Poppyseed Cellars

I took the day off on Friday to work in the cellar.

1. Bottled the pinot noir! I got about 2 1/2 cases of wine. Not a lot, but enough to enjoy.
2. Erwin showed up, and we bottles the plastic carboy of 2008 syrah. Is is good, but not the best. We will use it to top off the 2010 and 2011. And to drink!
3. We bottled the  15 gallon barrel of 2010 syrah, after adding 15 ppm sulphites to a target of 33 ppm. That resulted in about 6 cases of wine, which Erwin and I split. That should last us a while. And we still have a 30 gallon barrel to go, end of summer!
4. We tasted the 2011 syrah. It is still a little reductive, so we tried a copper fining trial, at 0.0, 0.3, 0.6, 0.9 ppm Cu. There was a clear difference between 0.3 and 0.6, and a subtle difference between 0.6 and 0.9. We ended up adding  0.75 ppm (70 mL of 1% soln).  We will need to rack in a week or so.

I had many of the wines tested. Here are the results, and resulting actions:

• 2011 Syrah 60 gallon barrel: 28 ppm free SO2. Target is 30 ppm, so didn’t do anything.
• 2010 Syrah
•  30 gallon barrel: 6 ppm free SO2. Target is 30 ppm, so added 24 ppm  (47 ml 10% SO2 solution).
• 15 gallon barrel: 18 ppm free SO2. Target is 30 ppm, but we are going to bottle this one, maybe this Friday, so hold off until we bottle.
• 2011 Zinfandel
•  60 gallon barrel: 10 mg/100 mL = 100 ppm malic acid. Target less than 30, or 300 depending on who you trust! So MLF is complete.
• Added 40 ppm SO2 (160 mL 10% soln).
• Added 0.4 ppm 1% copper sulphate soln (36 ml)
• 15 gallon barrel
• Added 40 ppm  SO2 (40 ml 10% soln)
• Added 0.4 ppm 1% copper sulphate soln  (9 ml)
• 3 gallon carboy
• Added 25 ppm SO2 (5 ml 10% soln). This is all I had left; Once I mix them all together it will be about 40 ppm.
• Added 0.4 ppm 1% copper sulphate soln (1.8 ml)
• 2010 Pinot Noir:
• 5 gallon carboy: 23 ppm free SO2. Added 10 ppm SO2  (3.9 ml 10% soln).
• 1 gallon jug: Added 10 ppm (1 ml 10% soln)
• 2008 Syrah
• 6 gallon plastic carboy: 25 ppm free SO2. Target is 35 ppm, so added 10 ppm SO2  ( 3.9 ml 10% soln)
• 6 gallon glass carboy: Added 10 ppm SO2  ( 3.9 ml 10% soln)

I decided to get all of the  wines still in barrels or glass tested for free SO2. Some of the wines are ready to bottle.

The results are summarized here…

All look great, except the pinot, which is near zero. As it is ready to bottle, I need to rack it into a new carboy and sulphite at the same time. The 2008 syrahs are also ready to bottle. 

I also tasted all the wines. The 2008 syrah is a little light, and would be better with a bit more acidity. The 2010 is crisp and intense, with stiff tannins: maybe a blend of the ’08 and ’10 would be interesting. Something to try with some of the wine.

I tested the ’10 pinot for taste, and for MLF. It still has a ways to go on the MLF, so I have moved it upstairs to the barn, in hopes that it will warm up a little. It tastes pretty good. The nose is a bit closed. We’ll see if it opens up over time. I decided to do a little more oak, as it was pretty fruity without much balance. So in went one new medium toast French oak stave.

I checked the ’08 syrah…yes it still isn’t bottled. This one just isn’t working out. I added 1 g/L tartaric 6 months ago…and was waiting for it to balance out a little. It is better, but is still isn’t quite where I want it. It has a “slick” mouth feel, and I think that is because of it’s low acidity (it was around 4.2 g/L last year; it should be 6 g/L). With this second addition, the acidity should be 6.2 g/L, which should be fine. I’ll check it in a few weeks. This wine also was very fruity; I think it also needed more oak, so I put a stave in each carboy.

Why is nothing simple?

Here are the Vinquiry results for the ’08 and ’09 Syrahs:

2008 Riebli Valley Syrah Pre bottling Vinquiry Panel 1

The results are confusing.

1. First the ’09 free SO2 level was measured to be 47 ppm. We measured 27 ppm on3/12/2010. There is no way it could have gone up, as we have not added any more. So I don’t know what happened there.
2. The ’08 clocked in at 54 ppm free SO2. That also seems high. It last tested at 5 ppm on 1/20/2010, and I added 40 ppm more at the time. And it should have dropped from there.
3. Maybe Vinquiry was not well calibrated? I need to call them Monday and see if something is up. Also weird is that for the 2 wines that I had tested, they used different methods. It seems unlikely that both could be wrong. I don’t get it.

