As the reds begin fermentation we have been doing punch-downs and pigeage (either á pied or with what looks like an extra long toilet plunger) once or twice a day. As CO2 is produced while the yeasts are converting the sugars to alcohol, all of the skins are pushed to the top of the soaking juice, which is called the cap. It is necessary to break up the cap (yes, feet work best)so that the yeasts are exposed to ample oxygen so that they can continue doing what they do best.
Remontage : pumping the juice over the cap to increase skin contact for better tannin/color/flavor extraction
The line-up for the daily tastings to track the progress of the juice as it begins to turn into wine
No comments:
Post a Comment