Techniques in Home Winemaking: The Comprehensive Guide to Making Chateau-Style Wines Book

Foreword     15
Acknowledgments     17
Preface     19
About Units of Measures     25
Introduction     27
Winemaking Terminolgy     27
The Philosophy of Making Chateau-Style Wines     30
Wine Styles     31
Grapes, Fresh Juice, Reconstituted Juice, or Concentrate?     32
Wine from grapes     33
Wine from fresh grape juice     39
Wine from reconstituted grape juice     41
Wine from concentrate     42
Grape Varieties     45
White grape varieties from California     47
Red grape varieties from California     48
The Composition of Wines     48
Winemaking Process     55
Winemaking from grapes     55
Winemaking from fresh grape juice     56
Winemaking from reconstituted grape juice     56
Winemaking from concentrate     61
Winemaking Equipment and Sanitation     65
Crusher and Destemmer     65
Winepress     67
Basket press     68
Bladder press     70
Vessels for Fermenting, Storing, and Aging Wine     71
Demijohns andcarboys     72
Non-glass food-grade containers     73
Plastic and cement vats     76
Oak barrels     77
Stainless steel tanks     77
Fermentation Locks     86
Miscellaneous Equipment     87
Bungs     87
Siphons     91
Special sieve and faucet     92
Floating thermometer     93
Vinometer     93
Other miscellaneous equipment     94
Miscellaneous laboratory equipment     95
Cleaning and Sanitizing     97
Caustic chemicals     99
Chlorine     100
Sulfite     102
Maintaining, cleaning and sanitizing tanks     102
Analysis and Control of Musts and Wines     105
Sugar/Alcohol Analysis and Control     106
Understanding sugar and alcohol     106
Measuring sugar and potential alcohol contents     111
Chaptalization - Correcting the sugar content     116
Measuring actual alcohol content in dry wine     118
Acid Analysis and Control     120
Understanding acidity     120
Measuring total titratable acidity (TA)     123
Correcting total titratable acidity (TA)     129
Measuring volatile acidity (VA)     134
Correcting volatile acidity (VA)     138
pH Analysis and Control     138
Understanding pH     139
Measuring the pH level     141
Correcting the pH level     142
Sulfur Dioxide (SO[subscript 2]) Analysis and Control     146
Oxidation, reduction and microbial spoilage     146
Understanding sulfite and SO[subscript 2]     149
Measuring the amount of free SO[subscript 2]     156
Correcting the amount of free SO[subscript 2]     162
Sulfite Calculator     164
Phenolic Analysis and Control     164
Understanding phenolics     165
Managing phenolic concentration     167
Adjusting the amount of tannins     171
Making Wine     173
Handling the Raw Material     174
Crushing and Destemming     175
Maceration     177
Red wine maceration     177
Cold soak maceration and cap management     179
White wine maceration     185
Macro- and Micro-Aeration     185
Macro-aeration     186
Micro-aeration (micro-oxygenation)      187
Delestage     188
How delestage works     189
Delestage for home winemakers     190
Maximizing the benefits of delestage     192
Pressing     192
Alcoholic Fermentation     194
Yeasts and yeast nutrients     194
Conducting alcoholic fermentation     215
Lees and the practice of batonnage     221
Carbonic maceration     224
Stopping fermentation     227
Malolactic Fermentation (MLF)     229
How MLF works     230
Selecting an MLB culture     232
Preparing for MLF     234
Timing of the MLF     237
Conducting MLF     238
ML determination by paper chromatography     240
Inhibiting MLF     244
Styles of Wine     245
How the Pros do It     246
Clarification     251
Clarification by Racking     253
Racking schedule     254
Topping up     255
Clarification by Fining     258
Bentonite     261
Casein     261
Egg whites     262
Gelatin     263
Isinglass      263
Kieselsol     264
Pectic enzymes     264
PVPP     265
Sparkolloid     265
Tannins     266
