Operation Cab Resurrection

• Saturday, October 24th
• Was out running errands with my beautiful pregnant wife and I cannot get the lousy result of the Cab out of my mind.  We swung by my home brew store, and they suggested to add a can of concentrated juice.  Found out another neighborhood brew store carried concentrated cabernet juice and was willing to help me try and save the Cab.  Since I had already added potassium sulfite and sorbate, the options were limited.  Final plan was to make 10 gallons of 18% cabernet from Alexander grape concentrate and to mix 50:50 with the current dilute cab and get a resulting 13-13.5% full bodied cab.  Bought 2 96oz and 2 48oz cans.  Since I only have 3 extra buckets, juggling the dilute wine with concentrated wine will be the majority of the battle.
• Put 1 98oz and 1 48oz can of concentrate in each primary fermenter.  Added enough water to bring up to 5 gallons.  Plan was to add 4lbs of sugar to each to bucket to raise Sp gravity to 1.14.  Actually took about 19lbs between the two buckets.  When checking the acid, acid level was 0.3%.  Added 3 tablespoons to one bucket, but need to get more to bring the other up.   Will probably add a total of 6 tablespoons per each bucket which will result in a tanic acid level of 0.75% so when it is diluted, it should be still potent.  Added 1tsp of tanin and then pectin enzyme.  Split yeast nutrient between two buckets.  Added two packets of yeast to water for 5min to get re-hydrated and then added to each bucket.  Affixed air lock on bucket.  Almost immediately begain bubbling. 
• Saturday, November 6th
• Sp grav of bucket 1: 1.03
• Sp grav of bucket 2: 1.04
• Tuesday, November 16th
• Sp grav of bucket 1: 1.02
• Sp grav of bucket 2: 1.025
• Transfered bucket 1 to temporary holding bucket until original dilute cab was transfered out of glass carboy into primary fermenter.  Then transfered resurrection cab into glass carboy and airlocked.  Will check in 1-2 weeks.
• Sunday, November 28th
• Sp grav of bucket 2: 1.025
• Transfered bucket 2 to temporary holding bucket until original dilute cab was transfered out of glass carboy into primary fermenter.  Then transfered resurrection cab into plastic carboy and airlocked will check in 1-2 weeks.
• Wednesday, December 8th
• Sp grav of bucket 1: 1:02
• Sp grav of bucket 2: 1.03
• Both buckets were very, very sweet and very strong in alcohol.  Sp gravity is not changing at all so will call Bacchus tommarrow and see if it will.  Very, very good flavor.  Per recipe, should be between 0.99 and 1.00 spec grav before adding stabilizer.  Doubt will hit that.
• Wednesday, December 15th
• Sp grav of bucket 1: 1.025
• Sp grav of bucket 2: 1.03
• Spoke with Bacchus and they recommended to mix to taste.  Tested 1:1 ratio with Elaine and Blaine.  We all thought it was a little on the wild side, but had a very good flavor.  Utilized several 5 gallong Home Depot/Lowe's buckets to transfer all the various wines around.  I mixed 2.5 gallons of concentrated wine with 2.5 gallons and put each 5 gallon batch into either a carboy or primary fermenter.  Took a specific gravity reading.  Each bucket was approximately 1.01.  Had about 4 liters of dilute wine left over.  Split into 4 1.1 liter aliquots and added them to the 4 batches.  Took another specific gravity reading of each and was still 1.01. Per Bacchus, fermentation may start up again so haven't added the Zinfandel pumace or Oak chips.  Will check specific gravity in a couple of days.  If not changing, will add stabilizer and potassium sulfate and then chips and pumace.  I think this is going to work.  Woot Woot!
• Tuesday, December 21st
• Sp grav of each bucket/carboy: 1.01
• Added 2 tsp of potassium sorbate and 2 campden tablets to each container
• Added oak chips (amount?) and Zinfandel pumace to each container and stirred but had to run to breastfeeding class. 
• Wednesday, December 22nd
• Stirred each container vigorously for 2min to ensure driving off of C02 and mixing in chips/pumace. 
• Already smells great and color is beautiful

Faux Chablis

Wednesday, October 13th, 2010

• Bought 25lbs of Thompson Seedles grapes (Sultana) from a Farmer's Market outside of gym
• Stomped grapes to break skin and pressed with wine press. 
• Kept grape pulp in bucket and qs with water to 5 gallons
• Crushed 3 Campden tablets and stirred into bucket and covered.

