frustrated by sulfite titrettes

I forgot to mention...these are all red grapes.

Lee

See sections 14.3-14.5 of

HTH,

Ben

GREAT WRITE-UP!!! Ben, I can't thank you enough. To others reading this, look at Ben's whole website titled Improved Winemaking...it's really instructive.

Lee

Ben, I just read your article on MLF which I found to be equally helpful. Can I ask you an additional question.

I've just finished the primary fermentation on a batch of what I intend to be a Chateauneuf-du-pape blend of 1/3 syrah, 1/3 grenache, 1/3 mourvedre, and a splash of voignier. I'm not sure whether or not to innoculate for an MLF. the wine hasn't been sulfited yet, and it's light with a nice fruity aroma. Would you do an MLF on this type of wine?

Thanks,

Lee

I thought Brehm added sulfites to his grapes. Check the labels...

--Lee

Whatever sulfite went into the grapes before fermentation is gone by the end of fermentation, but yeasts will produce some small amounts of SO2. Plus titrets generally overestimate by at least 10ppm - but I'm sure all that is in Ben's article...

I've recently started using the Vinoferm kit for measuring SO2 - it seems to be giving better results (and it's cheaper if testing is done on a regular basis). The only issue is that the reagent (iodine) has to be replaced in 1/2 year or so.

Pp

Lee,

Thanks for the positive feedback.

Chateauneuf du Pape (or blends made of varieties used in this AOC) are typically put through MLF. Largely, this is a stability issue - a controlled MLF just ensures you don't get a wild one later (possibly in bottle) etc. What's the pH and TA like on this wine? If you really like the way the wine is now, you could just not put it through MLF, retain that fruity aroma, and ensure stability through another method (filtration, lysozyme).

HTH,

Ben

Is it possible that sulfur spray on the grapes is what you are reading?