Items in Article
By Shea Comfort
At the crusher:
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SO2: Use 50 ppm (1.6 g or ¼ tsp per 5 gallons of must). Add SO2 as soon as the fruit is crushed. Make sure to mix it completely throughout the entire must volume. Helpful hint: It’s convenient/easy to add the SO2 as the crush is taking place in 5 or 10 gallon increments!
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Lallzyme-EX: Use 0.1 g/gal of must. When the crush is over and the SO2 has been completely mixed in, add Lallzyme-EX. Best to dissolve in some room-temp water and stir into the entire must volume.
- Opti-Red or Booster Rouge: Use at 1 g/gal must. Dissolve in 10x its weight in water or juice and mix it completely throughout the must.
12–24 hours after crushing:
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Test and correct pH, TA and Brix (sugars). Full, step-by-step explanations on how to do this is given in our Red Winemaking Manual (available online or as a printed copy).
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FT Rouge fermentation tannin: Can be used at 0.8-1.9 g/gal. We recommend starting with an initial rate of 1.3 grams per gallon. Additional tannin can be added if needed at 0.25 g/gal. Sprinkle directly onto the must and mix thoroughly to ensure even homogenization. Important: if you are using enzymes you must wait 8 hours after the enzyme addition before adding your tannins.
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Hydrate your Yeast with Go-Ferm Protect. Once ready stir into the entire must volume. A full explanation is given in our Yeast Hydration manual.
At the first signs of fermentation/cap formation (1–2 days after inoculation):
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Fermaid-K (#1): Use at 1 g/gal. Add enough room-temp water to make a slurry and mix into the entire must volume.
After 8–10 °Brix have been consumed (usually ⅓ to ½ way through the fermentation process):
- Fermaid-K (#2): Use at 1 g/gal. Add enough room-temp water to make a slurry and mix into the entire must volume.
