The yeast starter has done its job on the Pinot Noir, and I can confirm from the aroma emanating from the basement that fermentation is now in full throttle.
When fermenting red wines, we leave the juice on the skins in order to impart the color, tannins and flavors that characterize these varietals.
The carbon dioxide and other gasses produced by the sugar conversion process causes the skins to rise to the top of the bucket, forming what’s called a “cap.”
The home-winemaker’s job during this period is to punchdown the cap two or three times a day to ensure that the skins remain in contact with the juice.
My technique involves a stainless steel potato masher I bought on Amazon.com for just this purpose. I’m not sure how real wineries do this step in mass production, but since my tool will also have handy Thanksgiving dinner related applications, it’s one of the rare occasions where I think producing wine in small quantities might actually be more cost effective than the alternative.
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| After |
The yeast starter has done its job on the Pinot Noir, and I can confirm from the aroma emanating from the basement that fermentation is now in full throttle. When fermenting red wines, we leave the juice on the skins in order to impart the color, tannins and flavors that characterize these varietals. The carbon dioxide and other gasses produced by the sugar conversion process causes the skins to rise to the top of the bucket, forming what’s called a “cap.” The home-winemaker’s job during this period is to punchdown the cap two or three times a day to ensure that the skins remain in contact with the juice. 
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