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THE STOMPER
The Monthly Winemaking Newsletter of grapestompers.com
August, 2001 Issue #13
http://www.grapestompers.com 1-800-233-1505
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Welcome to the latest issue of "THE STOMPER", a newsletter
of winemaking hints and other wine-related articles.
You are receiving this newsletter because you requested a
subscription and have an interest in home winemaking.
Unsubscribe instructions are at the end of this newsletter.
Feel free to pass along this newsletter to your winemaking
friends; we only ask that it be sent in its entirety.
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IN THIS ISSUE
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=> Feature Article - Help for Stuck Fermentations
=> New Products
=> Bonnie's Bin - Where Did the Time Go?
=> This Month's Specials
=> Tom's Cellar - Traveling the Globe in Search of Wine
=> Feedback from Our Customers
=> Guest Column - Use of Sulphur Dioxide in Winemaking
=> How to Be Featured as our Guest Columnist
=> Corky's Winemaking Definition
=> Subscribe/Unsubscribe Information
*^* Hot Tips are sprinkled throughout the newsletter
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FEATURE ARTICLE: Help for Stuck Fermentations
By Brant Burgiss, Editor
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You've picked all the fruit with care, extracted the juice,
and pitched the yeast... but fermentation never starts, or
worse, quits before it should!
What happened?
Unfortunately, you may have fallen victim to the dreaded
"stuck fermentation" syndrome. So what do you do now?
How did this dreadful situation occur in the first place?
And how do you prevent this from happening again?
See our latest winemaking article about the causes, cures,
and preventions of stuck fermentations here:
http://www.grapestompers.com/articles/stuck_fermentation.htm
*Warning: This long URL may wrap in some e-mail clients.
If this happens, just copy the entire URL above and paste
it in your browser's address bar.
We think this article provides some great information;
don't miss it!
Here's to you... and Happy Winemaking!
You can write to Brant at webmaster@grapestompers.com
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NEW PRODUCTS
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Here is a list of products recently added to our catalog:
- Item # 2716 Wine Acid Test Kit $5.61
- Item # 2717 Sodium Hydroxide .10% normal 4 oz. $1.65
- Item # 2747 Elderberries, 4 oz. $3.52
- Item # 2746 TM Wine Conditioner, 32 oz. $7.31
- Item # 2700 Lalvin RC 212 yeast 5g Reg $.68 Sale $.61
- Item # 2710 Lalvin ICV D-47 yeast 5g Reg $.68 Sale $.61
- Item # 2780 Orange Soda Pop Base $3.76
- Item # 2781 Raspberry Soda Pop Base $3.94
- Item # 2786 Red Head Bottle Capper $10.91
- Item # 2787 Bottle Caps, plain gold, 144 count $4.32
- Item # 2715 Sparkalloid fining powder, 1 oz. $1.93
- Item # 2260 Floor Corker, Portuguese, nylon iris $57.75
- Item # 2370 Reusable/Stackable Bottle Cases $8.68
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BONNIE'S BIN: Where Did The Time Go?
By Bonnie Brown, Manager
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Where does the time go? I still have not started the
Blackberry Merlot wine. That might be on the back burner
for a winter project so it is ready for next summer!
(I have not had the friends in for a barbecue yet either!)
All four flavors of our new light wines (Blackberry Merlot,
Raspberry/White Zinfandel, Peach Chardonnay, and Kiwi
Gewurtztraminer) have gone over quite well. The ladies
seem to like them better than the men. Light and refreshing,
where men seem to enjoy the "real" wines.
We have another request - can you help us? A winery we know
is looking for software for keeping logs of the wines. Do
any of you know of one that is good and fairly easy to
understand and use? Let us know so I can pass along that
information. THANKS!
We are starting to get feedback on what some of our
winemaking friends are making for the October 7th wine
tasting at the Bodega. Plum, blueberry, strawberry, and
apple to name a few. I hope some of you are making the
unusual ones that will pique the interest of other
winemakers. Eyes go wide open when they hear pumpkin!!!
Tea Bag!! CORN!!! Yes, you can make wine out of those!
I hear it is interesting. . .
I do hope the heat is not getting to any of you. One
customer said he can't get it cool enough no matter how
low they turn the thermostat! Just think of how all of our
grapes and fruits are doing. Hope all of the above do
well in the coming weeks of "Dog Days" of summer.
Keep the wines happy and the makers will be happy too!
Ya'll have a great August.
'Tis a wonderful day in the mountains. . . .
Life is too short... to drink bad wine... so make your own!
