On November 15, 2013 "Humble Blogger" bottled a 6 gallon Batch of Pinot Grigio wine. A couple days later, I added shrink-wrap capsules to cover the neck and exposed cork and used inkjet to print then apply "4th and Vine" adhesive labels ("Watercolor" design from Canada, sold locally). I began fermenting the wine some 8 months earlier in March 2013. Total yield was 27 bottles (750 ml each) with extra set aside for tasting and tests. The wine is dry and refreshing (I wish I could be more descriptive) and will only improve with age! See Wine Old and New for a previous wine-making Post.
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| Bottled Pinot Grigio Wine, Batch 001, Alcohol 11.8% by Volume, Dry |
Commercial Wine Kit
The wine was in kit form (Canada, sold locally) having a poly bag containing 4 gallons of Pinot Grigio grape juice from Italy. Instructions called for dilution with 2 gallons of water (I used bottled spring water) before fermentation. I didn't use all components of the kit and modified instructions a bit based on my knowledge of wine making.
The wine was in kit form (Canada, sold locally) having a poly bag containing 4 gallons of Pinot Grigio grape juice from Italy. Instructions called for dilution with 2 gallons of water (I used bottled spring water) before fermentation. I didn't use all components of the kit and modified instructions a bit based on my knowledge of wine making.
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| 4 gallons of juice produced 6 gallons of wine after addition of water |
Primary Fermenter
I used a newly purchased food-grade 9 gallon capacity plastic primary fermenter for this wine. It has a small footprint and a faucet for easily draining fermented wine to a 6 gallon glass carboy for the first racking. A manufacturers description is provided below in quotes.
I used a newly purchased food-grade 9 gallon capacity plastic primary fermenter for this wine. It has a small footprint and a faucet for easily draining fermented wine to a 6 gallon glass carboy for the first racking. A manufacturers description is provided below in quotes.
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| 9 Gallon Food-Grade Plastic Used for Primary Fermentation, Air Lock and exhaust tube are attached on top. The exhaust threads through my sheet rock basement wall, across the ceiling in garage and outside the house behind a raised house number sign. This minimizes fermentation odors inside the house. |
"About this Product: (TT090) Our 9-gallon Tuff tank vessel provides an easy and convenient way to handle any type of fermentation. This vessel comes with an air lock, which can be sealed up airtight. This makes it effective as both a primary or secondary fermenter. The Tuff-Tank Vessel also has a faucet, which can be used for both racking and bottling your wine. The faucet has been strategically elevated away from the very bottom so that you can easily transfer your wine or beer without transferring the sediment. Our 3/8" vinyl hose will fit over this faucet as well.
Space-Saving Shape: The unique square shape of this rugged container makes this vessel a great space saver. This vessel is ideal when floor space is in short supply. With the Tuff-Tank Vessel you can store many gallons in a little area.
Details: This vessel holds up to 9 gallons and can be used for making both wine and beer. The Tuff-Tank is made of food-grade, high-impact polymers and is completely food safe. This vessel is 12" high, 14" wide and 14" deep. An air lock is included so it can be used as either a primary or secondary fermenter and comes with a faucet for mess-free transferring or bottling.
Patented Design: These specially designed tanks have a patented, gliding-thread lid design, which also includes a gasket. This makes opening and closing the Tuff-Tank an insignificant task - No snapping, yanking or prying like some other containers require. Just a quick spin of the lid and rest assured your Tuff-Tank is sealed up airtight and ready for fermentation. Cost $47.50 in 2/2013."
Sterilization: I normally "sterilized" my 5-6 gallon glass carboys using a Stock solution of sodium (or potassium) metabisulfite (2 oz of the metabisulfite per gallon of tap water). When done using and cleaning the carboy, I added 3 oz of the Stock solution to the carboy, stopped it tightly with a rubber stopper and set it aside until needed again, which could be several months. Before use I poured out the solution (which still had a strong odor of sulfur dioxide) and rinsed it well, 6 separate times, each time with a gallon tap water to eliminate any remaining metabisulfite.
