Secrets, Confusion, Simple Extra Wine Making Tips
Unknown to Most:
Commercial Wineries such as Peller Estates (Wine Expert Kits), and Jackson Trigs (RJ Spagnols Kits) have for years, and some still play a major ownership role in wine kit manufacturing. Commercial winery juice and concentrates, domestic and imported are shared between their wineries and their quality wine kit manufacturing.
Today, quality wines kits have the potential to rival store bought quality wine, if made using the UWinemaker single stage Rock and Roll wine making method. The best wine kits make the best wines and only cost $2 to $3 a bottle more than the less expensive smaller wine kits. Better wine kits contain more grape juice, less concentrate. Using more grape juice typically results in a wine with a more complex and enjoyable taste profiles with fuller flavors, esters, and enhanced body. This can make the winemaking experience more exciting and rewarding.
Winemaking 101. Fine Lees vs Gross Lees
Confussion commonly comes up, can wine sit on yeast, known as “Fine Lees?”
“Fine Lees:” Wine left sitting on the yeast which are called “Fine lees,” is a common technique in wine making, particularly for certain types of wines like Champagne and other high-quality white wines. Long term wine left on the yeast can enhance its flavor and complexity. The process, referred to as Autolysis. Within the first few months, yeast cells are typically odorless and tasteless and do not contribute to the taste of the wine. UWinemakers process is only 28 days so there is no flavor contribution.
“Gross Lees:” Traditional winemaking made from fresh fruits involves the fruit juice to sit on the crushed fruit pulp, skins, stems, and seeds, which are called “Gross lees”. These solids are an integral part of the fermentation process, and while some contact with them can be beneficial for flavor and color extraction, prolonged contact leads to decomposition resulting in off-flavors and undesirable characteristics in the wine.
The use of a two-part system, an initial primary fermentation pail followed by syphoning the wine off the Gross lees before decomposition into a carboy, (requiring heavy lifting) is a classic way to manage the “Gross lees.”
Today wine kits are produced with high quality, after pulp contact, pulp free wine juice and concentrate, if packaged Grape skins are included, they are placed in Muslin hop bags, then added into the UWinemaker and removed after 10 days, managing pulp more conveniently without the need to syphon off.
Learn more, look up…“Gross lees vs. Fines lees” and “ Autolysis wine flavors.”
Simple Extra Wine Making Tips:
1) Juice Reserve, Day 1: Save 1 once (2 tablespoons) of wine kit juice, freeze and add back on Day 14. This will slightly enhance the wine’s natural flavor. Ignore this if you like “the dryer the better,”
2) Fresh Fruits, Day 1: Generally speaking wines are made from grapes. grape wines commonly refer to themselves as having distinct fruit flavors, such as apple, cherry, pear, raspberry, blackberry, and tropical flavors such as kiwi, pineapple etc. You can add small amounts of these fresh fruits to enhance the flavor notes and freshness to your wine. Small amounts of these fruits such as 1 apple, 1-2 pear(s), 1 cup of pitted cherries or berries, ¼ to ½ inch slice of pineapple, 1 kiwi, can make a difference.
Peel pulp fruit, ¼ and remove seeds or pits, chop. sulphite / sanitize, rinse, Add fruit into a juicer or blender with some water to liquefy, Strain through a medium- fine strainer to remove pulp or solids, Add juice to the wine must, along with 1 teaspoon of Pectic Enzyme, Pectic Enzyme prevents pectic haze when using fruit. (i.e., apple cider haze)
3) Glycerin, Day 14: Add 1 to 2 measured teaspoon(s) of Glycerin can slightly reduce acidity and impart a smoother, softer texture in young wines without adding sweetness.
4) Ageing Wine: Alcohol, color pigments, tannins and sulphites all act as preservatives and will slow down the ageing process.
White wines have low color and tannins, can be consumed with very little ageing and generally best within their first year or so.
Red wines have higher tannins and color pigments, they require more ageing and can be cellared longer.
Bigger bolder reds require more ageing while Sangiovese (Chianti), Valpolicella, soft Merlots, Gamay (Beaujolais) and Pinot Noir are some reds with softer tannins that mature quicker and can be enjoyed with less ageing.