You can write to Bonnie at bonnie@grapestompers.com
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THIS MONTH'S SPECIALS
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grapestompers' specials for the month of August 2001 are:
Save 10% on our Peach/Chardonnay Wine Kit
AND
Save 10% on ALL Lalvin Wine Yeasts in stock
AND
Save over 10% on our Yeast Nutrient
AND
Save over $70 on the purchase of a
Complete Winemaking Starter Kit
which includes a RED or WHITE Concentrate
(see wine kit selection below)
Item # Description Regular Price SPECIAL Price
3280 Peach/Chardonnay Wine Kit 38.41 34.57
2733 Yeast Nutrient (Fermax) 2.23 1.99
2700 Lalvin RC 212 Wine Yeast 0.68 0.61
2707 Lalvin EC-1118 Wine Yeast 0.68 0.61
2708 Lalvin 71B-1122 Wine Yeast 0.68 0.61
2709 Lalvin K1V-1116 Wine Yeast 0.68 0.61
2710 Lalvin ICV D-47 Wine Yeast 0.68 0.61
3200 Complete White Starter Kit 246.68 175.00
3100 Complete Red Starter Kit 259.79 185.00
Here's what you get with the COMPLETE Starter Kit:
If choosing the Complete WHITE Kit, your choice of either:
Fume Blanc, Piesporter, or Chenin Blanc VDV concentrate
If choosing the Complete RED Kit, your choice of either:
Valpolicella, Shiraz, or Cabernet/Merlot VDV concentrate
PLUS ALL THESE GOODIES:
Tom's Winemaking Video Bottle Rinser
Fermenter Bucket with lid Three-Piece Airlock
6-Gallon Glass Carboy Carboy Brush
Bung (stopper) Bottle Filler
Five feet of vinyl tubing B-Brite Sanitizer
Portuguese Hand Corker FermTech AutoSiphon
2 Cases of 750-ml Bottles Spoon or Paddle (our choice)
Bottle Washer Adapter Brass Bottle Washer
Bottle Drainer, 45 station
AND YOU GET THE FOLLOWING ITEMS FREE ($16.59 value):
- Free Wine Labels (text of your choice)
- Free $5 coupon towards your next concentrate purchase
- Free Corks (30 corks, enough for one batch)
Just think: This complete kit offers EVERYTHING a brand-new
hobbyist would need to begin making his own wine. All you
need to decide is which wine kit you want!
And don't forget... you can always return your winemaking
video and receive a credit for $19.95 on your next
purchase... that's like getting the video for free! All
we ask is that you return it in good condition.
This is the best deal we've ever offered on a complete kit,
so don't miss out... order one for yourself or a friend
today. Ask for RED Complete Kit # 3100 or WHITE Kit # 3200
and be sure to let us know which wine concentrate you want.
NEW! Now you can "personalize" your Complete Kit -
Let's say you don't need or want some of the items that
normally come with the Complete Kit... just give us a call
at 1-800-233-1505 and let us know which items you don't
need, and we will adjust the price of the equipment kit
accordingly. Likewise, if you'd like a different wine kit,
just let us know and we can adjust the price.
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TOM'S CELLAR: Traveling the Globe in Search of Wine
by Tom Burgiss, Owner
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Editors Note:
Tom is currently on a winemaking research trip to New
Zealand and Australia, looking for new sources of grape
juices and concentrates, as well as updated techniques
and winemaking equipment.
*-----------------HOT TIP------------------*
Check your specific gravity (S.G.) each
day during primary fermentation. You'll be
able to react more quickly to problems such
as stuck fermentations.
Have a tip you'd like to submit?
Send it to tips@grapestompers.com
*-----------------HOT TIP------------------*
I'm sure we'll all benefit from his adventures and
experiences. We can hardly wait to hear his stories!
Look for Tom's next article in the September issue of
The STOMPER.
You can write to Tom at tom@grapestompers.com
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FROM OUR CUSTOMERS
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As you might imagine, our office receives quite a bit of
correspondence - mostly through e-mail - here are some
comments we've recently received:
Hey Tom,
Thanks for responding so quickly. I forgot about the [free]
wine labels; 'Martha's Cellar' sounds great. I usually make
my own, so this will be a nice change.
I've been brewing beer and making wine for about 3 years
now, and I love it (and everyone else loves to drink it).
I don't seem to be able to make it fast enough, I haven't
been able to age any wine like I would like to, [and] I
never had enough equipment.
I was purchasing my supplies at a store nearby;
unfortunately they closed their doors about a month ago.
I have been subscribing to your newsletter since last
August, [and] since my local store is no more, I thought
it was about time that I stop being a voyeur, and become
a customer. I enjoy your newsletter and love your web site.
