Question:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I somehow have misplaced the "Making a fine Pinot Noir" article written by Scott Shull a few weeks back. If someone could repost it or email it to me I would be grateful. Thanks in advance. — II* From – Mon Nov 04 18:18:31 1996 Path: dallasI5.dallas.net!news.sprintlink.net!news-fw-22.sprintlink.net!news.spri ntlink.net!news-pull.sprintlink.net!news.sprintlink.net!news-peer.sprintlin k.net!uun NNTP-Posting-Host: w-scotts.col.sequent.com Mime-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.0 (Win16; I) To: David Romanin This is a Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: Noir. I have looked in some books with no success. Could someone help? See attached article recently posted here — Scott E. Shull http://www.teleport.com/~wineman Raptor Ridge Winery (503) 887-5595 Content-Type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1; name="OCT96.HTM" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Disposition: inline; filename="OCT96.HTM" Content-Base: "file:///C|/SCOTTS/PERSONAL/ORWINEPR/OC T96.HTM" Making a Fine Pinot noir By Scott Shull, Raptor Ridge Winery So You Want To Make Wine? Perhaps you’ve arranged to acquire some wine grapes this fall and are interested in the process of making fine wines. Historically, late September and early October is the time of "crush" in Oregon. So, I’m guessing that with grapes at hand you are ready to begin the noble process of vinification. In this column I’d like to pass along some of my ideas on the fundamentals making fine Pinot noir wine. When to Harvest Although measurement of sugar content, acidity, and pH is a consideration in when to harvest, most important is the taste, and look of the grapes, seeds and stems. In Oregon’s normally cool fall days, 4 to 7 days after "the numbers" are right some very intense aromatics and flavors reveal themselves in Pinot noir. If you cut open a berry and inspect the seeds, they are all toasty brown. Greenness in the seeds is a sign of under ripeness or uneven ripening. Similarly, stems should be showing a nice summer’s tan. This is particularly important if you are adding any whole clusters to your fermentation batch and wish to avoid any grassy or herbaceous characteristics. As the sugar content (degrees Brix) of the grapes rises, the titratable acidity (TA) falls, and the pH rises. Optimum harvest date occurs when these three analytic factors are balanced, and the flavors and appearance are all pleasing. Balance is when the ratio of degrees Brix to TA rises to between 30:1 to 35:1 according to Jeff Cox, in his excellent text, "From Vines to Wine". Cox also suggests a second metric when Brix times pH-squared equals 260 for red wine grapes and 200 for whites. That is, multiply pH by itself, then multiply by degrees Brix. In cool climates, like Oregon, nature often dictates when to pick the grapes. Disease pressure mounts as the season progresses, and it is frequently necessary to pick solely on that basis. On the Use of Sulfite Use of Potassium Meta-Bisulfite (KMBS) in winemaking is a must, if you’ll pardon the pun. Along with gentle handling, "sulfite" is the key to protecting your fine Pinot noir from unintended fermentation yeasts and spoilage bacteria, as well as unwanted post-fermentation oxidation. SO2 also binds readily with anthocyanin pigments in freshly crushed grapes, making them more soluble thereby bringing out more color. I will say that restrained use is key as well. A sensitive nose can detect thresholds of 50 parts-per-million (ppM) of SO2 in the wine. The amount of sulfite needed is always dependent upon the pH of the must or wine. As a rough rule-of-thumb, when the pH gets above 3.XX, I add an amount of sulfite, measured in ppM equal to the first two decimal places of the grape juice’s measured pH. That is, if the crushed grapes have a pH measured at 3.27, then I add 27 ppM of SO2. Recall that only about 57% of KBMS results in SO2 when added to crushed grapes (called must) so divide the amount of required SO2 by .57 to calculate ppM of KBMS needed. Saignier & Cold Soak After de-stemming, crushing, and adding KMBS to the grapes, employ a process the French call "Saignier" (pronounced sign-yeh). Drawing off 10% to 20% of the juice from freshly crushed grapes increases the ratio of skins to juice, thereby intensifying the color and skin aromatics extracted. Some winemakers feel that with low color-intensity grape varieties like Pinot noir, this technique results in a more deeply-colored, richer wine. Use a few gallons of the juice drawn off to create a starter