Analysis of how the fermentation process is coming along
Day 2: September 3, 2023
Winery: Cantine Pliniana
Varietal: Primitivo
- This is an analysis of the fermentation progression from the first day to roughly 8-10 days. Adjustments are made along the way to make the wine that is envisioned for a particular batch. The batches are separated by the level of sugar. As stated above, for a wine to be classified Primitivo DOC, typically you want a Brix of 23 or greater.
- Samples of juice at various stages of the fermentation process is collected in separate beakers. The wine is then tasted for notes on the pallet and nose.
- Here’s how it panned out for a batch (steel tank) of Primitivo DOC juice that we tasted:
- Day 1 – Extremely sweet, very light in color, notes of honey on the pallet.
- Day 2 – Darker color, notes of cherry.
- Day 3 – Even darker color, high viscosity, notes of cherry.
- Day 4 – You can begin to taste the alcohol. Notes of marmalade, chocolate on the pallet.
- Day 5 – The nose is not where it should be, so the yeast need more nutrition in the form of Nitrogen. There is a lot off fizz from the resulting CO2. (Sugar + Yeast = Alcohol + CO2)
- Day 8 – Very high alcohol content.
- Day 10 – Super high alcohol content, probably around15% according to the winemaker.
- Day 11 – Tastes pretty terrible and is very harsh on the nose. This is an indication that the yeast is dying. Adjustments are made to remedy the situation by adding oxygen.
- Day 13 – The taste improves but the nose is still not optimal.
- Day 15 – The wine now is more complex – balanced, enough fruit exhibiting hints if vanilla.
Take a look at the data sheet for this particular batch. Translations of columns on the data sheet:
- Vasca – Basin
- Zuccheri – Sugar
- T – Temperature
- Aggunite – Additions (or adjustments)
