Need Help ASAP - SG too high!
 

Hi,

I crushed 12 36lb cases of California grapes today:

6 cases Merlot - SG is @ 1.106 (15.75% alc if it ferments to dryness??)

6 cases Cab Sauv SG is @ 1.100 (14.95%?)

The plan was to ferment these using RC-212 yeast seperately to make 2
different wines possibly to blend later.

It appears that my gravity for the Merlot is too high for RC-212 an
possibly also for the cab.

I don't particularily want high alcohol especially if it will detract
from the wine's flavor etc..

Should I water down the wine or use a yeast like EC-1118?

If I add water can acid be added after fermentation if required?

Any advice would be appreciated...

Regards,

Jumbalaya

Need Help ASAP - SG too high!
 

Please. No water. Go with the EC-118. I had a similar experience with
my cab -26 Brix. I used the EC-118 and let it go all the way dry and
extend the maceration 1 week past dryness. It shouldn't detratct from
the flavor much. Mine doesn't seem to have a problem. I am oaking now,
and will give it time.
Just passing on the same advice I got.
Marc



Jumbalaya wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I crushed 12 36lb cases of California grapes today:
>
> 6 cases Merlot - SG is @ 1.106 (15.75% alc if it ferments to dryness??)
>
> 6 cases Cab Sauv SG is @ 1.100 (14.95%?)
>
> The plan was to ferment these using RC-212 yeast seperately to make 2
> different wines possibly to blend later.
>
> It appears that my gravity for the Merlot is too high for RC-212 an
> possibly also for the cab.
>
> I don't particularily want high alcohol especially if it will detract
> from the wine's flavor etc..
>
> Should I water down the wine or use a yeast like EC-1118?
>
> If I add water can acid be added after fermentation if required?
>
> Any advice would be appreciated...
>
> Regards,
>
> Jumbalaya

Need Help ASAP - SG too high!
 

On Oct 10, 7:59 pm, "Jumbalaya" > wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I crushed 12 36lb cases of California grapes today:
>
> 6 cases Merlot - SG is @ 1.106 (15.75% alc if it ferments to dryness??)
>
> 6 cases Cab Sauv SG is @ 1.100 (14.95%?)
>
> Jumbalaya

Not sure where you're getting the PA numbers, they seem inflated? The
Merlot should not be over 14.5, the Cab has a lower sg, so you're in a
pretty normal range for those varieties from California. FYI, Ben
Rotter's site has a Hydrometer/Sugar/Alcohol Tables article in the
Calculations section that compares different ways of estimating PA:

http://www.brsquared.org/wine/

According to Lallemand's info, RC212 has alcohol tolerance of 16% so
you should be fine there too although EC1118 is always a safe bet.

Pp

Need Help ASAP - SG too high!
 

For starters, either your SG is mis-stated in your posts, or your conversion
tables need correcting; a starting SG of 1.1 yields apx.13.4 alcohol - just
fine for both varietals.

Second - as to the 'water it down' suggestion; --- ugh. Even if your sugar
was way high (it isn;t) that would be a crime. It would not e just the
alcohol that youere affecting, but the acids, tannins, flavor compounds,
etc.

I ferment at those sugar levels - and higher - with RC212 all the time. No
problem.



> Hi,
>
> I crushed 12 36lb cases of California grapes today:
>
> 6 cases Merlot - SG is @ 1.106 (15.75% alc if it ferments to dryness??)
>
> 6 cases Cab Sauv SG is @ 1.100 (14.95%?)
>
> The plan was to ferment these using RC-212 yeast seperately to make 2
> different wines possibly to blend later.
>
> It appears that my gravity for the Merlot is too high for RC-212 an
> possibly also for the cab.
>
> I don't particularily want high alcohol especially if it will detract
> from the wine's flavor etc..
>
> Should I water down the wine or use a yeast like EC-1118?
>
> If I add water can acid be added after fermentation if required?
>
> Any advice would be appreciated...
>
> Regards,
>
> Jumbalaya
>

Need Help ASAP - SG too high!
 

Thanks for the input.

I calulated based on a FG of .990. I guess that would be absolutely
dry which is not normally the case.