The rest of the data on the ’08 Syrah seems correct:

1. The alcohol is 13.4%; seems reasonable.
2. pH is 4.08; this is higher than the 3.9 that I measured, but not far off. It also makes sense with the low TA.
3. TA is 4.2 g/L. This is too low, and is why the wine seems a little soft. It is still good, but I think an acid addition will help. A bench trial is in order.
4. VA is .045%; this is nice and low. The aroma threshold is ~ .06%
5. Sugars at .037%; the wine is dry.
6. Malic is at 4 mg/100ml, or .004%. The MLF is done.
7. Free SO2 is 54 ppm. Discussed above. I don’t think I’ll measure it again; I have enough in there.

1. Took a sample of the ’09 Syrah for SO2 testing. I also tasted it…very good. No problems, nice tannins, very fruity. So far no strong oak. Probabaly won’t get any this time. I also topped off the barrels. Including a 100 ml sample, the barrels took a 375 ml bottle.
2. Took a sample of the ’08 syrah, for a Vinquiry bottling panel. I tasted it, and it was pretty good. Afsi liked it too. It is time to get it bottled.

I tested the SO2 at BevPeople: 5 ppm. This is not much. I need to bump it up. The pH as last measured was 3.7 I need to measure it again. If it is still 3.7, I need about 40 ppm free SO2. I will add 40 ppm, which is 2.6 mL/gal. But first I need to measure everything else:

• 6.3 gal carboy:
  • pH: 3.9
  • TA: 5.25 g/L
  • SO2 added: 2.6 mL/gal * 6.3 gal = 16 mL
• 6 gal Better Bottle
  • pH: ?
  • TA: ?
  • SO2  added: 2.6 mL/gal * 6 gal = 15.6 mL

I also realized that I still have a H2S problem. The smell of “oak” is NOT oak; it is H2S. Same at the ’09 syrah. I need to do a bench trial to see how much more CU to add. Each container already has 0.3 ppm.

One carboy has been moved to the basement at the farm. I tried the wine in the carboy in the garage, and the wood was overpowering. Yikes! Get it out. I racked into another carboy. After racking, I tried it again, and it was much better. I must have used the thielf right near the staves or something. Anyways, now it is off the oak. The flavor was pretty good, nice and full of fruit, with moderate to strong tannins. Maybe still a little closed. I wonder if it getting enough O2. Next racking I will splash a little.

Need to get out to the farm to rack the other carboy. I am out of carboys at ths point. I may have to buy another. This is what happens when you don’t get last years bottles!

• Racked everything into clean carboys, 3 oak staves each.
• 2nd carboy still has some H2S smell. Need to go with one more round of Cu.
• Added 30 ppm meta to both carboys (13 mL 10% meta to 6.5 gallon carboy, 12 mL 10% meta to 6 gallon carboy.

I can still smell just a little bit of H2S.

So this is hopefully the last 0.1 ppm of Cu. The total added is 0.3 ppm, way under the legal limit for added Cu, and also under the limit for residual Cu. Actually, probably no more than 0.1 ppm residual is left, since I can still smell the H2S. The rest of the Cu has bound to the H2S and precipitated out.

I can still smell H2S in the wine, but much lower level.

So 0.1 ppm more copper sulphate.

Well, the H2S (rotten egg smell) is still with the wine. I tried a side by side trial using copper sulphate fining.

Using a pipette, I put 1 ml of 1% copper sulphate (way more than allowed) into one sample of wine (see picture). In seconds, the H2S smell was gone. This means that the copper sulphate will clear up the problem. I didn’t drink it…

Copper sulphate fining is common in commercial wines, but is not allowed in organically made wines. I don’t want to add it…but at this point it is either add it or pour the wine! imagine being an organic commercial wine maker with 1000 gallons with this problem…what would you do?

Copper sulphate as an additive is allowed 6 ppm (calculated as copper). The maximum residual copper sulphate is 0.5 ppm (as copper). The copper sulphate binds with the H2S, and precipitates out, leaving less copper than you added.

All the books say that 0.15 ml of 1% CuSO4-5H2O per gallon = 0.1 ppm.

• In the 6 gallon carboy I put 0.15 * 6 = 0.90 ml.
• In the 7 gallon carboy I put 0.15 * 7 = 1.05 ml.
• I stirred both carboys. Immediately the nose improved, but I could still detect the H2S. Tomorrow, if I can still smell the H2S, I will put in another 0.1 ppm.

I will do another post later on what is allowed in wine…you would be surprised.

