The rewards and frustrations of home winemaking

Monthly archive: 03 2012

Syrah Stink Update

Last weekend the barrel of 2010 syrah had NO free SO2 detectable with the Vinmetrica SC-100. I added another 1 1/2 tsp of Kmeta, and tested the free SO2 again yesterday. I noted that the odor of acetone had already subsided, and happily the free SO2 is up to 20 ppm. I added another teaspoon […]

“One Little Drop”

I was given some samples of a new product called “One Little Drop,” touted to “improve wines.” We opened a bottle of my 2009 Merlot, which is a bit on the tannic side, so decided it was a good opportunity to test it out. Basically, you put one drop of the solution into your wine […]

Barrel to Barrel Syrah

I finally got around to transferring the problem 2010 syrah from one barrel to another. The acetone aroma was definitely present, though not so bad in the taste. If I let a sample sit out in a cup for a while it seemed to dissipate, so hopefully a good splash rack and some sulfite will […]