culture of the desired strain of yeast. Plan on having a quantity of juice for starter equal to 3% to 5% of your total volume of must. For example one gallon of starter juice is required for 20 to 33 gallons of must. Place this in a warm (80o F) dark place in order to get a "starter" culture growing . This will be added to the must after the cold soak period is completed. You might consider fermenting the remaining extra juice separately to make a lovely Rose of Pinot noir something I find very refreshing on a hot Oregon summer evening.. The now concentrated must is kept covered and chilled to around 55o F for 3 or 4 days. This gives the anthocyanin pigments a chance to be leached from the skins in an aqueous environment, as opposed to one where alcohol is present. Stir this mash of juice and skins once or twice per day in order to get a good mix of the color and juice which will naturally separate. These cool temperatures along with the SO2 dose prevent spontaneous fermentation based upon indigenous yeasts. Some folks place clean, double-lined plastic sacks of ice in their crushed grapes to chill the mixture. I’ve also heard of using blocks of "dry ice" (the solid form of CO2 which sublimes into the foggy gas as it melts) to keep the must chilled. This provides the added benefit of not only chilling the must, but blanketing it with a protective cover of CO2 which prevents growth of aceto-bacter. The tank room in my winery always seems cold enough in mid October to naturally accommodate my needs. Strain of Yeast, Nutrients Various strains of yeast promote different characteristics in the resulting wine. Select one or more strains based upon your desired style of wine and complexities sought. Some winemakers ferment separate batches of the same grapes using different yeast with each one in order to produce a more complex flavor experience when the wines are blended. My favorites for Pinot noir are Assmanshausen and Fermirouge yeasts. Assmanshausen is a German isolate which is slow fermenting producing an austere fruitiness. Fermirouge is a Swiss yeast producing a strong, vigorous fermentation with great aromatic expression. Also, its important that there are plenty of yeast nutrients available to the yeasts as they grow explosively (a minimum of 140 ppM of assimilable nitrogen, according to Lisa Van de Water of The Wine Lab, Napa CA.) otherwise some very "off" aromas such as rotten eggs may arise. Just like you an me, yeasts get dysentery if not properly fed you can imagine what that smells like. To provide supplemental nutrients add a vitamin, amino acid, nitrogen complex such as "Superfood" at the rate of 500 ppM, or 1.8 grams per gallon of must. Its best if the nutrients get incrementally sprinkled across the top of your must and stirred in well. I recommend adding nutrients on the second or third day of cold soak so that they have time to assimilate as you stir the must daily. Primary Fermentation Now we’re ready for the big show! After four days of cold soaking, stir in the starter culture you had set aside earlier in a warm place. The starter should be fermenting away strongly before you add it to the must. Stir in the starter, mixing it well. Every 6 to 8 hours thereafter stir this mixture, "punching down" any layer of skins floating on the surface of the mixture. It will take 24 to 48 hours for the fermentation to get rolling and produce a noticeable "cap" of grape skins floating upon the surface of the fermenting batch. On occasion, I’ve wrapped the fermentation tanks with an electric blanket in order to get the must temperature up in the mid 60’s where the yeasts will get active. After this point it is very important to keep the cap punched down every 6 to 8 hours, and to closely monitor the temperature, and specific gravity of the fermenting must. I’ve heard stories about how David Lett of the Eyrie Vineyard, one of Oregon’s earliest wine growing pioneers, used to sleep on a cot next to his wine tanks and wake up every few hours to punch down his fermentation caps. Hot temperatures above 85o F will cause the fermentation to complete quickly and will extract more color and tannins from the grape skins. But, high a temperature (greater than ~105o F) can kill the yeast resulting in a "stuck" fermentation. I tend to think that hotter fermentations cause some of the more exciting
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Response:
I somehow have misplaced the "Making a fine Pinot Noir" article written by Scott Shull a few weeks back. If someone could repost it or email it to me I would be grateful. Thanks in advance.
