Poppyseed Cellars

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.