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Wine Body and Mouthfeel Factors

Hello All

What factors and winemaking techniques can affect the final body of the finished wine?

I'm trying to increase the final body are a Cab Sauv/Carmenere blend. My wines are medium bodied wines at best. I've inocculated with MLF cultures. I'm wondering what I can do in future batches to improve the body, without getting too much into specifics of my past batches.

Furthermore, I would like to know if these factors increase body and mouthfeel, or have little effect:

- Performing MLF? (I assumed it increases body/mouthfeel)

- Longer maceration time?

- Higher primary fermentation temperature?

- Fruit quality?

- Higher Brix level?

- Barrel aging with evaporation? (anything else)

Some background: I've been making wines for a relatively short time, about 2.5 years. I've made a few kits, and two batches with fresh Chilean Cab Sauv and Carmenere grapes, & one Calif. Cab Sauv. In my past, I've made home brew beer for 20 years from all-grain and have controlled the body of the beer by controlling the mash temperature. Higher temp mashes create a faster mash but leave unfermentable dextrins which is the main factor increasing the body and mouthfeel of the final beer.

Any insight or opinion is welcome. Thank you Dave J

Reply to
djammalo
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I would think that California or Chilean grapes should yield sufficient body. It is felt that a higher alcohol may contribute to body but with California and Chilean grapes, I would think that this is not an issue. A slight amount of residual sugar could also give the perception of more body. You could do an experiment and add a drop of stevia (natural non fermentable sweetener) to a glass of wine and note the results. I think that excessive tannins might also give the preception of a "thinner" wine so you may wish to do some trials in this area. I would think that your California and Chilean grapes are NOT low pH so this is probably not a contributor to a perception of lack of body.

Reply to
Paul E. Lehmann

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