2022 FWK Kit + Grape Pomace in Detail
Last updated 08/26/2023
Note: This post has been in draft since last fall — I just didn’t get around to updating it and publishing it. I’m going through draft posts, some of which have been hanging around a while, and finishing them.
This post tracks the progress of an experiment — adding pomace from fresh red grapes to Finer Wine Kits Tavola Merlot kits.
The addition of skin packs to kits makes a huge different in all areas — flavor, aroma, and body. This experiment is to see what happens when adding the pomace (grape solids left after pressing) to kits instead. A secondary experiment is examining how much the wines are changed by adding the pomace from very different grapes.
Menu (Dates of Activity)
10/16/2022
10/17/2022
10/18/2022
10/19/2022
10/20/2022
10/21/2022
11/05/2022
04/07/2023
08/10/2023
08/26/2023
10/16/2022
The basic ingredients for this experiment are:
- 2x FWK Tavola Merlot kits with no skin packs
- pomace from 8 lugs (144 lbs originally) Grenache
- pomace from 8 lugs (144 lbs originally) Tempranillo
- Fermax yeast nutrient
Eric & I discussed the additives that come with FWK:
- Packet A? This contains K-meta and nutrient, and since the pomace is full of yeast, don’t want to risk screwing up the ferment, so we skipped it. We added Fermax instead.
- Packet B? This is a yeast starter, and since yeast is in the pomace, we don’t need it.
- Packet C? This is more nutrient, and since we decided to go with Fermax, we’ll skip this packet and add more.
- Packet D? This is the stabilization pack, and since we’re making dry red wines, it won’t be used.
- Oak chips? There is oak already in the pomace, so it’s not necessary.
We put the additives from both kits in the drawer. These will be used in the first two non-FWK wines we make in the future.
Nutrient? I have Fermax and like it, so we’ll use it. The dosage is 1 tsp per gallon, and the kits are 6 gallons, so the standard dosage is 6 tsp. However, each pomace has a yeast mixture of RC-212 (high nutrient requirements) and Avante (doesn’t produce H2S), we decided to add about 30% more nutrient to address the high nutrient needs of RC-212.
If Avante had been the only yeast, we would have used the recommended dosage. But given the presence of RC-212, we added 5 tsp to each batch during reconstitution, and will add 3 tsp more after 48 hours.
First we pressed the Grenache, cleaned a Brute, and put the pomace from all 8 lugs back in.
Then we reconstituted the kit, which means diluting the concentrate to a total volume of 23 liters. My fermenter is marked in 4 liter increments, so essentially we pour the concentrate into the fermenter, then add water to 23 liters, stirring well.
The temperature of the concentrate bags was in the lower 50’s F. We poured the concentrate and 5 tsp Fermax into a 6 gallon fermenter and rinsed the bag out with hot tap water, adding the water to the fermenter. We stirred well, and checked temperature when the fermenter was at 11.5 liters full — it was 76 F, so we filled the fermenter to 23 liters with room temperature water. The final temperature was 67 F.
Note — due to proven difficulty in getting concentrates to dissolve completely, during addition of the last 12 liters of water, we used a drill-mounted stirring rod on low power to continually stir the must while adding water, changing direction several times.
The SG was 1.098 after reconstitution was complete. We then poured the kit must into the Brute. Mixing was unnecessary.
This process was repeated for the second kit with Tempranillo, and SG was also 1.098.
Note 1 — both batches are extremely difficult to stir, as the solids to liquid ratio is very high.
Note 2 — The SG after mixing the kit into the pomace will drop dramatically. The pomace contains wine that has a SG of 1.000 or less, and this reduces the average SG of the mixture. We’ll still get ~12% ABV, but the SG will not reflect that as the reconstituted kit has been diluted with wine.
10/17/2022
The smell indicates fermentation resumed.
Stirring the Tempranillo was difficult, but feasible.
Stirring the Grenache was extremely difficult. It took a fair amount of strength and perseverance to do it. I’m not sure “punch down” is the correct term — I’m mostly turning the cap over to keep it wet.
I’m unsure if I’ll be able to get enough juice to take an SG reading. At this time I’m thinking we’ll press next Sunday, regardless of the SG. It will get checked after pressing is complete.
Assuming this produces a good result, we’ll use a different pomace to kit ratio next time. I’m guessing 4 lugs worth of pomace is a better ratio.
10/18/2022
Stirring the musts got a bit easier, but it’s still not really punch down.
10/19/2022
Stirring the Tempranillo is easier, but stirring the Grenache is an exercise to build stronger arms, neck, and back muscles.
I used my jig (PVC pipe drilled with many holes, wrapped in nylon straining bag) to take an SG reading. WOW! Both wines are at or near 1.000. This is fermenting fast! We may need to press Friday or Saturday instead of Sunday.
10/20/2022
Both wines are at 1.000. Eric & I arranged to press tomorrow. I’m getting out of work at 2:00 and starting pressing of the Syrah / Petite Sirah / Mourvedre wines, and will continue with the Merlot / Tempranillo after that. Eric will leave work around 4:00 PM, and get here when he can.
