Second and Third pressings
Amazon0521
years. I usually do a merlot, a cab, a zin, whatever looks like the best
vineyard.
A year ago I got brave and did a second press with a batch of merlot skins. I
added sugar and spring water and acid, did the appropriate pressing and
rackings afterwards and bottled it after a year in the carboy. I did a little
blending with the finished wine (10% of cab, 10% of a zin) to balance the
flavors, oaked it with french oak, and bottled it. It is a very nice, fruity,
happy little wine - I describe it as having a beaujoulais quality,
uncomplicated and fresh tasting.
This year, after having done a batch of merlot, cab and zin again with the 99
Brehm grapes, I also did a second press, using all the merlot skins and 1/2 of
the cab skins in the same bucket, with 5 gallons of water, sugar, and acid.
The color after pressing and settling is deep and ruby, and the taste is a
lighter version of the first press.
Deciding to be foolishly brave, I've done a THIRD run on these skins, with 3
gallons of water, sugar and acid, and also added fresh yeast and yeast
nutrient. Am doing a long cool ferment - so far, after a week, the juice is
very deep in color. The taste is rather tannic, which I expected, given that
it's a third run and the skins are depleted of the really good stuff and are
now giving up the negative tannins. (also the cab must was noted by Peter by
as being very tannic to start with) I will press this third run in a couple of
days.
My question: What success, if any, have you had with third runs? Should I
look at fining the tannins? What would you recommend I do this with? Do you
have any other suggestions for me?
many thanks
Caris
Amazo...@aol.com
"It's a drum and arms waving.
It's a bonfire at midnight on the top edge of a hill,
this meeting here with you."
Rumi
Kirk Ocke
Caris,
I have no experience with third press wines. As a matter of fact, I'm
doing my first ever second press wine this year, also using skins from
Brehm grapes. I figure after spending $700 on 21 gallons of wine, I may
as well try it and see what happens.
I'm combining the skins from 150 lbs each of Sonoma Mountain Cabernet
Sauvignon and Santa Barbara Nebbiolo (a total of 6 buckets worth), and
adding a Pinot Noir Grape Concentrate. I was then planning to add 6
gallons of spring water (and whatever other acids and nutrients are needed).
Now that I see you are trying a third pressing, let me ask you a
a couple of questions:
1) how would you describe the quality difference between the first press
wine and the second press wine when using grapes from Brehm?
2) how many buckets worth of skins are you using for the 5 gallons?
Thanks
Kirk
GETaylor
98Yakima Valley Merlot. I reconstituted skins from 10 gals back to 5
gal of juice. I used fresh yeast and nutrient. I used the 'elbow
grease', literally to press, which is to say I had a lot wine left in my
press cake...it made difficult to determine the starting brix and the
wine shows it...it's reading about 19% alcohol on my vinometer. Its a
ruby red color a little rough around the edges at this point...I bulk
aged 11 months and bottles Thanksgiving weekend...this is my second 375
ml bottle and its getting better. I froze the skins from a 98 Syrah and
used them with a old (shelf life) can of Alexanders Cab...its been bulk
ageing since July99... I refroze them to use a second time and possibly
a third b blending fresh set of seconds from this years batches. I'm
not expecting anything more than jug wine to sip on until I can
accumulate enough good stuff. If I had to revisit the first second run
batch I would have reconstituted by 50% less each time to increase the
varietal flavor...I love to experiment...what can you lose? Keep us
posted!
gerald
In vino veritas!
Pliny the Elder, 69AD
Amazon0521
wine and the second press wine when using grapes from Brehm?
2) how many buckets worth of skins are you using for the 5 gallons?
Thanks
Kirk<<
The first press and second press are different wines, both very good, but
cannot really be compared to eachother. We drank a bottle of the second press
last nite with some pesto pasta, and were very enthusiastic. It compares with
say an $8.00 bottle of a nice clean sangiovese. The first press is a full
bodied, deep cab.
To make five gallons of the second pressing, I used the cake from one five
gallon bucket of must. Added five gallons water, 10 lb sugar, and 60grams acid
blend. Oaked with 50 grams french oak shavings from Presque Isle for a month.
I did not add concentrate.
This brand new second press, I used the cake from one five gallon bucket of
merlot must and half the cake from a 5 gallon bucket of cab must. Again, five
gallons water, 10 lb sugar, acid, etc..
The third press is only 3 gallons of water, 6 lb sugar, acid, etc.. I
considered adding concentrate but decided my mad scientist was in gear and
wanted to see what would happen just by itself. If I don't like it I can blend
it, strip it, etc.., or even do a batch of concentrate and add it later.
HTH
Kirk Ocke
>>> 1) how would you describe the quality difference between the first press
>wine and the second press wine when using grapes from Brehm?
>
> 2) how many buckets worth of skins are you using for the 5 gallons?
>
>Thanks
>
>Kirk<<
>
>The first press and second press are different wines, both very good, but
>cannot really be compared to eachother. We drank a bottle of the second press
>last nite with some pesto pasta, and were very enthusiastic. It compares with
>say an $8.00 bottle of a nice clean sangiovese. The first press is a full
>bodied, deep cab.
>
I was hoping you'd say something like that. I'm hoping to get a
drinkable light table wine.
Kirk
Jim Lincoln
grape juice concentrate (100% not the cocktail) instead of spring water
by itself. This will add the necessary acids and sugars to boot off the
fermentation again.
This works very well for my white muscadines when I do the "second"
wine fermentation.
Jim L.