Per my daily evening ritual, last night I “punched down the cap” on the Barbera must that has been busily fermenting away in our garage. The “cap” is the solid mass of skins and pulp that is pushed to the top of the must by the escaping gases produced by the fermentation process. Breaking up or punching down this cap several times a day is a critical step in the winemaking process. It not only keeps unwanted bacteria and molds from growing on the cap, lets gases escape, and keeps the yeast humming along nicely, it also keeps the skins in contact with the new wine. It’s from the skins that red wines get their color, complexity, and tannic structure.

At the time that this picture was taken, the BRIX reading was just over 5. The grapes started at 26 last Saturday when I added the yeast. The primary fermentation will be done when the BRIX reaches 0 at which point the yeast has converted all of the sugar into alcohol. So it looks like the Barbera will be ready to be pressed this Saturday.

Update:

I just stumbled on a post from the Chateau de Beaucastel winery blog where they have a short video of punching down their Syrah. Although they’re making wine on a much larger scale than I am (and they produce some of the very best wines from the Rhone Valley), the concept is the same.