I was unsure how to sterilize my new Tuff tank plastic fermenter and posed the question to "eckraus.com" where I had purchased the Tuff tank. The reply stated that use of metabisulfite was fine for sterilizing the tank without any harm to its plastic. Since this would be a short term sterilization (not over several months) I decided to use the following sterilization method:
To sanitize the "Tuff-Tank" for making my Pinot Grigio wine, I poured 200 ml of Stock metabisulfite solution into a 500 beaker and dissolved 3 grams citric acid into the solution. The citric acid caused good evolution of SO2. I then poured the 200 ml into the Tuff-Tank, with its draining faucet closed on the bottom, spun the top closed against its seal, plugged the air lock hold with aluminum tape and let the solution sterilize for 15 hours. I then opened the screw top on the tank and tipped the tank and allowed at least 100 ml of solution run out the draining faucet then I dumped the remaining solution and added about a quart of tap water at least 6 separate times to the tank, rolled the water around the tank and dumped it into the sink. I let some of the water run through the faucet. In the end I dried any puddles of water inside the tank with paper towel. I rinsed the circular tank top several times and spun the top tight in the tank.
Sterilization: I normally "sterilized" my 5-6 gallon glass carboys using a Stock solution of sodium (or potassium) metabisulfite (2 oz of the metabisulfite per gallon of tap water). When done using and cleaning the carboy, I added 3 oz of the Stock solution to the carboy, stopped it tightly with a rubber stopper and set it aside until needed again, which could be several months. Before use I poured out the solution (which still had a strong odor of sulfur dioxide) and rinsed it well, 6 separate times, each time with a gallon tap water to eliminate any remaining metabisulfite.
I was unsure how to sterilize my new Tuff tank plastic fermenter and posed the question to "eckraus.com" where I had purchased the Tuff tank. The reply stated that use of metabisulfite was fine for sterilizing the tank without any harm to its plastic. Since this would be a short term sterilization (not over several months) I decided to use the following sterilization method:
To sanitize the "Tuff-Tank" for making my Pinot Grigio wine, I poured 200 ml of Stock metabisulfite solution into a 500 beaker and dissolved 3 grams citric acid into the solution. The citric acid caused good evolution of SO2. I then poured the 200 ml into the Tuff-Tank, with its draining faucet closed on the bottom, spun the top closed against its seal, plugged the air lock hold with aluminum tape and let the solution sterilize for 15 hours. I then opened the screw top on the tank and tipped the tank and allowed at least 100 ml of solution run out the draining faucet then I dumped the remaining solution and added about a quart of tap water at least 6 separate times to the tank, rolled the water around the tank and dumped it into the sink. I let some of the water run through the faucet. In the end I dried any puddles of water inside the tank with paper towel. I rinsed the circular tank top several times and spun the top tight in the tank.
Sanitizing (sterilizing) Wine Corks Before Bottling
I tried a new concept (for me) for sterilizing corks using SO2 (sulfur dioxide) gas in a configuration gleaned off the internet and with the knowledge that some corks are shipped in an SO2 atmosphere.
The concept uses a closed container to hold the corks with a reservoir in the middle holding acidified sodium metabisulfite solution (which generates SO2 gas). The out-gassing of SO2 from the solution, fills the container with SO2 which comes in dry contact with the corks to sterilize them. By using this dry-gassing method I don't have the concerns of my previous sterilization method of immersing corks in metabisulfite solution for 30 minutes to an hour before corking the bottles: i.e. no damage to the corks. no struggling to keep the floating corks submersed in metabisulfite solution and no need to dry the corks before use. An internet site recommended about 1 to 7 days for cork sterilization using SO2 gas. This concept can be scaled up to any degree (one internet site recommended using a 5 gallon pail to gas a large number of corks.) but since I usually sterilize less than 40 corks at a time, I used the following configuration to sterilize corks for the Pinot Grigio Wine, Batch 001.
I tried a new concept (for me) for sterilizing corks using SO2 (sulfur dioxide) gas in a configuration gleaned off the internet and with the knowledge that some corks are shipped in an SO2 atmosphere.
The concept uses a closed container to hold the corks with a reservoir in the middle holding acidified sodium metabisulfite solution (which generates SO2 gas). The out-gassing of SO2 from the solution, fills the container with SO2 which comes in dry contact with the corks to sterilize them. By using this dry-gassing method I don't have the concerns of my previous sterilization method of immersing corks in metabisulfite solution for 30 minutes to an hour before corking the bottles: i.e. no damage to the corks. no struggling to keep the floating corks submersed in metabisulfite solution and no need to dry the corks before use. An internet site recommended about 1 to 7 days for cork sterilization using SO2 gas. This concept can be scaled up to any degree (one internet site recommended using a 5 gallon pail to gas a large number of corks.) but since I usually sterilize less than 40 corks at a time, I used the following configuration to sterilize corks for the Pinot Grigio Wine, Batch 001.
