Tag: fermentation

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The Anatomy of a Grape

Knowing and understanding grapes is absolutely essential to making good wine. After all these little berries are what it all starts with right?

By their very nature grapes are the perfect winemaking fruit. No other fruit contains the perfect amounts of sugar, acidity, and phenolic compounds to create such an amazing beverage. Any other fruit requires additional sugar or other ingredients to even produce alcohol.

Let’s get to know our little friend a little bit better. Shall we? Continue reading “The Anatomy of a Grape”

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The Epic Rise and Tragic Fall of a Yeast Empire

Yeast is the secret to making wine. Without it alcoholic fermentation wouldn't be possible.
Yeasts Conquering the land of Pinot Noir

The unfermented must is a vast and plentiful breeding ground for yeast. Food in the form of dissolved oxygen and sugar abounds. For the right strain of yeast this is the perfect place to establish a thriving empire.

The winemaker sets the yeast in motion. They hydrates the yeast, preparing them to conquer this new-found domain. Once the yeast is awakened they are transplanted to this new land. Continue reading “The Epic Rise and Tragic Fall of a Yeast Empire”

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Checking the Specific Gravity and Racking

After the primary fermentation has slowed down (after about 7 days) it’s time to check the specific gravity. What this tells us is how the density of the wine compares to that of water.

Grape juice is more dense than water. Thus before we fermented the grape juice the specific gravity was over 1.0. As the yeast converted the sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide during fermentation, the density of the wine has been decreasing. A specific gravity less than 0.990 tells us that the primary fermentation has slowed down enough that we need to rack. Continue reading “Checking the Specific Gravity and Racking”

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Fermentation Has Begun

Five days ago I began making a six gallon Shiraz wine kit. As I go I’m recording videos on how it’s done, here’s the first video on what comes in a winemaking kit.

Today I wanted to share my first update on my wine. I’m four days into the wine making process. After the first day the airlock started bubbling away signifying that the primary fermentation had begun.

My airlock venting carbon dioxide.

When fermentation first began the airlock was bubbling quite rapidly. The lid to the fermenter was pushed up in the middle from all the pressure, so much so that I was wondering if that little airlock was going to shoot out like a rocket. Continue reading “Fermentation Has Begun”