I ended up adding water but not much (750ml to the Cab & 1.5L to the
Merlot) hopefully I didn't screw it up too much. Although the grapes
had no mold, they were a little shriveled so I figured a little water
would be like re-hydrating them.

I want to conduct malolactic fermentation and was afraid at those alc
levels it would be impossible. I re-tested sugar after adding the water
& got 1.100 for Merlot & 1.094 for Cab.

I also ended up using the RC-212.

Thanks,

Jumbalaya

Need Help ASAP - SG too high!
 

On Oct 11, 1:06 pm, "Jumbalaya" > wrote:
> Thanks for the input.
>
> I calulated based on a FG of .990. I guess that would be absolutely
> dry which is not normally the case.

That's the all confusing issue with the PA scale, thought that might
have been the case. We'd beaten that one to death here in the past.
Basically, the PA scale assumes complete dryness as the starting point,
so you're not supposed to add the part under 1.000 to the number you
read from the scale.

>
> I ended up adding water but not much (750ml to the Cab & 1.5L to the
> Merlot) hopefully I didn't screw it up too much. Although the grapes
> had no mold, they were a little shriveled so I figured a little water
> would be like re-hydrating them.
>
> I want to conduct malolactic fermentation and was afraid at those alc
> levels it would be impossible. I re-tested sugar after adding the water
> & got 1.100 for Merlot & 1.094 for Cab.

Hansen has an ML culture that works up to 16% alcohol - CH-16. I've
pretty much switched to it completely now because it got me through
several stuck ML fermentations, as well as being pretty fast. Two years
ago we had a Petit Sirah at 1.115, and the ML was finished in 2 weeks.

Pp

>
> I also ended up using the RC-212.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jumbalaya

Need Help ASAP - SG too high!
 

How to calculate potential alcohol has been discussed here many times. If
you agree that the presence of alcohol is the reason specific gravity
readings for a dry wine are less than zero then use of 1.000 as an end point
for fermentation (for alcohol calculations) is probably a better number.
Using 1.000 instead of 0.990 I get 13.9% and 13.1% alcohol for your wines.
I would not have added water to either juices.

Bill Frazier
Olathe, Kansas USA

"Jumbalaya" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Thanks for the input.
>
> I calulated based on a FG of .990. I guess that would be absolutely
> dry which is not normally the case.

Need Help ASAP - SG too high!
 

Another tactic for the MLF; get the ml bacteria into the fermenting must
early - soon after primary fermentation has begun, and thereby get it
started before alcohol is high.



> Thanks for the input.
>
> I calulated based on a FG of .990. I guess that would be absolutely
> dry which is not normally the case.
>
> I ended up adding water but not much (750ml to the Cab & 1.5L to the
> Merlot) hopefully I didn't screw it up too much. Although the grapes
> had no mold, they were a little shriveled so I figured a little water
> would be like re-hydrating them.
>
> I want to conduct malolactic fermentation and was afraid at those alc
> levels it would be impossible. I re-tested sugar after adding the water
> & got 1.100 for Merlot & 1.094 for Cab.
>
> I also ended up using the RC-212.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jumbalaya
>

Need Help ASAP - SG too high!
 

Dear Jumbalaya,
To correct your #'s, SG 1.1= 13.4%....SG 1.106= 14.1%. I am fermenting an
old vine Zin now that was SG1.115/27.3 Bx and expecting 15.6% alc. I'm using
RC212. The fermentation is slowing now ( 10Bx) but still going. Use yeast
nutrient also.

"Jumbalaya" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Hi,
>
> I crushed 12 36lb cases of California grapes today:
>
> 6 cases Merlot - SG is @ 1.106 (15.75% alc if it ferments to dryness??)
>
> 6 cases Cab Sauv SG is @ 1.100 (14.95%?)
>
> The plan was to ferment these using RC-212 yeast seperately to make 2
> different wines possibly to blend later.
>
> It appears that my gravity for the Merlot is too high for RC-212 an
> possibly also for the cab.
>
> I don't particularily want high alcohol especially if it will detract
> from the wine's flavor etc..
>
> Should I water down the wine or use a yeast like EC-1118?
>
> If I add water can acid be added after fermentation if required?
>
> Any advice would be appreciated...
>
> Regards,
>
> Jumbalaya
>