Winemakers,

six months ago, I produced a batch of 14% alcohol shiraz that refuses to
progress through MLF. I initially innoculated mid primary ferment together
with MLF nutrient and nothing much happened by the time the callar started
cooling in the autumn (aka fall). I racked off gross lees into oak and
reinnoculated with a strain tolerant of high alcohol and maintained at 22
degrees C for the past 2 months. Still only a modest lactic acid spot and a
substantial malic spot by TLC.

Given this experience, the wine itself is obviously bacterially stable, and
I was wondering what the likely implications of dumping in 30ppm SO2 and
leaving the wine with substantial malic acid to age for another year in oak?
The wine itself has big fruit flavours and is integrating nice oak
characters so I am not worried about the flavour impact of the malic just
curious about how it will affect the stability.

If anyone has had experience with ageing apparently stable, high malic acid
reds in oak and then bottle without the use of sterile filtration, I would
be grateful to hear about them.

regards...Ken
http://www.axecreekwines.com