Clarification by Filtration     266
Understanding Filtration     267
Filtration equipment and systems     268
Filtration     277
Stabilization     281
Physical and Chemical Stabilization     282
Cold stabilization     282
Protein stabilization     285
Microbial Stabilization     286
Screening for wild yeasts (Saccharomyces)     287
Screening for spoilage yeasts (Brettanomyces)     290
Screening for spoilage bacteria (Acetobacter, Lactobacillus and Pediococcus)     292
Preservatives and stabilizing agents     296
Stabilizing filtration     301
Blending     313
Balance in Wine     314
Achieving Balance     319
Blending Process     320
The Pearson Square     321
Oak Barrels     325
How Barrels Work     326
Barrel Types     327
Barrel-Buying Considerations     328
Barrel Uses      330
Barrel fermentation     330
Oak-barrel aging     332
Oak-aging considerations     333
Alternatives to Barrel Aging for Imparting Oak Aromas     334
Oak adjuncts     334
Oak extract     335
Oak Barrel Storage, Maintenance and Preparation     337
New barrel storage and maintenance     337
New barrel preparation     338
Used barrel storage and maintenance     340
Used barrel preparation     341
Oak-Barrel Spoilage     342
Types of oak-barrel spoilage problems     342
Treating oak-barrel spoilage problems     344
Barrel Reconditioning     345
Cooper's tools     346
How to recondition a barrel     347
Toasting Barrels     351
Bottling     353
Bottles     354
Bottle Washing Devices     356
Bottling Devices     358
Stem-and-valve filler     359
Vacuum-stoppered funnel     359
Semiautomatic fillers     360
Multi-spout fillers     363
Bottling     365
Closures for Still-Wine Bottles     365
Corks      365
Screw caps     368
Crown caps     370
Corker     370
Capsules     371
Labels     373
Making Pinot Noir     375
Preparation     376
Phenolic Extraction     377
Alcoholic Fermentation     377
Aging, Fining and Bottling     379
Making Sparkling Wine     381
Preparation     385
Bottle Fermentation     386
Riddling     390
Disgorgement, Dosage and Bottling     393
Dialysis Tubing Method     401
Preparation     401
Inoculation     402
Aging and dosage     402
Carbonation Method     403
Making Port Wine     407
Must Preparation     409
Alcoholic Fermentation     409
Alcohol Fortification     411
Making Icewine     413
Making Icewine from Fresh Juice     416
Must preparation     416
Alcoholic fermentation     417
Stopping alcoholic fermentation     417
Making Sparkling Icewine from Concentrate     418
Preparation     420
Alcoholic fermentation      423
Bottling     424
Troubleshooting Winemaking Problems     425
Alcoholic Fermentation is Stuck or Sluggish     432
Malolactic Fermentation (MLF) is Stuck or Sluggish     435
Color is Too Light     437
Wine is Browning and/or Smells Like Sherry     438
Wine Smells Vinegary or of Nail Polish Remover, and/or Has Formed a White Film     439
Wine Smells of Sulfur     440
Wine Smells of Rotten Eggs or Burnt Rubber     440
Wine Smells Yeasty     443
Wine is Cloudy     443
Wine Throws Tartrate Crystal Deposits     444
Wine is Fizzy or Carbonated     445
Wine is Too Sweet     446
Ta and/or Ph is Too Low or Too High     446
Wine Tastes Overly Bitter     447
Wine is Hot and Heady     448
Wine Has an Unpleasant Smell of Geraniums     448
Wine Smells Moldy or Musty     449
Wine Has a Strong Barnyard Smell     449
Wine Has an Unpleasant Sour-Milk Taste     449
Building a Cool Wine Cellar     451
Planning Cellar Construction     452
Temperature and Humidity Control     455
Insulation      457
Appendixes     459
Conversion Factors Between Metric, Imperial and U.S. Systems     460
Sugar Concentration and Alcohol Level Conversion     463
Winemaking Log Chart     470
Usage Guidelines for Common Chemicals, Fining Agents, Additives and More     472
Bibliography     475
Credits - Images and Trademarks     483
Images     483
Trademarks     485
Index     489