I'm looking forward to continuing to do business with you.
Thanks,
-- Martha Majewski
Phoenixville, PA
Thanks Bonnie,
I really appreciate the great service I've gotten from
Grapestompers, and the wine.... :-)
-- Hal Wolfe
Peachtree City, GA
This was in response to letting a customer know her order
was on the way:
Dear Bonnie,
WONDERFUL, now I can buy my peaches this weekend!! :0)
You guys are great!!! I LOVE my new hobby!!!!!!!!
-- Amy Daihl
Roxbury, PA
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GUEST COLUMN - The Use of Sulphur Dioxide in Winemaking
by Charles Plant, Vancouver, BC
PART ONE of TWO
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When Nature ferments grapes, or any other fruit for that
matter, wine is not the end product. Instead, unpleasant
concoctions containing vinegars, mercaptans and other
substances are formed, with the final end being water and
assorted solids and gases. Although most good winemaking
involves interfering with Nature as little as possible
nonetheless we need to steer her a bit, and in fact
completely stop some natural processes at just the right
moment.
An indispensable ally of the winemaker in achieving these
things is sulphur dioxide. We will refer to it by its
chemical formula, SO2. In this article we will be
investigating how to use SO2 to do the following things
for us: inhibit wild and spoilage yeasts and unwanted
bacteria (this can include the malolactic bacteria at
sufficiently high SO2 levels); help prevent oxidation
and preserve fruity flavour and freshness in wine.
SOURCING SO2
SO2 is a pungent, choking gas which is somewhat soluble.
The most practical source for the home winemaker is the
salt, potassium metabisulphite, which is 57% SO2. Since
you can detect SO2 when you smell a sample of potassium
metabisulphite it is evident that the solid decomposes
easily. This happens on contact with carbon dioxide and
moisture in the air. Keep your container of potassium
metabisulphite tightly closed to minimize this problem.
In any case, you probably shouldn't keep the stuff around
for more than a year before buying fresh.
"Campden" tablets are made of potassium metabisulphite.
Each tablet, when fresh, contains 0.44 grams of it.
However, if they are old, a lot of the SO2 will have been
lost and their effects will be unreliable. You're better
off to use bulk potassium metabisulphite. It's cheaper too.
Sodium metabisulphite is also a source of SO2 but probably
should be used only for equipment sterilizing purposes,
not in must or wine. For one thing, many people avoid
sodium in their diets, for another, the presence of
potassium ions in wine is more useful than sodium.
Sometimes an old fashioned winery will burn a sulphur
stick in empty barrels to keep them sterile. Under no
circumstances should the home winemaker ever do this.
The presence of any elemental sulphur, such as might drip
into the barrel will lead inevitably to the formation of
the dreaded hydrogen sulphide. In the winemaking business,
-ite sulphur compounds are friendly, -ides are deadly
enemies.
Under a very few circumstances, solid potassium meta-
bisulphite may be used directly. For instance if you
decide to add SO2 to red grapes before crushing, a scant
one-quarter teaspoon sprinkled on a 36 pound lug of grapes
will give you about what you need — somewhere around 30
to 40 parts per million SO2.
Don't do this with white grapes or when using red grapes
to make a rosé. When you press, the SO2 will wash off into
the juice in uncontrollable amounts and you will likely
have far too much in the free run, and next to none in
the pressed portion.
THE 10% SOLUTION
A much better way to get your SO2 is from a 10% solution
of potassium metabisulphite in water. For instance, you
could add water to 1 pound of potassium metabisulphite to
make a total volume of 1 imperial gallon. Or, if you
prefer metric, add enough water to 100 grams of potassium
metabisulphite to make up a total volume of 1.00 litres.
Fresh 10% solution is 5.7% SO2.
A commonly used unit of measurement for SO2 in must or wine
is "parts per million" or "ppm". 1 ppm is the same as
1 milligram per litre. I will use ppm.
For example, if you add 2.4 millilitres of 10% potassium
metabisulphite solution to 1.0 imperial gallons of wine
you will be adding 30 ppm SO2. If you have a 19.2 litre
carboy to which you wish to add 20 ppm SO2, multiply 0.35
by 19.2 to get an SO2 addition of 6.7 mL of 10% solution.
Consider making up your own spreadsheet giving SO2
additions for your own sizes of barrels and carboys.
PUTTING SO2 TO GOOD USE
You might hear a commercial winemaker tell you that she
"doesn't use any SO2 at all until after the primary
ferment is complete, particularly with white wines." Such
a winemaker knows the complete history of her grapes —
exactly where they came from and how they were handled.
