| Home page |
| About Us |
| Archived
Newsletters Winemakers'Notes |
| Bulletin Board |
| CatalogRequest |
| Gordon
Setter 2007 May 7 |
| Grapes
Brix TA Histories Crop outlook Wine Descriptions |
| Juice & Grape Price list 2007 |
| Brix-TA 2007 |
| 101winemaking lessons |
| Product Instruction |
| Legal Stuff and Policies |
|
Links, related |
| Location |
| NYS Fair Results |
| Pictures |
| PlacesToStay |
 |
|
|
Fall Bright, The Winemakers Shoppe, 10110 Hyatt Hill, Dundee, NY 14837
HOURS: We are open all year round! We have always been closed on Mondays.
November to May 31: Tues-Fri: 10-5 Eastern Time Weekends (Saturday or Sunday) by appointment 607-292-3995
June to harvest Tues-Fri : 10-5 Saturday 10-4 Eastern Time
Harvest (Sept-Oct): Tuesday to Sunday 10-5 Eastern Time
Free catalog, mail order of supplies but not grapes and juices.
Dear Winemakers,
We were very pleased that quite a few of our winemakers won awards with their wines at the NYS Fair this year! Would you like to make award-winning wines? To make an award-winning wine there are certain recommendations and safeguards that we strongly suggest you employ.
Yeast cultures have been freeze-dried and sealed in nitrogen purged foil lined packets. Instead of just pitching the yeast into the juice, follow the re-hydration process that is on the back of
most packets. Juice is a hostile environment for yeast that has had most of its moisture content removed! The days of pitching yeast should be over.
Rehydrate a 5-gram pack of yeast in 2 ounces of clean (distilled) water at 40°C (104-109 degrees F). Let stand for 15 to 20 minutes then gently stir occasionally to break up any clumps. Add to the
must. Do not let this rehydrated yeast set around more than 20 minutes, there are no nutrients here. The difference in temperature between the must or juice to be inoculated and the rehydrated-yeast
solution should never be more than 10 degrees. The floating or self-adhesive crystal thermometers are handy items. Stir your juice or must to ensure even temperature. We have paddles with a narrow end
that fit into a carboy. Our juices and grapes are refrigerated. Allow time for your juice or crushed grape must to come to room temperature before re-hydrating your yeast.
To go one step further in the re-hydration of the yeast, use Go Ferm. Go Ferm is a micronutrient that is specially formulated for the yeast. It is not a nutrient that is added to the juice. Use 2 tsp
or 6.25 grams of Go Ferm for each pack of yeast. Add the Go Ferm to 2 ounces of warm water at 110 or 109 degrees F. Allow this to cool to 104 degrees F and THEN add the yeast. Allow it to set for 15
minutes and then stir to break up any remaining clumps.
In order for the yeast to commence fermentation, oxygen must be present. We do not worry about pouring and stirring during the transfer of your grapes, juices, or must. However, at this stage we do
recommend the use of Potassium Metabisulfite to protect your fruit from bacteria. Just recently I had a call from a winemaker who thought her wine tasted like vinegar, could that be possible? No, she
did not use any Meta. Yes, it is not only possible, but also very likely. There is not a cure for vinegar. Since the taste was very slight to her, I suggested that she double dose the Meta and see
what happens. If it is too late, then she needs to purchase some decorative wine bottles and make some labels for homemade wine vinegar and use it for Christmas gifts. She could put them in a gift
basket with a small bottle of olive oil and crotons, her favorite recipe for beef burgundy, etc. We have a great little Garden Way book on Making and Using Flavored Vinegars. Now where was I?
Meta, as we call it for short and we use the potassium form for medical reasons (blood pressure), is used at the rate of 1/8 or 1/4 teaspoon per 5 gallons and is added at each racking, usually about 4 times. It is an important anti-bacterial and anti-oxidant. If you want a bacterial fermentation such as vinegar or malolactic, by all means, keep the use of Meta low. We have Titretts that test your levels. Sulfur has been used to protect wine since the ancient Roman days. It is nothing new; it is, however, in a handier, measurable form.
Addition of nutrient as diammonium phosphate or DAP to the must or juice is highly recommended on a commercial and amateur level. We, as amateurs, do not have the lab equipment to test nitrogen levels in the juices. DAP is added at the beginning of the fermentation, which is usually one to three days after the yeast inoculation. If you are fermenting fruits other than grapes, use a more complex nutrient, often called energizer, like Enovit. Enovit has DAP plus vitamins and other components. It is a commercial nutrient that we have used since 1978.
Using Potassium Metabisulfite, healthy yeast and nutrients help deter the formation of hydrogen sulfide, rotten egg smell. You should smell your young wine during the first fermentation. When hydrogen
sulfide is formed in detectible quantities, it will usually be toward the end of the first fermentation. If a rotten egg smell is evident you should rack your wine even if it is still fermenting. If
the smell hasn't disappeared in 24 hours, rack again. Aerate and splash about. You may also bubble an inert gas such as carbon dioxide or nitrogen through the wine. If you need treatment, we have two
products to do the job: bocksin and copper sulfate.
Start out your winemaking using age old and new recommendations and you can make award-winning wines! Need help? Call us at 607-292-3995. Check out our website, www.fallbright.com for information and online shopping . Our shop staff make wine and can answer your questions. Tom is our most advanced winemaker and we take your advance winemaking problems to him. We are open Tuesday to Sunday, 10-5. May your wines fall bright.
Tom and Marcy Mitchell
Fall Bright, The Winemakers Shoppe
10110 Hyatt Hill, Dundee, NY 14837
607-292-3995 Open Tuesday to Sunday 10-5
Providing grapes and juices and supplies for
the amateur winemaker since 1978.
http://www.fallbright.com
ONLINE SHOPPING and WINEMAKING INFO
winemaking@fallbright.com
