It is already October and time for Kathy and me to get interested in making wine this autumn. We spent most of the day in Virginia, promoting our book, A Wine Journey. Pearmund Cellars and Vint Hill Craft Winery will hold a book signing event. A date will be determined once we receive a release date by our publisher. While at Pearmund Cellars, I mentioned to Chris Pearmund that I would like to experiment making a white Cabernet Sauvignon. Last month, while traveling to wineries in Ontario, Canada, we tasted a white Cabernet Sauvignon. Earlier, we’ve tasted white Merlot, white Pinot Noir and white Cabernet Franc. We enjoyed the white Cabernet Sauvignon and wanted to experiment with making a white cab.
Chris said they were pressing some Virginia Cabernet Sauvignon and I was able to get a couple gallons. The juice measured a specific gravity of 1.068. That would produce almost a 10% alcohol wine. I added sugar to the juice raising the specific gravity to 1.094. That can produce a little over a 13% alcohol wine. For the two gallons of juice, I added just under a pound of sugar.
I went with a Lalvin DV10 because this saccharomyces bayanus yeast is considered very reliable for white wine fermentation. A few other winemaking products were added to the juice. Opti-White by Lallemand was added to enhance the smoothness of the wine. It also helps avoid browning from oxidation and protects fresh aromas during aging. Next, added was Fermaid K also by Lallemand, a nutrient for the yeast. Scottzyme® Cinn-Free is a pectinase that can help release aromas, something we are interested in with a white Cabernet Sauvignon. Kathy added this to the juice before we drove home.
The juice was a grayish burgundy color. Now that the yeast has been added, we’ll wait and see what happens. We may have another chance to make a couple gallons of a White Cabernet Sauvignon with Maryland fruit. Early October and winemaking has started.
Cheers,
Terry
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