She undoubtedly also has elaborate handling equipment —
must coolers, inert gas covered tanks and all the rest.
You should know a lot about what you're doing before you
decide to postpone adding SO2 until some middle point in
the winemaking process.
Let's start with red grapes. You need to suppress any
bacteria and wild yeasts they may have picked up, prior to
inoculating with a selected yeast culture. If you try to
depend on wild yeasts, they will likely die before all the
sugar is fermented out, leaving you with a sticky problem
or worse. Vinegar bacteria can produce an undesirable
amount of ethyl acetate in the early part of the
fermentation if not checked.
You probably bought the grapes by the pound and can assume
around 5 litres of finished wine from each 20 pounds.
Addition of 2.7 millilitres of 10% potassium metabisulphite
solution for each 20 pounds works out to 30 ppm SO2. If the
grapes are in reasonable shape, this should do the job for
you. If your grapes are in perfect shape and the pH is low
enough, you can do with less. We will deal with pH
considerations later.
If you are planning to have a malolactic ferment, or ML,
happen at the same time as the sugar ferment, don't add
the ML culture until the sugar ferment is well underway.
By that time enough of the SO2 will have gone so that the
ML bacteria can multiply and flourish. Alternatively keep
your SO2 addition down to, say, 20 ppm. We'll talk more
about ML when we discuss white wines.
If you are concerned about excessive mould, possibly
accompanied by traces of vinegary smells, increase the SO2
addition to 50 or 60 ppm or in extreme cases even more.
The SO2 you add will also lead to production of small
quantities of glycerol in the early part of the ferment.
This is generally desirable.
When you make white or rosé wine the situation is a bit
different. Grape skins contain phenols. These add flavour
and colour to wine. They can also contribute astringency,
bitterness and browning. These things are of more concern
in whites and rosés than in red wines.
*-----------------HOT TIP------------------*
I recently found using a semi-strong
degreaser like "Castrol Super Clean" a
cleaner/degreaser and hot water to soak
the bottles for about 15 minutes.
Then I used a putty knife to remove the
paper; it just peeled off. I then used a
stiff plastic bristle brush to scrub the
remaining glue. It all came off very easily.
I would assume any degreaser/cleaner would
work, and would also suggest you use rubber
gloves; it would be murder on your hands.
I then store the bottles until it is time
to wash and sanitize just before bottling.
Our thanks to Bob Myers from Clemmons, NC
for this tip.
Have a tip you'd like to submit?
Send it to tips@grapestompers.com
*-----------------HOT TIP------------------*
SO2 can contribute to phenol extraction from the skins and
this is another reason it shouldn’t be added to a white or
rosé until after the pressing has been done. However, the
addition should be made promptly since white must quality
suffers from oxygen absorption from the air. As soon as you
have pressed, you have an accurate measure of your yield
and can thus calculate the SO2 addition more precisely.
HOW MUCH SO2?
How much to add depends on a number of factors. What was
the condition of the grapes? What is the pH? (We shall see
later, how SO2 is more effective at lower pH). Are you
planning on putting the wine through a malolactic ferment?
Is the juice intended for making a champagne method
sparkling wine?
30 ppm SO2 for juice from sound fruit with a pH of 3.4 or
so, and destined for a regular wine should be fine.
If you hope to have a malolactic ferment happen along with
the sugar ferment, you likely have a higher acid
Chardonnay, or something, say around pH 3.2. Smaller SO2
additions are okay here — say 20 ppm. Malolactic bacteria
won't work at levels higher than around 15 ppm, but by the
time you add an ML culture, much of the SO2 will have been
used up.
Juice destined for Champagne method wine will probably
have a low pH, close to 3.0, say. You are going to want to
have a malolactic ferment occur. If the grapes were
perfect, you might get away with no SO2 at all until the
first racking. This however is a bit nerve-wracking, like
having a tooth filled without anaesthetic. The danger of
some undesirable oxidation of the must is there, so better
to go with 10 ppm SO2 or so.
At the other end of the scale, juice from grapes with a lot
of mould, possibly with some vinegary smells, should have
50 to 60 ppm SO2 or even more added. Who knows — maybe you
have lucked on to some botrytised Riesling or Semillon and
plan a serious dessert wine. Botrytised grapes may require
100 ppm SO2 or even more for adequate protection.
How about frozen or sterile packaged musts? With white or
rosé juice, you can either trust the shipper to tell you
how much SO2 was added, or you can test and make additions
accordingly.
