Earlier this week, we had another meeting with Crushpad chief winemaker Mike Zitzlaff. The objective was to determine the appropriate amount of egg white in order to remove the proper amount of bitter tannins in our wine. We had learned at our previous meeting that the albumin contained in the egg white was particularly effective at removing aggressive tannins without affecting the other desirable flavors of the wine.
This time, Michael had prepared three samples with three different dosages: the first one had 1 gram of egg white per 1 liter of wine, the next one 0.8 gram per 1 liter, and the last one 0.6 gram per 1 liter.
Tasting these samples was eye-opening: the first one seemed to have lost most of its body — too much egg white —, the third one had a harsh finish — not enough egg white —, and like Goldilocks finding Baby Bear's porridge, we found that the second one was just right.
Everybody was happy with the 0.8 dosage, which means that we could move forward with the fining. And then, the wine will be ready for the next and final stage: bottling!
Related posts:
• Winemaking step #8: blending
• Winemaking step #7: barrel tasting
• Winemaking step #6: after the malolactic fermentation
• Winemaking step #5: pressing the wine
• Winemaking step #4: getting ready for the pressing
• Winemaking step #3: monitoring the fermentation
• Winemaking step #2: inoculation of the must
• Crushing at Crushpad
• 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Ink Grade Vineyard Howell Mountain
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1 comment:
This is all so very exciting to follow on your blog, Catherine!
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