tank is mixed for 4.5 minutes, the plastic tank is wiped with a sulphur dioxide mixture to ensure cleanliness. No mold, mildew, chlorine, etc. is allowed near the tanks or the berries.
It's 6 pm and the process starts again at 10. I plan to be sleeping then...
I love this MIH annual calendar watch. And the wine is nice too.
Cazalea
Temperature and time
Hi Cazalea,
I like your post. What is the temperature and for how long do you keep it i these vans please?
Thank you
Lenrock
I like your post. What is the temperature and for how long do you keep it i these vans please?
Thank you
Lenrock
The temperature is very complicated
I can tell you what the instructions are but it depends of course on the temperature of the room, and the must (grape juice and berries) when they start to ferment. And the type of grapes and yeast. All this is in Celsius:
YEAST
Put yeast food into hot water 43 degrees C
Allow mixture to cool to 40 degrees C
Add yeast and stir
Let yeast sit at least 15 min no more than 30 min
Take temperature of the yeast / water
Slowly add grape juice to lower the temperature by 10 degrees C
Wait 15 min
Slowly add grape juice to again lower temp by 10 degrees C
Take temperature
That's what is going on here. The small buckets contain the yeast, water and juice mixtures and each vat gets its own infusion, temperature check, stirring, etc. This is just the first batch of grapes from California's Sierra Foothills ... next week twice as much will be arriving from Washington State.
When yeast and juice are within 10 degrees C of the vat temperature, add the mixture to the top of the vat (I think these vats are about 18-22 degrees)
Do not stir for at least 12 hours. Then stir mixture for 5 minutes every 6 hours for 4 days
After Stir mixture for 5 minutes every 8 hours for 3 days.
As the fermentation continues the vat will get hotter and hotter. At some points it may need to be cooled down.
Of course, in the middle of this process, when the covers are off, people are taking out the stems, leaves and other things that don't belong in the wine.
The temperature of the mixture during fermentation will vary with the room temperature, volume of juice, intensity of fermentation, etc.
Cazalea
The must
Thank you. How long time do you keep the berries on it until you take them off?
And for second fermentation what is the temperature in the room until you put in the barrel.
Lenrock
And for second fermentation what is the temperature in the room until you put in the barrel.
Lenrock
I am not the winemaker, just the free manual laborer
I can ask him, but you might have to wait a week or two until the grapes are at that point. Much depends on them and how they and the yeast get along. Also, I just checked our weather forecast and it says 30-35 degrees C for the next 3 days! Very hot for this time of year.
Cazalea
I am not a winemaker
But I prepare for my personal use about 10 to 20 cases and I would like to have an expert oppinion
Thank you
Lenrock
Thank you
Lenrock
The berries have just about finished now
Three of the tanks are now like clay in color rather than purple. They are cooling down and the sugar levels are 2-3 Brix. They will stay in the bin another day or two until we press them and put the wine into barrels.