Thursday, October 14th, 2010

• Added packet of EC-118 yeast
• Sprinkle of yeast energizer
• Sprinkle of wine tanin
• Sprinkle of Pectin enzyme

Thursday, October 21st, 2010

• Specific gravity: 1.02

Friday, October 22nd, 2010

• Specific gravity: 1.02
• Transferred to secondary carboy (water cooler)
• Added 1.5 liters of warm water
• Locked with airlock
• Some debris transferred, but did so to maximize juice racked

Monday, November 1st, 2010

• Added 4lbs of sugar and 2 tablespoons of acid blend
• Added another packet of EC-118 yeast and sprinkle of yeast nutrient

Saturday, November 6th, 2010

• Transferred back to primary fermenter
• Locked with airlock
• Taste is light, citrus

Sunday, November 28th, 2010

• Transfered back to secondary fermenter after seeing milky white cobweb floating material
• Added in 2 capden tablets and tablespoon of sorbate
• Stirred really hard and replaced airlock

Wednesday, December 8th

• Tasted wine.  Good flavor but a little light.  Perhaps will add something to add a little more flavor.

Sunday, December 12th

• Bottled wine.   Only got about 16 bottles out of it.  Still tastes good but not heavy at all.  Probably won't do this experiment again.

Cabernet Sauvignon

• Friday, October 1st;
• Purchased 2 lugs of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from Lodi region via Bacchus and Barleycorn for $57 per lug.
• Had grapes de-stemmed and crushed by Bacchus and Barleycorn
• Put grapes through wine press at home and got out total of 5.5 gallons of pure juice
• Split juice into two buckets: originally labeld them bucket 1 and bucket 2.
• QS each bucket with hot water to equal 6 total gallons
• Specific gravity of bucket 1 was: 1.05
• Specific gravity of bucket 2 was: 1.042
• Added 2.25 cups of cane sugar to each bucket
• Put 1 packet of Stavin French Oak Chips: Medium plus Toasted 3oz in each bucket
• Put 1 packet of Light toasted Oak chips 4oz in each bucket
• Bentonite  granules, 1 tablespoon in each bucket
• Added 2 crushed tablets of Camptan to each bucket: let sit for 24
• Saturday, October 2nd
• Added 1 packet of EC-118 Sacchromyces bayanas to each bucket
• Beginning to ferment in bucket 2
• Tuesday, October 5th
• Was a knucklehead and put air-locks on primary fermenters on Saturday.  Removed them today and added 1/2 packet of EC-118 to each bucket.  Hope I didn't mess the whole batch up!!
• Saturday, October 9th
• Checked Specific gravity on both buckets;
• Bucket 1: 0.996 (originally 1.05)
• Bucket 2: 0.997 (originally 1.042)
• Batches seemed quite a bit lighter than expected
• Transfered bucket 1 to new carboy (plastic)
• Transfered bucket 2 to old carboy (glass)
• Used left over sediment from buckets and transfered to home-made primary fermenter and toped up to 5 gallons.  Added a dusting of yeast energizer.
• 2nd run wine very sedimenty and estimation of specific gravity was 1.02.
• Might have had 1-2 drops of potassium metabusulfite drip from air lock into bucket 1.
• Will check  2nd run wine on Sunday, October 16th
• Will check bucket 1 and 2 on Tuesday or Wednesday, October 19th or 20th.
• Checked 2nd run on Saturday.  It was not fermenting but rotting so threw out.
• Thursday, October 21st, 2010
• Bucket 1: Specific gravity
• Bucket 2: Specific gravity
• Tasted wine and it was very dilute.  Will probably be a very normal table wine, not a knock out. 
• Friday, October 22nd, 2010
• Bucket 1: Specific gravity
• Bucket 2: Specific gravity
• Added 2 crushed Campden tablets and 1 tablespoon of potassium sorbate to each bucket and stirred hard.
• Split one large packet of Chitosan between two buckets and stirred hard
• Replaced air locks and will check in 8 days.