The Winemaker’s Think Tank: Vol 32 – “What do I do if I have a stuck fermentation?”
What’s the Winemaker’s Think Tank?
Every Thursday we will post about a few frequently asked questions that our winemaker has answered. If you have a winemaking question you would like to have answered, please email us at support@juicegrape.com and we will try to get into next week’s post. Cheers! 🙂
What do I do if I have a stuck fermentation?
Sometimes, even though we take great care as winemakers to avoid it, we can get caught with a stuck fermentation. Yeast are incredible creatures, capable of very rapid reproduction, but they do have their limiting factors. It is very important to know the limitations of the certain yeast strain that you are using for your wine. Evaluate your must’s pH to ensure that it is above 3.2, the lower pH environmental threshold for most yeast strains. Take into consideration the alcohol tolerance of the yeast that you selected. If you take the initial Brix level and multiply it by .55, you will have a pretty close estimate of your ending alcohol by volume. Make sure that you haven’t put in a yeast that is unable to handle the rising alcohol levels of the must. Another important factor to consider is the temperature of the must. All yeast strains have a preferred temperature window in which they like to work and reproduce. Because fermentation is an exothermic reaction, check your temperatures (if making reds always take a measurement under the cap) and be sure they haven’t gotten so warm that the yeast may be dying off. The opposite is also true, ensuring that your juice or must have warmed up enough to allow the yeast to begin their processing. Lastly, another important factor to consider in the health of your fermentation is the nutrition of your yeast. Aside from the sugar that they consume, yeast also need proteins, vitamins, and minerals to complete a healthy fermentation. Using a nutrient, such as Fermaid, will give the yeast the other elements needed to properly process the juice.
After the careful evaluation of these factors, you may need to add a small amount of water, nutrients, or heat or cool the must/juice. A winemaker at Musto Wine Grape is happy to help you with the amounts and timing of these additions. If all of these factors have been evaluated and adjusted for, prior to fermentation, and you still have a stuck fermentation, you will need to restart the fermentation. Please contact support@juicegrape.com and a trained winemaker can help you with a restart procedure.
We hope this information helps with your winemaking. If you have any follow up questions or winemaking questions in general, please email us at support@juicegrape.com.
Grapes & Juices in Stock as of 9/26/17 at 7:33AM
PLEASE CALL AHEAD BEFORE YOU PICK UP.
Our inventory moves very quickly and we want to make sure we have everything you want in stock. Sincerely, The Musto Crush Crew
California Juices: California Select, Cry Baby, and Colina del Sol – All Varieties in Stock
Lodi Gold Juices (California): Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Muscat, Thompson Seedless, Merlot, Mixed Black, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Zinfandel
California Wine Grapes:
- California Special Barbera
- Lugano Barbera
- Pia Cabernet Sauvignon
- Caterina Petite Sirah
- Cry Baby Grenache
- Caterina Cabernet Sauvignon
- Uva di California Ruby Cabernet
- Zinderella Zinfandel
- Muscat King #36
- Valley Beauty Zinfandel
- Cry Baby Cabernet Sauvignon Clone 337
- Pia Sangiovese
- Teaser Zinfandel (small quantities – call ahead)
- Teaser Grenache (small quantities – call ahead)
- Pia Malbec
- Caterina Old Vine Zinfandel
- Caterina Sangiovese
- Caterina Old Vine Carignane
- Caterina Merlot
- Cry Baby Sangiovese
- Costamagna Merlot
- Cry Baby Sangiovese
- Costamagna Cabernet Sauvignon
- Cry Baby Syrah
- Cry Baby Muscat #36
- Costamagna Viognier
- Caterina Thompson Seedless #42
- Caterina Pinot Noir
- Smiling Baby Merlot
- King’s River Albarino
- Lodi Gold Albarino
- Pia Cabernet Franc
- Cry Baby Mixed Black
- Lanza Petite Verdot
- Lanza Chardonnay
- Lanza Petite Sirah
- Lanza Primitivo
- Lanza Cabernet Clone 8 (Valley) – CALL to Confirm
- Lanza Sangiovese
- Lanza Barbera
- Lanza Malbec
- Lanza Muscat Cannelli
- King’s River Cabernet Franc
- Paso Robles Cabernet Franc
- Cry Baby Malbec
- Lodi Gold Tannat
- Paso Robles Pinot Noir
- Paso Robles Merlot
- Lodi Gold Pinot Noir
- King’s River Tempranillo
- Cry Baby Old Vine Black Muscat
- Caterina Zinfandel
- Lodi Gold Black Muscat
Wine Competition Entries are Due Soon!
Get excited because our Winemaking Competition is back! We have Certified Sommeliers, Certified American Wine Society Wine Judges, and Professional Winemakers who will be giving you in depth notes about your wines. Our judges are excited to taste your wines and give some awesome tasting notes! We are currently accepting entries and hope to see you soon. If you have any questions about the wine competition please contact Christina at cmusto@juicegrape.com.