– II*
[ untitled.html 15K ]
From – Mon Nov 04 18:18:31 1996Path: dallasI5.dallas.net!news.sprintlink.net!news-fw-22.sprintlink.net!news.sprintlink.net!news-pull.sprintlink.net!news.sprintlink.net!news-peer.sprintlink.net!uunet!in1.uu.net!wilbur.sequent.com!scel.sequent.com!newsNewsgroups: rec.crafts.winemakingOrganization: Raptor Ridge WineryLines: 336NNTP-Posting-Host: w-scotts.col.sequent.comMime-Version: 1.0X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.0 (Win16; I)To: David RomaninThis is a multi-part message in MIME format.Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-asciiContent-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
I am looking for a recipie for a Pinot Noir. I have looked in some books with no success. Could someone help?See attached article recently posted here–Winemaker/General Mgr. http://www.teleport.com/~winemanRaptor Ridge Winery (503) 887-559529090 S.W. Wildhaven Ln Scholls, OR 97123Content-Type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1; name=OCT96.HTM”Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bitContent-Disposition: inline; filename=”OCT96.HTM”Content-Base: “file:///C|/SCOTTS/PERSONAL/ORWINEPR/OC T96.HTM”Making a Fine Pinot noir
By Scott Shull,
Raptor Ridge WinerySo You Want To Make Wine?
Perhaps you’ve arranged to acquire some wine grapes this falland are interested in the process of making fine wines. Historically,late September and early October is the time of "crush"in Oregon. So, I’m guessing that with grapes at hand you areready to begin the noble process of vinification. In this columnI’d like to pass along some of my ideas on the fundamentals makingfine Pinot noir wine.When to Harvest
Although measurement of sugar content, acidity, and pH is a considerationin when to harvest, most important is the taste, and look of thegrapes, seeds and stems. In Oregon’s normally cool fall days,4 to 7 days after "the numbers" are right some veryintense aromatics and flavors reveal themselves in Pinot noir. If you cut open a berry and inspect the seeds, they are alltoasty brown. Greenness in the seeds is a sign of under ripenessor uneven ripening. Similarly, stems should be showing a nicesummer’s tan. This is particularly important if you are addingany whole clusters to your fermentation batch and wish to avoidany grassy or herbaceous characteristics.
As the sugar content (degrees Brix) of the grapes rises, the titratableacidity (TA) falls, and the pH rises. Optimum harvest date occurswhen these three analytic factors are balanced, and the flavorsand appearance are all pleasing. Balance is when the ratio ofdegrees Brix to TA rises to between 30:1 to 35:1 according toJeff Cox, in his excellent text, "From Vines to Wine". Cox also suggests a second metric when Brix times pH-squaredequals 260 for red wine grapes and 200 for whites. That is, multiplypH by itself, then multiply by degrees Brix.
In cool climates, like Oregon, nature often dictates when topick the grapes. Disease pressure mounts as the season progresses,and it is frequently necessary to pick solely on that basis.On the Use of Sulfite
Use of Potassium Meta-Bisulfite (KMBS) in winemaking is a must,if you’ll pardon the pun. Along with gentle handling, "sulfite"is the key to protecting your fine Pinot noir from unintendedfermentation yeasts and spoilage bacteria, as well as unwantedpost-fermentation oxidation. SO2 also binds readily with anthocyaninpigments in freshly crushed grapes, making them more soluble therebybringing out more color. I will say that restrained useis key as well. A sensitive nose can detect thresholds of 50parts-per-million (ppM) of SO2 in the wine. The amount of sulfiteneeded is always dependent upon the pH of the must or wine. Asa rough rule-of-thumb, when the pH gets above 3.XX, I add anamount of sulfite, measured in ppM equal to the first two decimalplaces of the grape juice’s measured pH. That is, if the crushedgrapes have a pH measured at 3.27, then I add 27 ppM of SO2.Recall that only about 57% of KBMS results in SO2 when added tocrushed grapes (called must) so divide the amount of requiredSO2 by .57 to calculate ppM of KBMS needed.Saignier & Cold Soak
After de-stemming, crushing, and adding KMBS to the grapes, employa process the French call "Saignier" (pronounced sign-yeh). Drawing off 10% to 20% of the juice from freshly crushed grapesincreases the ratio of skins to juice, thereby intensifying thecolor and skin aromatics extracted. Some winemakers feel thatwith low color-intensity grape varieties like Pinot noir, thistechnique results in a more deeply-colored, richer wine. Usea few gallons of the juice drawn off to create a starter cultureof the desired strain of yeast. Plan on having a quantity ofjuice for starter equal to 3% to 5% of your total volume of must. For example one gallon of starter juice is required for 20 to33 gallons of must. Place this in a warm (80o F) dark place inorder to get a "starter" culture growing . This willbe added to the must after the cold soak period is completed.
