Hi ....got a few lugs of merlot today......prolly picked 10-15 days
ago.....very clean and free of mold...some are possibly
underripe....seem light skinned the further down in the box you go or
is this just because they are wetter and under weight stress further
down.....top layer is very rich dark blue then you get red,translucent
appearance...is this common?.......anyway......what is the best way to
ensure maximun colour extraction,etc from these merlot?.....once they
get to room temperature (tuesday evening) I'll crush then
sulphite...add pectic enzyme perhaps?....then???......suggestions on
when to pitch yeast?......andy j.

You get maximum color extraction by letting them ferment on the skins
longer. 5 to 10 days or until the cap falls will get most of the color.
This can safely be done in primary. Some sources suggest you ferment on the
skin for 21 days or even longer. To do this you really need to use a CO2
source and keep a layer of CO2 over the fermenting wine. Cox discusses this
in his book "From Vines to Wines". I have done it both ways and find that
racking off the skins when the cap falls give me sufficient color.

Ray

"Andy j." > wrote in message
om...
> Hi ....got a few lugs of merlot today......prolly picked 10-15 days
> ago.....very clean and free of mold...some are possibly
> underripe....seem light skinned the further down in the box you go or
> is this just because they are wetter and under weight stress further
> down.....top layer is very rich dark blue then you get red,translucent
> appearance...is this common?.......anyway......what is the best way to
> ensure maximun colour extraction,etc from these merlot?.....once they
> get to room temperature (tuesday evening) I'll crush then
> sulphite...add pectic enzyme perhaps?....then???......suggestions on
> when to pitch yeast?......andy j.

(Andy j.) wrote in message . com>...
> Hi ....got a few lugs of merlot today......prolly picked 10-15 days
> ago.....very clean and free of mold...some are possibly
> underripe....seem light skinned the further down in the box you go or
> is this just because they are wetter and under weight stress further
> down.....top layer is very rich dark blue then you get red,translucent
> appearance...is this common?.......anyway......what is the best way to
> ensure maximun colour extraction,etc from these merlot?.....once they
> get to room temperature (tuesday evening) I'll crush then
> sulphite...add pectic enzyme perhaps?....then???......suggestions on
> when to pitch yeast?......andy j.


Research I've seen suggests that color extraction actually peaks out
for most reds around five days or so, so although you might think
leaving it on the skins forever would help, it doesn't. The main
thing is to let the fermentation get warm, at least 85 F (some say 90)
to get good extraction. And give it those five days. Pectic enzyme
won't make much difference one way or the other.

- Mark W.

Many people do as you are suggesting, Andy. Sulfite after crush and
then wait a couple of days to add yeast, then ferment for a week on
skins. Not sure how long you can delay adding yeast before something
manages to start fermenting despite sulfite addition. I don't know of
any reason to add pectic enzyme to your grapes.

Although high fermentation temps may well extract more color, the
temps suggested (85F +) are outside recommended temp ranges for most
wine yeast strains.

Miker

As was mentioned already, colour extraction peaks out in about a week
and then the colour actually gets a bit lighter. Tannin extraction
continues the longer the juice is left on skins.

To get good colour, some people do cold maceration - you can leave the
must on skins without starting fermentation for quite a while as long
as you can keep it cool - dry ice or ice jugs help.

In terms of enzymes, pectic enzyme will help breaking down the solids,
so you'll get more liquid but also more pulp. There are other enzymes
specifically designed to help with colour extraction and stabilization
- look at Lalvin or Scott Labs site for more info.

Pp

If you want to lock in color just add Scotts VR Supra 6-8 hours after
adding yeast. As far as enzymes I would recomend Scottszyme Color X
for your red wine.


On 29 Sep 2004 12:25:25 -0700, (pp) wrote:

>As was mentioned already, colour extraction peaks out in about a week
>and then the colour actually gets a bit lighter. Tannin extraction
>continues the longer the juice is left on skins.
>
>To get good colour, some people do cold maceration - you can leave the
>must on skins without starting fermentation for quite a while as long
>as you can keep it cool - dry ice or ice jugs help.
>
>In terms of enzymes, pectic enzyme will help breaking down the solids,
>so you'll get more liquid but also more pulp. There are other enzymes
>specifically designed to help with colour extraction and stabilization
>- look at Lalvin or Scott Labs site for more info.
>
>Pp

Since you said you were bringing grapes to room temp. and crushing
Tuesday night, I assumed it would be too late for cold maceration.
Also, I have always heard that vinifera grapes had no pectin so pectic
enzyme was not needed, but looking at some other posts it seems
unclear whether this enzyme may aid in other ways or not. Couldn't
find a good reference to substantiate either way.

I've never used some of the other enzymes mentioned for color but I
guess it shouldn't surprise me that these are available. There are
also certain yeast strains recommended for better color stabilization
(see the Lallemand website for example)

Miker

As was mentioned already, colour extraction peaks out in about a week
and then the colour actually gets a bit lighter. Tannin extraction
continues the longer the juice is left on skins.

To get good colour, some people do cold maceration - you can leave the
must on skins without starting fermentation for quite a while as long
as you can keep it cool - dry ice or ice jugs help.

In terms of enzymes, pectic enzyme will help breaking down the solids,
so you'll get more liquid but also more pulp. There are other enzymes
specifically designed to help with colour extraction and stabilization
- look at Lalvin or Scott Labs site for more info.

Pp

Since you said you were bringing grapes to room temp. and crushing
Tuesday night, I assumed it would be too late for cold maceration.
Also, I have always heard that vinifera grapes had no pectin so pectic
enzyme was not needed, but looking at some other posts it seems
unclear whether this enzyme may aid in other ways or not. Couldn't
find a good reference to substantiate either way.

I've never used some of the other enzymes mentioned for color but I
guess it shouldn't surprise me that these are available. There are
also certain yeast strains recommended for better color stabilization
(see the Lallemand website for example)

Miker

I was looking at Scott Labs catalog last night and see that they do
not recommend adding pectic enzymes to red wine. This might actually
lead to a loss in color. They say to use other enzymes, such as ones
recommended by others here, for color.

Miker