Monday, October 21, 2013

Chilean Carmenere - 2013


This past spring, I acquired 144 pounds of Chilean Carmenere grapes from Carolina Wine Supply.  Previously they only offered juice.  But more recently they've been providing grapes.  I was surprised to find that the grapes were in good condition, particularly given that they were transported from Chile.  After crushing and destemming, I started them off with some Opti-Red and pectic enzyme to break down the solids and extract as much color as possible.  After 24 hours, I introduced D-254 yeast for fermentation.


This batch has yield 11 gallons of wine thus far.  Some of the wine will likely be used to top off the California Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache Noir, though a majority will probably be bottled as a stand-alone wine.  Particularly given that Carmenere is a definite favorite in our household.