Seven Deadly Sins of Zin
From an article by Alison Crowe, The ABC’s of Zin in the April-May issue of WineMaker Magazine, comes the following advice for avoiding pitfalls when making zinfandel (red, of course).
*Zinfandel can handle a warm fermentation. A good goal is to let the fermentation get going and then try to keep the must warmer than 75 degrees F, but no warmer than 95 degrees. You will have an even greater chance of a stuck fermentation if the temperature of the ferment gets greater than 95 degrees. Try to finish out the fermentation at a minimum of 80 degrees F.
- Grapes not ripe enough: Try to pick (or buy) between 24-26 Brix.
- Grapes too ripe: Add water to get below 26 Brix. Check and adjust TA and pH.
- Stuck or sluggish fermentation: Pick in the correct sugar target. Feed your yeast! Stay within temperature bounds.*
- High alcohol: Make sure Brix is within bounds.
- High volatile acidity: Avoid stuck or sluggish fermentation. Add SO2 at the crusher. Don’t let cold soak or extended maceration get infected with spoilage organisms.
- Too much oak: Be conservative and keep tasting during aging.
- Too much tannin: Monitor fermentation and taste often. Don’t press your grapes too hard.
*Zinfandel can handle a warm fermentation. A good goal is to let the fermentation get going and then try to keep the must warmer than 75 degrees F, but no warmer than 95 degrees. You will have an even greater chance of a stuck fermentation if the temperature of the ferment gets greater than 95 degrees. Try to finish out the fermentation at a minimum of 80 degrees F.