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| Seal-able plastic container with "Diam2" (formerly "Altec") corks inside surrounding a cordial glass containing sodium metabisulfite solution and citric acid to generate sterilizing sulfur dioxide. |
I found a (slightly used) clear plastic easily closable (hinged cover with a rubber gasket and tension lock) container at the Goodwill store. It came with a coffee scoop so I assume it was intended to hold coffee before brewing. It is 5 inches in diameter and about 7.5 inches tall. Its volume is (pi)(r*2)(h) and this amounts to (3.14)(2.5 in.)*2(7.5 in.) = 147.3 in*3 = 2.6 qt. = 2.4 liter.
I also bought a small cordial glass at Goodwill 6-3/4 in. tall having a 1-3/4 in. diameter by 3-1/2 in. high bowl on a. stem about 3 in. long. The glass holds 3.7 oz. (110 ml). There is about 3/4" space between the top of the glass and the inside top of the plastic container to allow the SO2 glass to escape to flood the corks in the plastic container.
I also bought a small cordial glass at Goodwill 6-3/4 in. tall having a 1-3/4 in. diameter by 3-1/2 in. high bowl on a. stem about 3 in. long. The glass holds 3.7 oz. (110 ml). There is about 3/4" space between the top of the glass and the inside top of the plastic container to allow the SO2 glass to escape to flood the corks in the plastic container.
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| Top view of container with cordial glass in the center and surrounded by "Diam2" corks to be sterilized. A solution of sodium metabisulfite can be seen in the glass and some undissolved crystals of citric acid (which dissolved in about 4 hours) |
I conducted some experiments and decided to add 25 ml of Sodium Metabisulfite solution (consisting of 15 grams of sodium metabisulfite in 1 liter of tap water and having a pH of about 5 measured using "pHydrion" with a range of from pH 1-14) to the cordial glass and add 5 grams (1/2 teaspoon) of citric acid (to enhance SO2 production).
When the time came to sterilize the corks, I put a square of Velcro on the bottom of the glass and bottom of the plastic container to secure the glass in the center of the plastic container. Then I added 35 "Diam2" corks (formerly "Altec" corks composed of cork dust and plastic resin) to the container arranging them around the stem of the cordial glass. I added 25 ml of metabisulfite solution to the cordial glass. Then I added 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid crystals and closed and locked the top of the container. I let the acid dissolve slowly and 4 hours later the citric acid crystals were dissolved and the odor of SO2 was strong. I used the corks to bottle the Pinot Grigio wine 26 hours later.
Note: Some internet sites recommend no treatment at all for the corks providing they were kept in a clean plastic bag. I have no way of knowing if the my corks were sterilized by the SO2 gassing or if they even needed sterilization as they were certainly shipped in a sealed plastic bag and looked very clean upon visual inspection. However, SO2 is a good sterilizing agent and is used all the time by winemakers. I concluded that even if not needed, I was being proactive to insure that some beneficial sanitation or sterilization of the corks took place which would minimize any future spoiling of the wine due to "dirty" corks.
When the time came to sterilize the corks, I put a square of Velcro on the bottom of the glass and bottom of the plastic container to secure the glass in the center of the plastic container. Then I added 35 "Diam2" corks (formerly "Altec" corks composed of cork dust and plastic resin) to the container arranging them around the stem of the cordial glass. I added 25 ml of metabisulfite solution to the cordial glass. Then I added 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid crystals and closed and locked the top of the container. I let the acid dissolve slowly and 4 hours later the citric acid crystals were dissolved and the odor of SO2 was strong. I used the corks to bottle the Pinot Grigio wine 26 hours later.
Note: Some internet sites recommend no treatment at all for the corks providing they were kept in a clean plastic bag. I have no way of knowing if the my corks were sterilized by the SO2 gassing or if they even needed sterilization as they were certainly shipped in a sealed plastic bag and looked very clean upon visual inspection. However, SO2 is a good sterilizing agent and is used all the time by winemakers. I concluded that even if not needed, I was being proactive to insure that some beneficial sanitation or sterilization of the corks took place which would minimize any future spoiling of the wine due to "dirty" corks.
