Grape Juices

Nick,

Red wines are made by fermenting the juice and the grape solids (pulp, skins & seeds) together for several days. Materials are extracted from the solids, and they contribute much to the general character of red wines.

Red colored wines with "white" wine characteristics often the result when red juice is fermented without the solids. These wines can be quite enjoyable, but they probably won't win many ribbons in red wine contests.

Good luck, lum

Who makes these juice pails? I'm interested in the same sort of thing labeled Santa Clara.

Ralph

Ralph-I bought a Santa Clara C. Sauvignon last year. Good price. The wine is not what you expect a C. Sauvignon to be. It doesn't have that tannic astringency that I associate with this grape. It's a pretty good tasting red wine though...probably will make good wine coolers this summer.

Bill Frazier Olathe, Kansas

That was about what I expected. I'm going to try one of the whites, it might have a better chance since there's no issue with maceration on the skins with a white. As you say, the price is definitly right.

I've got a Mosti Modiale Chard going now which looks very promising, although it's just at the end of fementing. I'm interested to see how the two compare, but it will take awhile for them to be drinkable.

Ralph

Well, since I won't be entering any wine contests in the foreseeable, I won't be worrying about this too much ;-).

I will make sure to add some tannin to accompany the oak chips though. Thanks!

They're processed by a M & R Company from Lodi CA. The main label on the pail is my wine making center - Corrado's.

Nick, I would say that a white from juice would be nice, even great. As Lum said, though, reds without skins is like apple pie without the cheese - no squeeze. You really miss a lot. I've had Zins from folks who've made it with only juice and it does not compare to the pull-process Zins I've done.

To give you an idea, I've vinted a Marechal Foch in NY without skins and a year later made one with skins. Without oak (same treatment as the first), the one done on skins is fantab compared to the former.

The root is that you miss way too much without the skins. I've seen wines turn up mostly as rosés.