Old Fashion “Dago Red” Recipe

I want to start off with an apology to anyone who is insulted by the name of this wine, it is not intended to be an ethnic slur. Being an Italian American myself I have nothing but the highest regards for people with Italian heritage. I take no offense – I hope that you don’t either. It is a thing to enjoy!

This photo is not of me it was supplied by army.arch from Flickr.

I enjoyed the sites as a child to watch my grandfather make his magical wine in his basement. The smell, that slight chill to the air and the sound of wine being racked. These elements plus the screaming of Italian men, while eating cheese and prosuttio is what family was to me. The wine seemed to tie it all together. I would concentrate on my grandfather’s hand while he was pouring that wine from the jug. Seeing out of focus faces laughing and carrying on in the background. It was the lifeblood of those times. That wine was referred to as “Dego Red.”

There isn’t any particular recipe for "Dago Red." The name merely refers to any red wine made in an Italian style outside Italy. It is probably the most requested recipe, usually after the passing of an older family member who didn’t teach anyone how to craft his wine or, no one was interested in helping and learning at the time. More often than not this idiom is used by friends of Italian families that want to brag what they had at dinnertime with the family of 24 down the street.

Truth be told, you really need to know where the departed got their grapes, as the wine referred to can only be made in the same way if they use the identical grapes. Since this is usually information not on hand, simply whipping up a batch of red wine is the accustomed alternative.

Here is a basic recipe and procedure:

Classic “Dago Red” Wine – Yields: 5-6 gallons of finished wine

1. Take approximately 45-50 lbs. of Concord grapes.
2. Crush grapes just enough to break the skins.
3. Put into a clean, open top container, plastic is ok at this point.
   1. Add 15 lbs of sugar to 1-2 gallons of lukewarm water (100°F to 110°F). Stir until dissolved and add to must.
4. Cover container to keep out contaminants.
5. In 24 hours add one and one half packs of wine yeast.
6. Stir must twice a day for 5-7 days pushing the pulp down.
7. Siphon out the juice in 5-6 days if the room temperature is hot (80°F to 90°F) and 6-7 days if the room temperature is cooler.
8. Press the pulp, if you can, for more juice. Although this will create more work in the future in more racking to clear wine.
9. Put wine into a wooden barrel but do not fill up to top, room is needed for expansion while it is working. Optionally you can use glass carboys with airlocks if you wish.
10. Ferment juice for a few weeks gradually topping off. Keep loosely covered if in a wooden barrel
    1. Ferment for three more weeks with airlock left on at all times and then rack. Attach airlock again.
    2. Rack again in another 3 weeks.
11. When it slows down or stops fermenting, about Thanksgiving, cap tight.
    1. When it stops fermenting completely, rack again, wait 7 days then bottle.

Once bottled it is best to have this sit for at least a year to give it that authentic flavor, but if you need to… you can enjoy a glass now! No harm done.

Salute! Chindun!

Crushpad… Good or Bad?

I just came across this site called Crushpad. I find it kind of interesting. I personally feel that the wine making process is something magical that should be shared. Although this company lets you get involved as much as you want – I still don’t know…. seems like something is missing. Their site states the following:

Crushpad makes it easy to create your very own luxury custom wine, from grape to bottle. Even if you’re new to wine making, lead a busy lifestyle or don’t live near wine country, you can still make your own wine, your way. Here’s how:

• You choose from among 50 of the most coveted vineyards in California, Oregon and Washington. No need to track down great fruit and haul it to a winery. Crushpad’s got it handled.
• You work hand-in-hand with our renowned wine making team to define and make your wine. They’ve got you covered, so that you end up with a great finished wine.
• You participate as much or as little as you want in the wine making process. Learn how to make wine by getting hands-on at our winery or keep tabs on things through Crushnet, our real time winemaking resource.
• You work with our talented design team to create a custom wine label that’s the perfect expression of your wine and your unique story.
• You can make your own wine on your own or as part of wine making group.
• You meet some incredible people at our many client events who share your passion for wine and winemaking. Whether its at our wine tastings, Crush Camps or our annual Mashup party, you’ll learn a lot about the wine making process and enjoy the education.
• You can even launch your own wine brand through our Crushpad Commerce service.

