Category Archives: VIGNOLES VENTURING

My third step towards making wine truer to its source than either kit or berry, drawn from site in the Finger Lakes (Fall 2010).

MINIMAL.RETURNS

Posted on February 18, 2011 by waywardwine

Chilling wine in an ice tank did crystallize a small amount of tartaric acid. Moving the wine to the freezing outdoors for another week just wore me out. Sure, it was cold in the car. But re-parking in the shade … Continue reading →

Posted in OENOLOGICAL ODYSSEY, VIGNOLES VENTURING | Tagged alcohol, Beverages, Clarification and stabilization of wine, cold stabil, drink, Food, home winemaking, Recreation, sleepy, Tartaric acid, vignoles, wine, wine making | 1 Comment

WANDERING.WINE

Posted on February 14, 2011 by waywardwine

Brace yourself. My hunt for winecraft’s golden fleece, cold stabilization, has brought the glass carboy to the car. The outdoor freeze presents my last chance to chill the wine. But dangers and complications ensue… A bleary but hopeful the morning … Continue reading →

Posted in OENOLOGICAL ODYSSEY, VIGNOLES VENTURING | Tagged alcohol, carboy, Clarification and stabilization of wine, cold stabilization, drinking, finger lakes wine, home winemaking, Litre, Tartaric acid, vignoles, wine | 2 Comments

ELEVATING.ESCAPISM

Posted on February 11, 2011 by waywardwine

It is Thanksgiving break. The students have left. Now is my chance to truly cold stabilize my wine. A week of ice bucket chilling and siphoning helped to remove most of the floating solids. Yet the wine never got below … Continue reading →

Posted in OENOLOGICAL ODYSSEY, VIGNOLES VENTURING | Tagged cold stabilization, Elevator, the great escape, vignoles, wine, winemaking | 2 Comments

REFULFILLING.RACKING

Posted on February 7, 2011 by waywardwine

So cold stabilization by ice water, did it work? After a week, a fair amount of sediment has built up. But is it just yeasts and solids or the holy grail of wine manipulation: tartrate crystals? Time to rack the … Continue reading →

Posted in OENOLOGICAL ODYSSEY, VIGNOLES VENTURING | Tagged Clarification and stabilization of wine, drink, Food, Tartaric acid, wine, yeast | Leave a comment

FAUX.STABILIZATION

Posted on January 31, 2011 by waywardwine

Cold stabilization: refuge of the weak-willed winemaker. Simply chill the wine to near freezing temperatures for a few weeks. It should sink haze and lower tartaric acid and potassium, which means better stability along the bottle’s journey to the shelf. … Continue reading →