18 February 2008
[Epi 20] TintoTV - making malbec continued...
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We’re back and the Winexpert Selection International Argentine Malbec is tasting GOOD!!! In the episode above, we go through step 3 of the Winexpert instructions for our 6-gallon wine kit. These are the main steps:
- Add metabisulphite and sorbate
- Stir like crazy
- Add chitosan (clarifier)
- Stir like crazy
- Top up
The nice convenience of these wine kits is that a lot of these additions are pre-measured and leave small room for error. The potassium metabisulphite and the potassium sorbate are meant to stabilize and protect the wine for the long-run, and we did this with our fruit wine batches as well. Then the chitosan is added to bind to the remaining lees, dead yeast and other loose particles, add to their mass, and weigh them down. Over the next few days we should expect to see the wine clear.
With all the additions we had to take some of the wine out. With some of it, we took another specific gravity reading, it read at about 0.991. This leaves our alcohol by volume to be somewhere between 12.5 and 13%, a perfect and balanced amount for this wine!
With the rest of the wine, as is the winemaker’s privilege, we took a nice taste! While the wine is certainly still evolving (and has a long way to go), it was a GREAT glass of wine. What I think overwhelmed me the most was how wonderfully full-bodied the wine was, a lot of layers of flavor, nice strong alcohol structure, and good acidity. The wine still has some of the carbon dioxide “flavor” that should dissipate with time, though all the stirring should help with the degassing of the wine. Share any degassing tips you might have for your batches!
Thanks for visiting!
— Darren and Laura Feb 19 #
— Harry Hebert Feb 19 #
— Juan Carlos Apr 20 #