Ron Janney is the chief
wine maker of the Pinot
Garagio Wine Club in
Colorado, celebrating 30
years of making great wine.

Preview "Start Making Great Wine"

Table of Contents
The Process
The Crush
First Rack
Lessons Learned

Table of Contents

• The Process
  
• The Equipment
  
• Initial Testing and Analysis
  
• The Grapes
  
• The Process Plan
  
• The Crush
  
• White and Rosé Wines, Primary Fermentation
  
• Red Wines, Primary Fermentation
  
• MLF Inoculation and Wine Distribution
  
• First Rack
  
• Second Rack and Chilling
  
• Aging, Filtering and Bottling
  
• What Can Go Wrong
  
• What is Necessary to Get Started
  
• Lessons Learned
  
• Definitions
  
• Table 1 - Conversions and Equivalents
  
• Table 2 - SO2 vs pH Table
  
• Table 3 - Temperature and Volume Conversion Tables
  
• About the Author
  

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The Process
SO₂ levels are important throughout the winemaking process. SO₂ comes in three parts, free, bound and molecular. The molecular SO₂ is thought to be the key to the anti-bacterial, anti-oxidation benefits of SO₂. Molecular SO₂ is derived from the amount of free SO₂ and the pH of the juice or wine. Bound SO₂ is that part which is combined with other chemicals to form sulfur compounds. SO₂ levels are measured and recorded prior to distribution of the wine for future reference.

SO₂ levels are checked at all rackings. The proper level of SO₂ is related the pH. Table 2 outlines that relation. Unless otherwise noted, potassium metabisulfite (PMB) is used to
generate free SO₂.

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The Crush
All grapes, red, white, purple or black, have clear juice. Slight coloration will result from sitting on the skins, but only fermentation will bring out all the color of a red wine. Grapes crushed and pressed at the vintner’s winery will arrive as juice and bypass the following crush and press activity. A cold soak process may be used for the red and white grapes. The white grapes receive a one week cold settle period.

Do not try to use the cold soaking or settling process without the proper chilling equipment. Bad results can occur if the temperature cannot be maintained throughout the entire time frame.

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First Rack
When MLF is over, you will want to vigorously rack and add PMB to your wine. MLF is over when the small bubbles cease or by testing for malic acid. I wait until after chilling to add PMB on wines going through MLF.

Start with clean, sanitized and well-rinsed carboys, no soap. Soap can produce bad odors and tastes later on. Add ¼ teaspoon of PMB (45-50 ppm) dissolved in a quarter cup of water to the bottom of the carboy you are racking into. This is an anti-oxidant and sterilization procedure used worldwide.

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Lessons Learned
Minimize the airspace between the airlock and the wine. Allow a little room for thermal expansion, but the less, the better. Acetic acid loves air on top of the wine. An inert gas such as argon can be used to top off that space.

Do not handle the wine any more than absolutely necessary. But do pop an airlock once in a while and take a sniff and taste. Most of the time problems can be fixed if they are caught early. You also get to know what the wine tastes like in different stages.

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