The Details: All entries must be delivered to Musto by October 14, 201. The Wine Competition will be held October 21st, 2017.
Download all documents by clicking HERE.
Photos from the last years Awards Ceremony & Dinner….
Dinner Date: TBD – but will be in January in 2018
Grapes & Juices in Stock as of 9/21/17 at 9:27AM
JUICES: All varieties in stock – Cry Baby & California Select labels
Grapes in Stock as of 9/21/17
– Caterina Petite Sirah
– Lodi Gold Pinot Grigio
– Lodi Gold Albarino
– Zinderella
– Valley Beauty Zin CPC
– Uva di Cal Cairgnane
– Teaser Grenache
– Caterina Old Vine Carignane
– Pia Malbec
– Cry Baby Grenache
– Cry Baby French Colombard
– Pia Zinfandel
– Caterina Cabernet
– Caterina Petite Sirah
– Cry Baby Tempranillo King River
– Caterina Old Vine Zinfandel
– Uva di Cal Ruby Cabernet
– Pia Cabernet Sauvignon
– Caterina Merlot
– Cry Baby Muscat #42
– Pia Cabernet Franc
– O’Caprio Alicante #42
– Pia Ruby Cabernet
– Pia Sangiovese
– Smiling Baby Barbera
– Smiling Baby Sangiovese
– Lodi Gold Cabernet Sauvignon
– Lodi Gold Chardonnay
– Costamagna Pinotage
– Cry Baby King River Syrah
– Costamagna Viognier
– Cry Baby Grenache
– Cry Baby King River Cabernet Franc
– Lucerne Alicante #42
– Smiling Baby Thompson Seedless #42
– Caterina Thompson Seedless #42
– Lanza Chardonnay
– Lanza Sangiovese
– Lanza Primitivo
– Lanza Barbera
– Lanza Malbec
– Lanza Muscat Cannelli
– Uva di Cal Paso Robles Cabernet Franc
– Costamagna Syrah
– Smiling Baby Merlot
– Paso Robles Pinot Noir
– Cry Baby King River Cabernet Franc
– Costamagna Merlot
– Cry King River Zinfandel
– Cry Baby Sangiovese
– Pia Sauvignon Blanc
– Pia Sangiovese
– Old Vine Black Muscat Cry Baby
– Valley Beauty Zinfandel
– Cabernet Malbec
– Pia Zinfandel
– Smiling Baby Malvasia Bianca
– Uva di Calfornia Mixed Black
– Cry Baby Muscat #36
The Winemaker’s Think Tank: Vol 31 – How do I bring down my Brix?
What’s the Winemaker’s Think Tank?
Every Thursday we will post about a few frequently asked questions that our winemaker has answered. If you have a winemaking question you would like to have answered, please email us at support@juicegrape.com and we will try to get into next week’s post. Cheers! 🙂
How do I bring down my Brix?
Sometimes the beautiful California weather can ripen our wine grapes a little too much, sending sugar levels very high. Any grapes with an initial Brix reading over 28 degrees, should be considered high and a winemaker must use caution when fermenting them. The sugars are fermented into alcohol, so many home winemakers think “I will just have a nice strong wine”. While this is correct, the high alcohol levels can lead to a stuck fermentation as the accumulating alcohol levels will begin to kill the yeast. It is very important when selecting your yeast strain, to make sure that is has an alcohol tolerance high enough to handle the sugar in the grapes. You can figure out the end alcohol by volume by multiplying the initial Brix level by .55. Make sure the yeast can handle this end ABV. Another factor to consider is the balance of the wine. Having a very high alcohol content (>14%) can lead to a burning sensation upon ingestion and some off flavors in the wine.
Now that we have covered why you may want to bring down your Brix levels, now how does one go about it? You can add water, but because water has a neutral pH, you must add acidulated water as to not bring down the pH of the juice. If your grape must has a pH of 3.6, you must add 3.4g/L of tartaric acid to the water to lower its pH to make it the same strength as the wine must. Then how much water to add? Use the Pearson’s Square formula of the desired amount being equal to the volume of juice in liters multiplied by the desired brix minus the actual brix then divided by the brix of water (zero) minus the desired Brix.
In example, if you have a 5 gallon batch of juice at 28 degrees Brix and would like to add water to bring it to 24 degrees Brix, first convert the gallons to liters by multiplying by 3.78 L/gal. This gives you 18.9 liters. Minus the desired Brix of 24 from the actual Brix of 28, to give -4. Multiply the volume by the -4 to give -75.6. Then take the Brix of the additive (water which is zero) and subtract from that the desired Brix of 24. This will give you -24. Then the volume needed is simply -75.6/-24, which gives you 3.15. You would need to add 3.15 liters of water to reduce your Brix from 28 to 24.