10/21/2022
I pressed the Syrah, Petite Sirah, and Mourvedre as a group. With 1 lug of each, it’s not feasible to press them separately.
I also learned a LOT about rice hulls. Using a rule for 2 to 6 tons of grapes, I scaled it back and figured I’d need at most 8.5 lbs of rice hulls. I purchased 10 lbs as it’s better to have a bit extra. In later thinking it through, I had 19 lugs, so I’d plan for 1/2 lb per lug. Makes sense, right?
4 oz of hulls filled the pan of my kitchen scale. I used that much for the first lug, adding 4 or 5 inches of pomace to the press, sprinkling a layer of rice hulls, adding more hulls, etc. I kept layering the pomace and hulls, and by the time I added all 3 lugs, I used less than 1/4 the amount of hulls I expected.
Ok … at least I’m not going to run short!
11/05/2022
Grenache: racked and homogenized the containers, adding 1/2 tsp K-meta as the volume was close to 10 gallons. Put 1 oz medium toast Hungarian cubes into a 23 liter carboy and filled it, then racked remaining wine into smaller containers. The SG is still SG 0.998.
I repeated the process for the Tempranillo, and it’s SG is still 0.999.
04/07/2023
I realized I haven’t added K-meta recently, so added 1/4 tsp to each carboy. I withdrew a small amount of wine from each carboy, added K-meta, stirred gently, and restored the wine. Note that I sanitize all equipment prior to use.
For the 4 liter jugs, I made solution of 6 Tbsp water with 1/4 tsp K-meta, and added 1 Tbsp to each 4 liter jug. This is very difficult to stir, so I’m hoping it will disperse well.
My current plan is to bottle in July or August. I don’t see a value in bulk aging longer, and I’d like to have these wines out of the way prior to grape season.
08/10/2023
It’s bottling time for the Merlot/Grenache. I racked all containers into a 7.9 gallon fermenter, adding a heaping 1/4 tsp K-meta and 7 oz glycerin.
This was where I delved into stupidity, proving that we’re never too old to do something stupid.
The primary fermenter is 7.9 US gallons. I had a 23 liter carboy and two 4 liter jugs of wine, and I leave a bit in the bottom of each container when racking at bottling time, to ensure I don’t pick up sediment. So in my mind I had 6 gallons plus 2 gallons, equals 8 gallons, and I’m leaving a bit behind, so it will fit in a 7.9 gallon fermenter. Right?
Right?
Sort of. I racked the 23 liter carboy into the fermenter, adding a heaping 1/4 tsp K-meta and 7 oz glycerin, stirring well to ensure the glycerin was distributed.
Each 4 liter jug was racked into a small food grade bucket — I learned LONG ago to test each container separately. Wine can go bad, and it’s far better to find out before it’s mixed into a larger batch. Each was good, and I poured the first one into the primary, then stirred to ensure it was blended.
As I poured the second bucket in, I realized I had NOT thought this through. While this is not the dumbest thing I’ve ever done, it’s far from my finest moment in winemaking. All but about 8 oz of the second bucket fit.
Note: I’ve been asked why I would admit to a boneheaded mistake in public. I’m a mature adult and I learned to own my mistakes. Don’t be afraid — ya did it! Learn from it and move on.
More importantly — if this post makes another winemaker think farther ahead, it’s a good thing.
I started bottling, and added that bit of remaining wine after the first 12 bottles. This worked out, but that container was way too full!
That bit of wine in the carboys and jugs? I poured it into a bucket — yeah, it was muddy. That went into a bottle and into a fridge. A week later that muddy looking bottle of garbage settled to literally 1/8″ sediment, and I poured the wine off the sediment. It was tasty.
08/26/2023
My elder son and I bottled the Merlot/Tempranillo today. It’s been aging since November in a 23 liter carboy and a 4 liter jug.
We racked the carboy first, tasting a sample. It’s unfortunately acidic. Not horribly so, but noticeable.
The expected output is 7 US gallons and I normally use a maximum of 1 oz glycerin per gallon (typically less), but in the case we added 8 oz. Sugar will neutralize the perception of acid, and glycerin — while not a true sweetener — smooths wine. I figured this would be a good start.
So we added 8 oz glycerin to the 7 gallons in the primary. Happily, it made a large difference. The wine is still a bit acidic, but it’s pretty good. We consider it a success.
Then we racked the 4 liter jug into a smaller bucket. I always rack each secondary container into different buckets — years ago I had a container that had gone bad, and I’m very happy it didn’t get mixed in with the good wine. My son tastes it and makes a face.
“Did it go bad?”
He holds of a hand to indicate he’s thinking, then takes another taste and swirls it around in his mouth. “Taste it.”
I taste it and it takes me a moment — it’s not Merlot/Tempranillo, it’s Merlot/Grenache. I mislabeled the jug last fall.
Instead of bottling it separately, we decided to add it to the main container, blending with the Merlot/Tempranillo. If anything, it mellowed the acid a bit more.
We print 2 labels for collaborative batches, one with his logo and one with mine. This time we differed on graphics choices, so the labels are very different:
The experiment of adding grape pomace to a kit proved successful. We will do this again.