It is difficult to test reds for SO2, because the red
colouring matter interferes with the chemical reaction
involved in the test and also makes it difficult to see
the colour change involved. You pretty well have to trust
the information on the shipping label. The fact that
testing reds for free SO2 is difficult makes it imperative
that you keep an accurate record of all SO2 additions in
order to be able to estimate the situation at any given
time.
The next time you are going to consider adding SO2 to the
wine is at the first racking. In most cases, this will be
after the sugar fermentation is complete and the new wine
is dry.
If you want to stop active fermentation to retain residual
sugar, don't try to use SO2 as your main tool. A vigorous
ferment of a strong yeast will laugh at you and carry
right on to the end. Selected combinations of racking,
fining, chilling and filtering are the way to go. SO2 will
be involved, but only as it would be normally used in
conjunction with these other processes.
STIFLING OXIDATION
An important reason for adding SO2 when you rack is to
avoid oxidation. It does this in three main ways.
When you smell a wine that is oxidized, the chemical you
are smelling is acetaldehyde. SO2 combines with
acetaldehyde to form a stable compound.
When there is oxygen around, SO2 itself becomes oxidized
before phenol compounds in the wine do, and so acts as an
oxygen scavenger.
SO2 suppresses the activity of enzymes that cause browning
and other problems.
So, when you add SO2 it doesn’t all hang around. Lots of it
gets used up doing these various jobs for you and becomes
"bound". The remainder remains "free". The bound portion
consists of two parts. One part is made up of irrevocably
bound compounds with aldehydes and proteins. The other
part is made up of less stable compounds. These can partly
turn back to the free form when the existing amount of
free is lowered, or even if temperature is increased. This
free portion also consists of two parts: one is relatively
inactive bisulphite and the other, smallest of all the
segments, is molecular SO2. This is the crucial active
portion and its size depends both on pH and the total
amount of free SO2.
It is worth noting at this point that in the early stages
of a wine, when the total SO2 additions are less than 50
ppm or so, roughly half of further additions remains free
and half immediately becomes bound. Later, when total
additions are above about 60 ppm, most of any further
addition remains as free. This knowledge gives us further
reason to keep good records of SO2 additions, particularly
in the case of reds, where direct measurement of free SO2
is not reliable.
Copyright 2001 Charles Plant
ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Charles Plant has been making wines
since 1966, when he crushed his first grapes (Zinfandels)
from California. Since that time, he has experimented with
just about every kind of basic winemaking ingredient known,
and virtually every style of wine. He now works pretty
much exclusively with grapes, fresh or frozen, from the
Okanagan Valley of British Columbia; from Washington,
Oregon and California - including Napa and Sonoma Valleys.
He joined the Vancouver Amateur Winemakers Association
in 1967, and helped found The British Columbia Amateur
Winemakers Association in 1972. He is a past President of
The Amateur Winemakers of Canada.
Over the years he has enjoyed some success in competition
in these and other organizations. Lastly, he helps with
the production of "The Grapevine", a newsletter serving
the amateur winemaking hobby in B.C.
You can contact Charles at cplant@dowco.com
Be sure to check out the home page of the British
Columbia Amateur Winemakers Association at:
http://members.home.net/bcawa/
See PART TWO of Charles' SO2 article next month!
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How To Be A Guest Columnist For STOMPERS Newsletter
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If you'd like to be our next guest columnist, simply
send your three- or four-paragraph article to
articles@grapestompers.com. If your article is selected
for use in a future STOMPER newsletter, you'll receive
the attention of thousands, a coupon good for a discount
on your next grapestompers.com order, as well as our
heartfelt thanks. So what are you waiting for??
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CORKY'S WINEMAKING DEFINITION
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Stuck Fermentation
- An undesirable condition where fermentation fails to
begin, or has stopped before all the sugar has been
converted to alcohol and CO2.
Look for other wine-related definitions by clicking on
the 'Glossary' button from our home page at
http://www.grapestompers.com
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NEXT MONTH'S HIGHLIGHTS
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- More Winemaking Stories from Tom's Cellar
- Another Surprise from Brant
- More Specials
- The next article from Bonnie's Bin
- Part Two of Charles Plant's article about sulphur dioxide
- More Customer Testimonials
- New Winemaking Products
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LIST MAINTENANCE
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Past issues of the STOMPER can be found at
http://www.grapestompers.com/newsletter/archives
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Copyright (c) 2001 grapestompers.com
Boring Legal Stuff: Content is gathered from sources
considered to be reliable, but the accuracy of this info
cannot be guaranteed. Opinions expressed by guest
columnists and customer letters are those of the authors
and not necessarily those of grapestompers.com
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