Post date: Oct 06, 2013 1:48:49 AM
10/3/13 Noon
Picked up my 6g of 2013 Mosti Mondiale Fresco Shiraz juice (lot #0001911) from Beer & Wine Hobby in Woburn. This comes preinoculated with yeast, so when it gets up to the mid 60's the fermentation is set to start. It had Ice on it when I got it, so it had just arrived. Took it home, popped the seal on the top, and put it in the basement with the lid on loosely.
10/5/13 Noon
Fermentation has started. Took the juice up to the kitchen, put into a sanitized primary, aerating as much as possible during the transfer. SG is 1.079 at 72 degrees F. Put on an airlock, and put in the upstairs closet.
10/6/13 1PM
Dissolved 1.5Tbsp Fermax in 3/4 c water, stirred in.
11/10/13 5PM
Gravity is 0.995 -> 11.4% ABV. It tastes quite nice - fuller than the carmenere did at this stage. I think I want to bump the alcohol over 12 though - dissolved 1 pound of sugar in must, warmed very gently in microwave. That should give 12.3%. Stirred must and sugar back in, racked into 6g carboy. Filled to the top of the neck + almost a liter extra, which I put in a soda bottle to ferment separately.
12/7/13 noon
Gravity is back down to 0.996 at 67F (12.3% ABV). I really like it - considered skipping the MLF, but I bought the culture already... Added a packet of beer and wine hobby opti-malo nutrient, racked on top of it, swirling occasionally. As before the nutrient caused the wine to foam for about 15 minutes, but this time a lot of that time was during racking, so very little overflow. Thin sediment in original carboy. Pitched a tube of White Labs WLP675 malolactic culture at 4pm (took it out of the fridge at noon. Topped off with commercial Shiraz.
1/19/13 noon
MLF is still percolating away. Not fast, but going.
Sometime in April
Racked and tasted. Very harsh and acidic. Not pleased. (NB: decided to just let it ride and hope for the best - things worked out ok - see below).
5/17/14
Racked and degassed. The nasty taste that I got when I last tasted it is gone - I guess wine really does need to age...
8/31/14 11AM
Bottled into 30 750s and 1 375. It still tastes very nice, and looks pretty clear (went all the way down to the end - no lees really). Degassing is a good thing - no irritating fizz.