We hope this information helps with your winemaking. If you have any follow up questions or winemaking questions in general, please email us at support@juicegrape.com.
Wine Class Schedule
We have a bunch of classes coming up! Make sure to RSVP via Facebook or Sign Up via the website!
Saturday September 23rd: Common Winemaking Mistakes (FREE) at 10:00AM – RSVP by clicking HERE
Saturday September 30th: Winemaking 201 – Winemaker Lab Skills ($75.00) at 10:00AM – sign up by clicking HERE
Saturday October 7th: Winemaker Bootcamp ($150.00) at 9:00AM – sign up by clicking HERE
Numbers from Washington State as of 9/14/17
Numbers are of 9/14/17
Pinot – 22.5 Brix, 3.3 pH
Merlot – 22 Brix, 3.47 pH
Cab Sauv – 20 Brix, 3.4 pH
Cab Franc – 19 Brix, 3.42 pH
The Winemaker’s Think Tank: Vol 30 – How do I test for pH?
What’s the Winemaker’s Think Tank?
Every Thursday we will post about a few frequently asked questions that our winemaker has answered. If you have a winemaking question you would like to have answered, please email us at support@juicegrape.com and we will try to get into next week’s post. Cheers! 🙂
How do I test for pH?
Testing for pH is a reasonably simple process for your wine. Based on your budget, you can obtain a variety of pH measuring implements. There are pH test strips that will give you an approximate level of pH in your wine. They give a color reaction that when compared to a chart, indicates the pH of the wine. The next level up in sophistication as well as price is a basic pH meter. Musto wine grape offers a simple handheld pH meter that can be calibrated in a matter of minutes and gives precise and accurate pH readings. The probe must be stored properly in a storage solution to ensure that it does not dry out. The probe lasts from 12-18 months, depending on its care and must be purged after this time frame. With the most basic model, you throw out the entire unit and buy a new one. With the more sophisticated models of pH meters, the probe is replaced separately from the unit (which should last indefinitely).
We hope this information helps with your winemaking. If you have any follow up questions or winemaking questions in general, please email us at support@juicegrape.com.
Musto Crush Crew Pre-Harvest Traditions
Ever wonder how we prep for harvest?
Frank Musto: “I always pick up two new pairs of work shoes in August, make sure I break them in before season. I usually burn through two pairs each season….Food of choice is McDonalds, nothing takes the pressure of a hard day like a Big Mac, large fries, and a diet coke…After Labor day, I kiss my wife good bye, pet the dog behind the ears, and tell them ill see them in late October.”
Christina Musto: “I’m usually pestering all of the growers for photos of the vineyards. Then I get my house into “harvest mode” stocking up on beer, cider, frozen meals, and chocolate. Finally, I treat myself to purchasing a special bottle of Schramsberg Brut Rose as an “in case of emergency” bottle.
Patrick Milio: “I bid farewell to friends and family, stock up on Beer, Bourbon, and Bubbles to enjoy after long days at the shop, and pre-emptively apologize to my digestive system for the terrible nightly takeout meals that are to come.”
Colin Mulryan: “I go through all of my old clothes to wear for the season, because it all gets thrown out at the end. And stock the fridge with beer.”
Ken Milio: Our Harvest tradition starts the week before as its time to clean and sanitize last year’s Crusher / Destemmer, Fermenting tubs, Must Plungers and other small items. You can tell how much wine was consumed last year by the cleanliness of the equipment this year. On crush day, our tradition is that all involved toast the new season with a shot of “ Honey Grappa “. After the crush, we again clean and sanitize the equipment then the drinking and eating begins.
Frank Renaldi: “The first thing I do to prepare for harvest is to think of another way to trick my wife into thinking I am not making a lot of wine. Last year I told her she miscounted the number of cases of grapes on the truck. The year before I told her each case of grapes weighed 10 pounds.
Then I get down to business and take inventory of my supplies and order what I need by July. I also decide on the grapes I want to work with and reserve my order. Then I check all my equipment to make sure it is ready for the big day. I talk to all my wine making friends and we get excited like little kids getting ready for their first day of school – well it does happen at the same time of the year. I think this year I will tell my wife, I had to buy more because the grapes were smaller this year.”
Barry St. Pierre: “First thing is to make and freeze a big pot of chili…for friends who stop by to help or for ourselves when we are too tired to make anything else. Full tanks have to be bottled or moved to free up space for new grapes and wine. Of course we pre-clean all of our equipment, especially our feet…need to be sure to remove all toe jam. By now all supplies are ordered, especially grapes from Musto…I seem to always get yelled at for not ordering early enough. Then sit back, open a bottle of wine, and wait for the grapes to ripen and arrive.”
Robert Herold: “As the harvest/crush/press day approaches, I start fortifying myself with wine several days in advance. For the actual activity day, nothing works as well as beer to make the task go smoothly. To quote a very good winemaker friend of mine, ‘it takes a lot of good beer to make a good wine’.”
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