It’s day 2 of fermentation (day 4 of the whole operation), but who’s counting? One of the main pointers I ever got about making wine at home is “BE PATIENT” which is very tough for me. I am definitely an instant gratification kind of guy. So, I waited patiently as my frozen cabernet sauvignon must thawed and eventually reached the 60′s in temperature and I was finally able to throw some yeast into the mix.
Within 12 hours I could see a difference and by the time I got home from work yesterday, there was a full “cap” on the must along with some obvious bubbles and a snap, crackle and pop… we are definitely in business. To summarize, here is what’s been done so far:
1. SO2 after the must thawed and was able to move it around
2. At around 60F I added some pectic enzyme which will help remove/prevent any haziness as well as increase juice extract from the grapes
3. At around 65F I added one package of Lalvin RC 212 wine yeast, which is good for 5-6 gallons of wine
4. Right after that I added some Yeast Energizer according to the manufacturer’s instructions, which was 1 tsp per gallon of must in this case
5. Then I added 1 ounce of oak cubes
6. Each day I will punch down the cap, which is the grapes, seeds, stems, etc.. that get pushed to the top as a result of the fermentation activity, at least once (maybe twice for more extract, color and tannin). I will also measure the temperature and Specificy Gravity (SG), which is basically sugar density. Remember, we are trying to ferment until the wine is “dry”, or there is no sugar left. This will occur when the SG is about .995-.998. Right now I am at 1.100
Video: Day 4
Ed,
Great stuff, I can almost smell your basement filled with the rich odor of wine. Thanks for sharing the process, we’re excited about how it goes. I’ll bring the filet mignon when you’re ready to sample…
Here are some famous quotes related to your “madness”:
“If this be not love, it is madness, and then it is pardonable.” – William Congreve
“There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
“No great genius has ever existed without some touch of madness.” – Aristotle
Thanks for the comments, Jason. You are definitely the king at quote finding and fine DJ skills… can’t wait to see how this comes out either… timing will be quick/last minute, but if you’re interested in tasting the “free-run” after fermentation, we could have you over. I did this at Crushpad and it was an interesting flavor and feel… kind of ceremonial, but then you can also see if it tastes where you want to go with it and make adjustments in the next stage or during aging.