Cost to create your very own custom barrel of wine — 25 cases — varies depending upon the vineyard you select, ranging from $5,700 to $10,900 (or about $19 to $36 per bottle).

I find it amazing that they offer everything as a turn key solution under one roof, my question is how does this really distinguish your brand from the next? I would be interested in hearing from someone who has used them though.

Wine Production Basics

Although this does not cover every detail of the wine making process. It gives you a general idea of how wine is made and what each step is.

Most wines follow this basic process with some changes here and there depending on the wine makers taste and/or secrets.

Harvest – The grapes are harvested when they are mature, typically determined by flavor and sugar content.

Stemmer/Crusher – This device removes the stems from the grapes, and crushes them so that they are exposed to the yeast for fermenting. Also by crushing the grapes you expose the skins, which help richen the color of the wine.

Remove Free Run – The best quality wine is made just from the juice portion of the must. It is removed and the remaining must (at this point called pomace) is sent to the press.

Press – This squeezes the remaining juice out of the pomace.

Fermentation – Yeast convert the sugar in the juice into alcohol. carbon dioxide and heat are by products of this reaction.

Pumping Over – A process of pumping juice over the cap during fermentation to accelerate extraction of color, flavor, and tannins. This also ensures that the cap doesn’t dry out and develop unwanted bacteria.

Settle – Letting wine sit so that the sediment falls to the bottom of the holding reservoir.

Oak Aging – This allows a very slow introduction of oxygen into the wine and it imparts the character of the wood into the wine.

Rack(ing) – The process of moving wine from one reservoir to another. Separating the wine from the sediment that has collected at the bottom. This also serves to aerate the wine and reduce cloudiness.

Malo-Lactic Fermentation – This process of a change in wine is where the tart malic acid is converted to softer-tasting lactic acid. Some, but not all white wines go through this step. See more info here.

Fining – Also known as clarifying or refining. A process that helps remove anything that may be making the wine cloudy.

Filtering – A procedure that eliminates any fining agents, or other unwanted elements in the wine through mechanical means

Bottling – This final step is done carefully so that the wine does not come in contact with air. From this the bottles are corked and labled.

Basic Set of Wine Making Tools

All wine makers require a basic set of wine making equipment. Fortunately, if you are new to this art, the list of items is small. To craft a small 6-gallon batch, you will want to have these essentials:

• 5-foot siphon tube
• 7.5-gallon glass fermenter
• 6-gallon glass carboy
• Airlock
• Bottle filler with a shut off valve
• Corker and corks
• Drilled rubber stoppers to fit the fermenter, airlock, and carboy
• Hydrometer
• Long handled bottlebrush
• No-rinse sanitizer
• Racking tube with anti-sediment tip
• Wine bottles for six gallons of wine

Glass is always preferred over plastic jugs because plastics can retain the color and flavor of the last batch of wine you have prepared.

Some wine makers prefer rubber corks to real corks because they are easy to clean and will not fall apart in your batch of wine. But for authenticity, and that nostalgic feeling I am fond of real corks!

There are some other items you may wish to have on hand, but these are not needed for the first run. A hydrometer can measure the specific gravity of your wine. This handy tool can give you readings on the alcohol content, sugar levels, and how the fermentation process is progressing. See the Weekend Wine Word: Brix post for more information on this.

A wine thief is another handy apparatus that all wine makers tend to use frequently. It is used to take a sample of your wine without pouring or siphoning it from the container (barrel or carboy).

A dairy thermometer is also useful. This thermometer floats in the container and keeps track of the temperature during fermentation. Yeast cells need a constant temperature of 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit for fermentation to occur at a normal rate. This is essential in helping you gauge where your wine’s temperature is. When it is too cold it slows fermentation, and when it is too hot the yeast cells ferment too rapidly, or die altogether.