I’m finally getting to try my new FastFerment (what’s this?), a new and improved reincarnation of the V Vessel from FastBrewing & WineMaking. I love making wine, but I also enjoy using equipment that makes turning grape juice into wine easy without compromising quality. And a passion of mine is testing new products. And so it is I decided […]
Making Wine Using the FastFerment – Day 0 Read More »
I first tested what was then called the V Vessel some 8 years ago and wrote about it in my book Techniques in Home Winemaking. The V Vessel was a conical food-grade HDPE plastic fermenter with a bottom valve and collection capsule assembly to collect lees and other grape residues to facilitate racking. Grape juice
FastFermeting Wine Read More »
The 10th edition of this quadrennial enology symposium (http://www.oeno2015.u-bordeaux.fr/en/) was held at the Palais de la Bourse in Bordeaux from June 29 to July 1, 2015. This Symposium International d’Œnologie de Bordeaux was first conceived in 1963 by Prof. Jean Ribéreau-Gayon and Dr. Émile Peynaud to commemorate the centennial anniversary of Louis Pasteur’s famous work Études sur
Oeno 2015 – 10e Symposium International d’Œnologie de Bordeaux Read More »
Have you ever wanted to taste and see how that single bottle of 1989 Château Pétrus in your cellar is evolving but you really don’t want to crack it up just yet? Well, the Coravin Wine Access System might just be the answer to your dilemma. The Coravin is a wine preserving/dispensing system that allows pouring any amount of
How good is the Coravin? Read More »
It’s been 2 weeks since I introduced oak chips into the 2011 and 2013 #VinoSuperiore Sangiovese wines. I tasted the wines and the amount of oak is just perfect. The influence in the 2011 seemed lesser, but I racked anyways. It has a nice bite. The 2013 showed more of the oak influence, though still
Making Wine the Vino Superiore Way – March 7, 2015 progress report Read More »
Yes, it has indeed been 6 months since I started my VinoSuperiore wines. I had previously racked and sulfited the wines once MLF was complete. My sulfite additions were based on 0.5 mg/L molecular SO2 and wine pH, then I doubled the amount knowing that my total SO2 was below 50 mg/L and there would be
Making Wine the Vino Superiore Way – 6-month progress report Read More »
November 4, 2014 Well, it’s been almost 3 months since I inoculated my VinoSuperiore wines for malolactic fermentation, or MLF. A paper chromatography test on October 11, or 2 months after inoculation, showed that MLF in the 2011 Sangiovese and the tiny batch of 2011/13 topping wine were not quite complete, and that the 2013
Making Wine the Vino Superiore Way – Day 81: MLF Progress Read More »
August 29, 2014 Aloha! Well, I’m unfortunately not in Hawaii, but I have “Tiny Bubbles in my wine” playing in my head now that malolactic fermentation (MLF) in both Vino Superiore wines has begun. Not as exciting as the alcoholic fermentation, but exciting nonetheless. By flashing a strong light source at the neck of a
Making Wine the Vino Superiore Way – Day 14: MLF Start Read More »
August 27, 2014 ML what? MLF … as in malolactic fermentation. It’s not a true fermentation. It’s a metabolic process enabled by lactic acid bacteria which convert sharp-tasting malic acid into the softer lactic acid. Malic acid is the primary acid found in, for example, Granny Smith apples while lactic acid is commonly found in
Making Wine the Vino Superiore Way – Day 12: Inoculating for MLF Read More »
August 26, 2014 Well, it looks like it’s going to be a photo-finish race as the 2013 Vino Superiore Sangiovese now took a slight lead in fermentation over the 2011. Since we are in negative Brix territory now, I am using a high-precision hydrometer; the scale is 5 to -5. Brix measurements for 2011 and
Making Wine the Vino Superiore Way – Day 11: Pressing Read More »
