Poppyseed Cellars

9 PM:

• Racked the 1,3, and part of 6 gal into a 6 gal carboy.
• Racked rest of 6 gal into 3 gal + 3/4 gal.
• Let these sit for a month, and settle out. Plan on racking again end of October.

9 PM:

• Bubbling mostly finished.
• Taste: 6 gal very grapefruity, very tart, probably due to high acid.
• Sugar 6 gal = 0.1 % (Clinitest)
• Sugar 3 gal = 0.1 % (Clinitest)
• Sugar1 gal = 0.2 % (Clinitest)
• Acid 6 gal = 10 g/l
• Very high acid. I may have to do something to lower it. I’ll wait until it clears a bit before doing anything.

9PM:

• Still bubbling!
• Sugar 6 gal = 1 brix (-1.5/day).
• Sugar 3 gal = 1.5 brix (-1.7/day)
• Tasting: clearly SB characters. Citrusy grapefruit.
• Very slight H2S nose. Add a little more nutrient. Will this even help at this stage?
• Added 0.5 g/gal Fermaid K.

9 PM:

• Everything smelling good.
• Tasting very citrus, high acids.
• Sugar 6 gal at 5.5 brix.
• Sugar 3 gal at 6.5 brix.

9:15 PM:

• Stinkyness gone! Hooray!
• Back to smelling and tasting good.

12:45 PM:

• Nose is now slightly stinky, H2S. DAMN! I didn’t add the full recommended dose of Fermaid K before, so I’ll finish off the dose now.
• Added 1/2 g/gal Fermaid K

9:30 PM:

• Still stinky. I think I will add the normal 2/3 of the way dose.
• Added another 1 g/gal Fermaid K.

9 PM:

• Racked the 7 gal carboy into a clean 6 gal carboy.
• Racked the 6 gal carboy into the above 6gal, and into a 3 gal, 1 gal.
• I added 10 ppm SO2 to each container.
• Sugars in 6 gal at 10 brix.
• Tasted the 6 gal: Nice and citrusy. Lot’s of grapefruit. Beginnings of a bitter aftertaste, similar to last years SB, which eventually just went away.

8:30 PM:

• Tasted both carboys…both fine.
• Tomorrow I plan on racking into topped off caroys for the rest of the fermentation. Since it is slowing, oxygen contact becomes more and more important, and a topped off carboy has much less O2.

9:10 PM:

• Sugar 6gal carboy: 14 Brix (-3.5/day).
• Sugar 7gal carboy: 14.5 brix (-3.5/day).
• Nose and palate good. Nothing bad happening.
• More than 1/3 through the fermentation…time for Fermaid K.
• 3g each to 6 and 7 gallon carboys.

9 PM:

• Sugar in 6 gal: 17.5 Brix (delta of 2 1/4 per day).
• Sugar in 7 gal: 18 Brix (delta of 1 3/4 per day).
• These sugars went down a little too fast. I need to be more vigilant with the ice in the water bath and keep it cool.
• Still tastes good. Now has yeasty flavors, along with citrus, grapefruit.

6:45PM:

• Sugar in 6 gal: 22 Brix.
• Sugar in 7 gal: 21.5 Brix.
• Strong grapefruit in nose and palate.

12:45 PM:

• Tasting from 6gal carboy: Very sweet, fruity. Clear grapefruit, citrus flavors. No off odors. Crisp!
• Tasting from 7g carboy same as 6gal.
• Sugar in 6gal carboy at 22.5 Brix.
• Sugar in 7gal carboy at 22.5 Brix.

Came home from work at lunch time, around 12:30 PM to get the fermentation started.

—-12:30 PM—-

• Racked the juice off the lees before fermentation, into 6 and 7 gal carboys.
• I placed the carboys into water baths in the 20 gal tubs to help manage the fermentation temperature. I want to keep it very low. Starting temperature was 60 F.
• Sugar at 23.5 Brix
• TA at 9.2 g/l
• pH at 2.98
• Free SO2 at 20-25 ppm
• Created a yeast starter in 2 containers of 40 ml juice + 40 ml distilled water + 8g Prise De Mouse. Let it sit 1/2 hour until nice and foaming.
• Added the starter solutions to the carboys.
• Placed airlocks on the carboys, and went back to work.

—-9PM—-

• Fermentation clearly started. There is a little foam…Prise De Mousse is supposed to be a low foaming yeast.
• The airlocks are bubbling slowly.
• The water bath temp is at 64 F. I am continuing to add ice to get the temperature down. I would like to stay under 50 F.

Met the picking crew at 7AM. We drove to the vineyard, up a long narrow dirt road off of Enterprise Drive:

It was a bit awkward. The picking foreman was the guy I talked to. I drove my truck to where the crew was picking, and they immediately filled my 2 20 gallon tubs! I thought I was to be picking my own…This should be anywhere from 160-200 lbs grapes (4-5lbs/gallon of grapes).

I didn’t know if I should pay the foreman, or pay the vineyard manager, who wasn’t there. The foreman suggested something for the pickers…but wouldn’t give me a number. I am such a pushover…but I was happy that they picked for me. I gave the guy $100, to split amongst the pickers however he saw fit.

I was home by 8:30 AM. I crushed immediately, following up with a pressing less than 1 hour later, into 2 6 gal carboys.

• Sugars at 23 Brix.
• TA at 9.8 g/L. Ouch, that is high!
• pH 2.98 (low…to go with the TA)

I wonder why they picked so early? Maybe the location of the vineyard that my grapes came from was under ripe, and would have averaged out with other parts of the vineyard. Maybe I can ask my contact who got me these grapes…

• Added SO2 to the must at ~25 ppm (10 ml 10% SO2 solution for each carboy)
• Let it sit overnight.

Got a last minute opportunity to piggy back on a commercial harvest. I am to meet the picking crew at 7AM near the vineyard! I will get about 150 lbs of grapes. I have no idea what it will cost…just happy that I am actually going to get some grapes!

BevPeople is not open today, so I called a guy named Frank who advertises wine making equipment for rent on Craigslist. I went and picked up a press and destemmer/crusher.