Racking SB on Day 14

It was day 14 before the specific gravity (SG) of my Sauvignon Blanc dropped below 1.0. Tonight, it was at 0.999. (I guess that’s a consequence of fermenting at lower temperatures.)

I racked off 1gl into a jug and then poured the remaining gallon into another jug. The second jug will go through malolactic fermentation (MLF), and I understand that the sediment will help with the MLF. The first jug was topped up with glass marbles and will be allowed to clear, while the second goes through MLF. The second jug will be stored at room temperature until MLF is complete, while the second will be stored at cellar temps.

I want to wait for complete dryness before inoculating with the MLF culture.

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Line Between Foodie and Eccentric

This question popped into my mind this morning:
“Where’s the line between a foodie and an eccentric?”

Let me give you some background. Yesterday I baked my bread for the week. Overnight, I soured 1qt of cream with some homemade yogurt, and this morning I turned it into butter. The resulting buttermilk, I made into ricotta cheese. I normally also make breakfast cereal, but I still have some in the fridge. Later today, I’ll also be making more yogurt.

I know I’m not there yet, but I now believe there is a line somewhere separating foodie and eccentric. So, where is that line???

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SB, Day 8

My batch of Sauvignon Blanc is now on day 8. The must temp got up to 64deg F, so I dropped the ambient temp to 52deg F in an attempt to lower the must temperature. This morning the must was at 62deg F. The fermentation appears to be going strong. It still has a good head of foam, and the airlock is bubbling once every five seconds (down from one every four). Not ready to check the SG yet.

And in other news…
I had to cut another 2×4 for our wine press. When you’re drilling thru the 4″ length of a 2×4, make sure it’s square. Everything else is sanded and ready to be finished as soon as we get some dry weather. Our intention is to finish all of the pieces before assembly, and then touch up as necessary.

I’ll be washing about a dozen bottles this morning. My buddy’s wife has assembled a network of friends and acquaintances who are collecting bottles for her. The bottle styles that he doesn’t want, he gives to me. I got the dozen last week, and about two dozen the week before.

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SB Update

Well, my Sauvignon Blanc must is bubbling away nicely. I’ve managed to keep the temp around 62-64deg F, by keeping the ambient temp in the mid 50’s. I swear the foam seems to come and go (i.e. sometimes it’s there, sometimes it’s not). I may check the specific gravity as early as this weekend (I pitched the yeast last Friday).

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Sauvignon Blanc, Day 1 & 2

Well, I pitched the yeast for my Sauvignon Blanc batch Friday night. Saturday morning the must was at 66deg F. At 2:30 that afternoon, I agitated the carboy and an inch of foam rose to the surface. I replaced the cheesecloth “lid” with an airlock. A couple hours later, the airlock was bubbling about once every five seconds. The temp was 70deg F, which is higher than what I want (and above the manufacturer’s suggested range), so I moved it to a cooler location.

This morning, the must was at 65deg F, while the ambient temp was 57deg F. It’s good to see the must get above ambient temp. My first batch, the Pinot Noir kit, never did.

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Frozen Sauvignon Blanc Must

I got a pleasant surprise from the IRS (ironic, I know). They say that I miscalculated my refund and I actually received 2 1/2 times what I expected. I decided to spend part of the windfall on some frozen wine must. I ordered a 5.25 gl pail of frozen 2008 Windsor Oaks Sauvignon Blanc from midwestsupplies.com. The grapes were hand-picked, crushed and destemmed on 22 Aug 08. The published specs are 23.9deg Brix, 3.07 pH, 0.60 TA.

It arrived on Wednesday, still half-frozen. I was surprised at the color. It was the color of honey or cream soda. I’d expected it to be much lighter. I sat it in my kitchen until late that evening, when I mistakenly believed that it was fully thawed. I put it in the fridge, planning on taking it out Thursday night. Well, Thursday night I still had ice. I tested it at 3.60 pH, .5 TA and 4 ppm SO2. I put it back in the fridge until Friday morning. I left it out Friday to thaw and come to room temp.

Friday night it was at 60deg F. I tested the Brix with my hydrometer, and it registered 20.29deg. I added 29.9g of tartaric acid to bring the TA up to .65, and .2g meta to bring the SO2 up to 10 ppm. The pH ended up 3.27. I’m planning on putting part of the must through malolactic fermentation, so I have to keep the SO2 low. The pH might be an issue, but I figure it will increase slightly during fermentation. I transferred 2gl to a carboy to ferment now, and the rest to freezer containers to refreeze.

I added 2t yeast nutrient to the must while I rehydrated the yeast. I went with Lalvin D-47 yeast, per the recommendation of the guy at the local winemaking supply shop. I rehydrated the yeast per the manufacturers instructions before added it to the must. I topped the carboy with some cheesecloth and a rubber band. I’m now just waiting for fermentation to begin.

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Sautéed Portabella Omelet

For dinner I made a sautéed omelet, which was actually pretty good. I guess I should disclaim the fact that I don’t really like eggs. In my mind, eggs are an ingredient, not something you eat. I bought a half dozen eggs last week for something, and I needed to use up the rest.

I sautéed the portabellas in a cast iron skillet and put a non-stick skillet in the oven and preheated it to 350deg F. Meanwhile, I whipped the eggs in my stand mixer. This gives it a real fluffy texture. When the non-stick was hot and the portabellas were done, I pulled the non-stick out of the oven and poured in the eggs. I then added the mushrooms, some sharp cheddar and Parmigiano-Romano, as well as some bacon. I baked it for about 5 minutes and turned it out onto a plate. It stuck a little bit, so I guess I should have oiled the non-stick.

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Sanding Party

I realized how many wooden pieces this wine press had, when we spent several hours on Saturday cutting them out. Tonight we had a “sanding party”. We didn’t get everything sanded, but we thought it best to stop the power tools at 9pm. One more session and we’ll have everything rough sanded. Then we wipe everything down with a damp cloth (to raise the grain) before detail sanding.

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Temperature Update

Well, the frozen water jug seemed to do the trick. After work tonight, the temperature was 58deg F. The ice was completely thawed, so I swapped it out for another jug.

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A little too warm…

I’m using a spare shower stall to store my wine while it bulk ages. I knew from the beginning that this would be too warm in the summer for my wine, but I wasn’t sure what to do about it.

Over the weekend, I had an idea. I keep frozen water jugs in my deep freezer to ensure that it stays full. After work tonight, I pulled a gallon jug of ice and put it next to my carboy. I’ll have to watch it and see what kind of effect it has on the temperature.

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