falling cap

When fermentation is finished and the cap starts to fall is there an optimum time I should leave the wine before I press? I can cover the must with cellophane.

As long as you have a tank of CO2, N2, or Ar, best to use your taste buds every few days after cap fall since you can use your inert gas to protect the wine after each sampling. From my own experience with extended maceration, I suggest that you press the wine no more 2 weeks after cap fall. The riper your fruit, the longer you can go. There is a point after cap fall where the tannins soften substantially but the wine still has good backbone. It's more of a mid-pallate change where the wine feels smooth and full in the mouth but still has noticeable tannin after the wine is swallowed. Of course, to notice this change you need to be tasting the wine on a regular basis as cap fall approaches.

As an aside - If anyone wants to see the benefits of extended maceration, try it with Sangiovese. I was floored myself by the difference aeration and EM makes with this variety.

CHEERS!

Aaron

Thanks for the suggestions Aaron I do not have any gas, will cellophane do the job?

A sheet of plastic, smoothed down against the surface of the wine and held down with flat pieces of wood will work. You could even just pour water on the top of the plastic to hold it in place, but you'd need to be careful not to get it into the wine. In either case, you want to spritz the edges lightly with sulfite to keep stuff from growing there, and wipe that area down when you check the wine.

Tom S

Thank you for the suggestion Tom.

Tom is right on. If you don't have inert gas to work with your number one concern will be acetobacteria in the headspace. By keeping the plastic on tight (Before I purchased Argon tanks, I would cover with plastic and use duct tape around the perimeter) you will minimize the amount of oxygen and keep out bacteria sources (i.e. bugs and dust). Using sulfite as Tom suggests will kill surface bacteria. I prefer to use a clean cloth dampened with a strong sulfite/acid solution to wipe the inside sides and edges of the container rather than spray but either method should work just fine.

During EM I taste my wines every few days starting about a week after cap fall. Opening the cover this often is not an issue for me as I have Argon to blanket after each tasting. You may want to limit your tasting to once at cap fall, at one week and again at 2 weeks. (I typically go between 15 and 20 days of EM) To minimize the number of times you open the cover, whenever you taste, make sure you will be able to press that day if need be. If you haven't done EM before, what you want to look for is a change in the mouthfeel of the wine. It will change from being obviously young and tannic in the mouth to being softer and more full. From my experience it is more a mid-pallate change as the tannins are still apparent after you swallow the wine.

CHEERS and GOOD LUCK!

Aaron