RachmaelBenApplebaum
Well-Known Member
So I was able to get 2 5-gallon buckets of drop fruit from my work's Zinfandel vines today, actual weight unknown. Much of it was getting ripe (~15brix, some quite tart still) and had some decent color. I decided what the hell and picked through the bunches and de-stemmed by hand. I then carefully washed the beautiful GF's feet and had her commence to stomp the grapes in a bucket, yielding about 2 1/2 gallons of must. The must tasted pretty acidic so I went to work on my whacked-out scheme, adding an 8lb ice block(drinking water quality) 1 tsp pectic enzyme (just because) 5 campden tablets just to be on the safe side of things, and a liberal few spoonfuls of A-Amylase. I also chaptalized with 4lbs of cane sugar (~1.33repeating lbs per gallon) and threw in about a pound of old elderberries that still have some color to them that I used for making elderberry extract.
NOW, my speculations. The elderberry is supposed to give it some better color since some of the berries, albeit fairly ripe and colorful, were under ripe, without imparting much flavor since the bulk of their color was extracted with brandy for tincture. The A-Amylase I suspected might be able to convert the high amounts of starch present in the unripe grapes into sugar, and if nothing else it'll help keep a haze problem at bay. The acidity of the must is going to be mitigated by dilution with water from the ice, the basic nature of elderberries, and potentially a correction with calcium carbonate before fermentation. I plan on letting the must cold-soak macerate with the ice for a day or so before inoculating. I was going to use 71B to help mitigate some of the acidity as well, being known for converting malic acid into alcohol and commonly used on red noveau wines and some provencial reds and rose as well. I figured all of these elements would work nicely to create something drinkable from the grapes I was able to get my hands on. I'm thinking color extraction from the Zin skins should be fairly decent. I also considered using Assmanshausen yeast, as I have a good supply, but I'm worried about the acidty, which I can check when I take readings before fermentation.
Comments? Holes in my ideas? Am I nuts? Will it be a learning experience?(<-I think so!)
NOW, my speculations. The elderberry is supposed to give it some better color since some of the berries, albeit fairly ripe and colorful, were under ripe, without imparting much flavor since the bulk of their color was extracted with brandy for tincture. The A-Amylase I suspected might be able to convert the high amounts of starch present in the unripe grapes into sugar, and if nothing else it'll help keep a haze problem at bay. The acidity of the must is going to be mitigated by dilution with water from the ice, the basic nature of elderberries, and potentially a correction with calcium carbonate before fermentation. I plan on letting the must cold-soak macerate with the ice for a day or so before inoculating. I was going to use 71B to help mitigate some of the acidity as well, being known for converting malic acid into alcohol and commonly used on red noveau wines and some provencial reds and rose as well. I figured all of these elements would work nicely to create something drinkable from the grapes I was able to get my hands on. I'm thinking color extraction from the Zin skins should be fairly decent. I also considered using Assmanshausen yeast, as I have a good supply, but I'm worried about the acidty, which I can check when I take readings before fermentation.
Comments? Holes in my ideas? Am I nuts? Will it be a learning experience?(<-I think so!)