You might consider fermenting the remaining extra juice separatelyto make a lovely Rose of Pinot noir something I find very refreshingon a hot Oregon summer evening..
The now concentrated must is kept covered and chilled to around55o F for 3 or 4 days. This gives the anthocyanin pigments achance to be leached from the skins in an aqueous environment,as opposed to one where alcohol is present. Stir this mash ofjuice and skins once or twice per day in order to get a good mixof the color and juice which will naturally separate. These cooltemperatures along with the SO2 dose prevent spontaneous fermentationbased upon indigenous yeasts. Some folks place clean, double-linedplastic sacks of ice in their crushed grapes to chill the mixture. I’ve also heard of using blocks of "dry ice" (the solidform of CO2 which sublimes into the foggy gas as it melts) tokeep the must chilled. This provides the added benefit of notonly chilling the must, but blanketing it with a protective coverof CO2 which prevents growth of aceto-bacter. The tank room inmy winery always seems cold enough in mid October to naturallyaccommodate my needs.Strain of Yeast, Nutrients
Various strains of yeast promote different characteristics inthe resulting wine. Select one or more strains based upon yourdesired style of wine and complexities sought. Some winemakersferment separate batches of the same grapes using different yeastwith each one in order to produce a more complex flavor experiencewhen the wines are blended. My favorites for Pinot noir are Assmanshausenand Fermirouge yeasts. Assmanshausen is a German isolate whichis slow fermenting producing an austere fruitiness. Fermirougeis a Swiss yeast producing a strong, vigorous fermentation withgreat aromatic expression.
Also, its important that there are plenty of yeast nutrients availableto the yeasts as they grow explosively (a minimum of 140 ppMof assimilable nitrogen, according to Lisa Van de Water of TheWine Lab, Napa CA.) otherwise some very "off" aromassuch as rotten eggs may arise. Just like you an me, yeasts getdysentery if not properly fed you can imagine what that smellslike.
To provide supplemental nutrients add a vitamin, amino acid, nitrogencomplex such as "Superfood" at the rate of 500 ppM,or 1.8 grams per gallon of must. Its best if the nutrients getincrementally sprinkled across the top of your must and stirredin well. I recommend adding nutrients on the second or thirdday of cold soak so that they have time to assimilate as you stirthe must daily.Primary Fermentation
Now we’re ready for the big show! After four days of cold soaking,stir in the starter culture you had set aside earlier in a warmplace. The starter should be fermenting away strongly beforeyou add it to the must. Stir in the starter, mixing it well. Every 6 to 8 hours thereafter stir this mixture, "punchingdown" any layer of skins floating on the surface of the mixture. It will take 24 to 48 hours for the fermentation to get rollingand produce a noticeable "cap" of grape skins floatingupon the surface of the fermenting batch. On occasion, I’ve wrappedthe fermentation tanks with an electric blanket in order to getthe must temperature up in the mid 60’s where the yeasts willget active. After this point it is very important to keep thecap punched down every 6 to 8 hours, and to closely monitor thetemperature, and specific gravity of the fermenting must.
I’ve heard stories about how David Lett of the Eyrie Vineyard,one of Oregon’s earliest wine growing pioneers, used to sleepon a cot next to his wine tanks and wake up every few hours … read more »
Response:
I somehow have misplaced the "Making a fine Pinot Noir" article written by Scott Shull a few weeks back. If someone could repost it or email it to me I would be grateful. Thanks in advance.
Response:
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