1:10 PM:

• Finally have some time…
• Rack everything into a 20 gallon tub. Since I am going to aerate it, I will sulphite it to 30 ppm.
• 30 ppm:  13 gal * 2 ml/gal = 26 ml 10% sulphite solution
• I can see a little sediment on the top.
• I can still smell the H2S, but it is not strong.
• Nose: H2S, with some fruitiness.
• Taste: Light tannins. H2S. Medium acidity. Noticeable effervescence on the tongue. Must be leftover from the MLF.
• When racking, I let it flow down the side of the tub to aerate it.
• When racking back into the carboys, again let it go down the side.
• After this racking, I will let it sit for 2 weeks, and see if the H2S is gone. If not, I will bring out the Cu. Then, after it is OK, put in the oak sticks.
• Finished around 2:40PM, including cleaning!

Measured the sugars with Clinitest at .1-.2 %, so the fermentation is finished.

Tasted some of the free run in a wine glass. I can still smell the H2S. Put in a penny, and a few minutes later it seemed gone. The acid and tannins seem well balanced. Some mild fruit flavors. I think that aging on oak will help this wine.

Next decision: more racking and aerating or use copper sulphate?

I racked the wine out of the carboys into the cleaned primary containers, with lots of aeration. I could really smell the H2S. Then I racked back into the cleaned carboys.

I also added another 30 ppm SO2, because of the aeration. I might have killed the malolactic bacteria, but I need to clean up the H2S. I can worry about the MLF later.

I brought a sample in when I returned the press to BevPeople. The kid behind the counter said, yes, you’ve got H2S. I also had Bob smell it, and he too said I have H2S, but not too bad. He thought I should wait awhile before trying anything drastic.

I will at least get the wine off the lees, as that probably has the worst H2S nasties going on.

6:30 AM:

• Must temp at 76 and 74 F.

4:30 PM:

• Rented a #35 press from BevPeople. I managed to fit it into the back of my Corolla. I think the next bigger press would not fit. I also purchased a packet of Enoferm Alpha to start the malolactic fermentation.

5:00 PM:

• Pressed the wine into:
• 7 gal carboy, all free run.
• 6 gal carboy, mix of free and press run
• 1 gal jug + 2 bottles, press run.

9:00 PM:

• Mixed the 2.5 g Enoferm Alpha to 60 mL of distilled water.
• Let it sit 15 minutes.
• Added 1 mL/gallon to the conatiners.
• Still can smell the H2S. Need to get another nose into the wine. Take a sample to BevPeople tomorrow.

6:30AM:

• Measured must temp at 80 and 82 F.

8:00 PM:

• Must temp 79 and 80 F.
• Sugars at 2 and 0 Brix.
• Tasted tart and tannic.
• Still can smell the H2S.

8AM:

• Must temps at 78F for 2 fermenters.
• Sugars at 17 Brix. Wow! It is coming down FAST! I hope that this isn’t a problem. Jeff Cox’s book says this can happen…no warnings!
• Added 12 g Fermaid K each vat. This is based on the Beverage People charts in their newsletter. I did not get a YANC nutrient analysis done (too cheap), so I assumed the grapes have medium nutrients. Rockpile yeast has low nutrient requirements, so I am going with program C: Add 1g/gal Fermaid K about 1/3 thru fermentation.

7PM:

• Must temp at 85 F and 88 F. Punched down and left the lids of the vats off to try and cool it down. Iversen suggests temps in the middle 80’s, so this should be OK.

9PM:

• Another punchdown.
• Sugars at 10 Brix and 8 Brix. WOW! Slow down!
• Must temp at 83 and 86 F. It is coming down. Leave off the blankets, but keep the lid on. The garage gets cold at night.
• Taste: Noticeable tannins, but not too harsh. Nice level. Some bitterness also. This should go away with settling.
• I think I am noticing H2S…ugh. Added another round of Fermaid K, hoping to end the H2S. 11g Fermaid K per container.

5 PM:

• Punched down for first time. The garage also smells wonderful.

9 PM:

• Must temperature at 72 F.
• Put blankets over the primary containers, hoping to warm it up as fermentation gets going.

10 AM:

• Cast 10g Rockpile yeast (Vinquiry VQ15) over top of each primary container.

9 PM:

• Slight sign of fermentation.
• Must temp at 65 F.

Picked 214 lbs Syrah from a Riebli Valley vineyard:

It was a family expedition. The farms location was stunning, with llamas to entertain the kids. The kids (5 and 6 years old) were actually productive!

I ended up with 214 lbs, at $1/lb or $2000/ton. I brought them home in 3 20 gallon plastic buckets. I crushed immediately, and returned the crusher to Frank.

• 25 Brix sugar level: perfect, should end up at <13.7%>
• 7.1 g/L TA: Also perfect, no additions necessary.
• 3.71 pH: This is a bit high. Most recommendations I have read say let it be.
• Final wine estimate = 214 lbs grapes / 16 lbs/gal = 13.4 gal
• I added 60 ppm SO2. I used the high value because of the large pH.
• 60 ppm = 4.4 ml/gal 10% SO2 * 13.4 gal = 59 ml = 30 ml/bucket
• Let it sit overnight.