ChatterBank2 mins ago
Making Wine.
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Bit of a long shot. Anyone here make wine from their own grapes? Mine are red and I have crushed them and left to ferment on the skins but I don't know how long to leave them before pressing. I think they are Baco, which is not a quality variety.
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For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.I haven't, but I'd have thought, not that long. Once your wild yeast has hit the grapes the fermentation would surely be moved into a demijohn or carboy or whatever. I'd not want to risk other stuff getting at it. Personally I'd have opted for a bought yeast rather than risk the wild ones on the skins.
Thanks, OG. We've lots of grapes here and therefore lots of wild yeast, and that seems to work well. This time I've added English-bought yeast powder and after four days the wine is well on the way and rather beaujolais-like, but when it's finished fermenting it's probably going to taste too acidic and lacking in tannin. I can usually drink it but not Mrs A. Each year I try slightly different techniques, hoping that one day it will be OK. I think I'll press it by the weekend and then lock it down in closed vessels (with airlocks) to relax over winter. Hopefully it will be potable in spring.
It's a while since I made wine from my grapes (Black Hamburg variety) but I seem to recall following the advice in C J J Berry's books: after crushing the grapes to form a pulp, add one Camden tablet per gallon to kill off any natural yeast, leave for a day or so and then add a wine yeast culture after pressing the pulp.
OG; my grapes have now been fermenting on the skins, pips and stalks for 9 days. The initial fermentation is nearly over and the wine is full bodied and quite strong. Very black, as Baco is a very dark grape. I'll press it in the next couple of days, when the hornets are quiet in the early morning. I'm hoping for a better, more rich wine this year. After pressing I'll have black fingers for a week. I'll continue here when I see how it's working out. Thanks for your comments .
Pressed this morning. Plenty of hornets, but not agressive ones.
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