2011 Crush

[shotski]

Thanks for the feed back guys. I have been making wine for a couple of years now but only this year starting to get serious. I will be following this thread with much interest.

[Tomer1]

I'l be bottling the 2011 and a non vintage syrah-cab soon, so I'l put up some pictures.

[shotski]

I bottled 134 bottles of 2013 wine this weekend. Some Cabernet Sav, some Merlot, some Misson and some Cab Sav and Allocate mixed.

[wharris]

Very nice. Always nice to have some wine in the racks.

2013 though? Not sure I understand the timeline. Where these grapes grown in 2012?

[shotski]

Oopssss  yes 2012. In a month I will be getting crushed and frozen grapes from Chile, that would be 2013.

[Tomer1]

In 2011 I expirimented with a PET container (this was originally a water jug), I filled it up with 19L of the pressed wine portion of a highly extracted tannic cabarnet.
After 12 months it was ready to drink compered to the demijohn which was completly muted as most high extracted cabs are at an "early age" but I left it be.
After 18 months and perhaps not enough watch on the Fso2 levels it started to show some signs of oxidation and lose alot of frutiness but it was still "Alive".
I decided to blend it with some shiraz into a 25L spair demijohn (19L+6L of fruity shiraz) and its been sitting there for a few months now.

It developed a bottle bouquet!  It doesnt smell anything like a fruity shiraz or tierd cabarnet sauv.  More like its moved on to its second life (8-10 years in the bottle).
I was floored! I had a wine friend come over to sample some (I decanted it a bit as demijohns tend to be reductive) and he couldnt believe it was not barrel aged.   
Turned out to be an amazing table wine. (I dont think it will last more then 2-3 years before dying in the bottle though).

So... PET is a good barrel alternative and certainly offers much more oxygen uptake then glass.  Try it!

[shotski]

Thanks for the tip Tomer. I had a quick look at the PET bottle and will look into it further in the next week or so.

[shotski]

Hey Tomer \ Wayne an off topic question about PH meters. Can you use the same PH meter for cheese as well as wine? I have been thinking about getting one. If so the one I have seen used in making wine there is a lot of dicking around with solutions. In cheese making how do you get the reading in a timely fashion during the process. And can you recommend a make and model for a place to start looking?

Thanks john 

[wharris]

While there are specialized pH meters for both, I use the same meter for all.

If/when I ever go pro, I will upgrade my pH meters accordingly.

[Tomer1]

Same here. I use the same one with flat probe.   I do pH and TA - titration (8.2 method) with it with accurate results backed by more expenssive devices.
The key is proper maintanance and 3 point calibration before each use.

For winemaking, a tabletop meter is likely more comfortable but Im sure one could DIY a table top holder for a stick meter.   

[shotski]

Thanks for the feed back.

Tomer1, "I do pH and TA - titration (8.2 method)"  do you know were I can find some info on this method as I am new to using a meter and and calibration. Like always everyone stresses sanitation and maintenance. 

[Tomer1]

Here you go.     

For white must I often use color indicator, faster then calibrating the meter. I often just quickly add enough naoh to reach aprox 4 g\L titrated acid (as tartaric) and then from there go very slowly, drop at a time so I dont overshot.   White grapes often come at 4.5-5 g\L and then I correctly by pH and then do a second correction after fermentation by taste to achive good balance.

For red wine\must the color is often too deep to use a color indicator without diluting the sample by 5-8 folds and I find that your error margin is bigger.
Thats where the 8.2 method comes handy.

[shotski]

 Thanks Tomer & Wayne for the help

[Boofer]

If/when I ever go pro, I will upgrade my pH meters accordingly.

Hey, Wayne, did you ever finish your new subterranean cheese "studio"? :)

-Boofer-

[wharris]

It is indeed finished.

I am now just updating my cheese press, and I will be back in business.

And by update, I really mean, making a new one.
:D