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!

Which Yeast?

Yeast TLC

Yeast are the tiny micro-organisms that do all the hard work in winemaking. They may not be racking the wine and doing all the hard physical labor, but their role is crucial to the production of wine. It is interesting to note that in a fluid ounce of vigorously fermenting must, there are approximately 6 billion yeasts. Keeping all these yeasts "happy" is one of the main tasks of a winemaker. Yeast can survive in a range of temperatures, but like us, they don’t like unnatural fluctuations or extremes. They like to have plenty to eat (sugar), and they develop much more actively if you treat them to some nutritious food (yeast nutrient). Yeast also prefers a slightly acidic environment and has a need for some oxygen.

How to Use Yeast

When you get home from the shop with your yeast, it is fairly simple to use. It is perfectly reasonable just to add a teaspoon of dried yeast into the must. However, to give the yeast a decent start in life, it is considered sporting to mix the dry yeast with a cup of slightly warm water. To that, add a teaspoon of sugar and a touch of yeast nutrient. This will give the yeast something to do. After a few hours the yeast will have woken up and started to lightly froth. This is the perfect moment to stir it into the must.

Which Yeast?

So now that we know how to look after our yeast, which yeast should we use? Many people employ standard wine yeast. This is easily distinguished because it says "wine yeast" on the label. If you are feeling a little more adventurous however, you can try one of the specialist yeasts. Listed below are some types of yeast and some details about each one. This is a good sized list, but there are many more types avaliable. You may want to ask your local supplier for advice, depending on the wine you are making.

Epernay 2

Slow fermenter; leaves a delicate, perfumey aroma without tropical overtones of UCD 594, and a smooth, fruity flavor. Temperature
should be kept cool to preserve fruitiness. Good for whites and fruits. May have trouble going to dryness if used with too-cold or nutrient poor wines (like Chardonnay). Sometimes used for Pinot Noir. Foams very little.

California Champagne, UCD 505

Flocculates superbly, leaving large chunks if left to settle undisturbed. White wines will have a simple, clean, yeasty quality similar to Champagne. Recommended for sparkling wines and very aromatic fruits.

Fermivin

Very fast and vigourous fermenter. Good for stuck fermentations. Never use if you want to leave some residual sugar. Provides clean, varietal wines. Often used for Cabernet.

Montrachet

Can produce varied results. When good, it is very, very good. When bad, it is very, very bad. Never use if fruit has been recently dusted with sulphur. Has a tendency to product H2S. Starts fast, attaining a very high temperature, then slows and sometimes sticks if stressed. Very good for reds and full bodied whites that need a hot fermentation. Flavors are full, complex and intense in colour.

Beaujolais

Intended for carbonic maceration of fresh, fruity red wine. Ferments strongly but leaves a grapey sort of fruitiness.

Pasteur Champagne

An all purpose white wine yeast sometimes used for reds as well. Usually a fast, complete fermentation. Do not use for slow fermentations needing residual sugar. Flavors are clean and pleasant, while body and complexity are not emphasized. Sometimes used for stuck fermentations. Despite the name, it is not used for sparkling wines.

Prise de Mousse

Ferments evenly and usually goes to completion. Clean, slightly yeasty aroma does not interfere with varietal flavors. Used for both reds and whites.

Assmanshausen

Slow fermentation rate with an austere fruitiness. Wines are spicy, complex, with medium body and dark color. Often preferred for Pinot Noir. Sometimes needs balancing with oak ageing.

Beerenauslese

Used for grapes infected with botrytis. It intensifies the apricot/honey flavors produced by the mould.

Chanson

Ferments evenly, low H2S production, floculates well, makes compact lees. Flavors are refined and elegant with emphasis on varietal fruit. Often used for Chardonnay. Prone to sticking in nutrient-poor musts.

Etoile

Usually used as a tirage yeast but could be used for innoculating the cuvee in sparkling wines as well. Has subdued yeastiness with crispness.

Pasteur Red

Very popular for reds. Fast, strong fermenter used for full bodied reds. Yields wines that are complex with cabernet style concentration of fruit and color.

Pasteur White

Intended for dry, crisp, white wines. The yeast provides complexity instead of fruitiness emphasizing acidity. Sensitive to sudden
chilling. Foams spectacularly.

Steinberg

Produces a distinctive, flowery, complex combination of scents when fermented cool. Slows with sudden chilling but usually completes. Good for riesling and other German style wines.

UCD 594

Starts very slowly and ferments evenly. Fermentation temperature does not change much, nor is activity that apparent. Provides a highly aromatic character called "fruit salad" or tropical flavor. Not generally used in reds. Sensitive to SO2. May produce excess H2S if sulphur dust is on the fruit.

Lalvin K1-1118

Champagne yeast (Saccharomycetes Bayanus) with a high alcohol tolerance. Clean fermenting yeast. High sulphite tolerance. Will ferment dry. Good for Champagnes, stuck ferments, particularly in a high alcohol and/or high sugar wine. A "killer strain", it excretes enzymes which are noxious to other yeasts. Also typically used to innoculate a still, sulphited, fined and filtered but unsorbated wine ready for champagning.

Lalvin K1-1116

Saccharomycetes Ceriviceae. General purpose, with mid to high alcohol tolerance. "Killer yeast" good for innoculating fresh juices which may contain wild strains of yeast, particularly under conditions of sulphite-free fermentation, and/or to innoculate an spontaneously fermenting must.

Suggestions based on StyleWhite wines

• Chardonnay (regular): Chanson, Prise de Mousse
• Chardonnay (heavy): Montrachet
• Chenin Blanc: UCD 594, Epernay 2
• Gewurztraminer & Riesling (young/fresh): Epernay 2
• Gewurztraminer & Riesling (complex): Steinberg
• Muscat: UCD 594 or any white wine yeast
• Sauvignon Blanc: Chanson, Pasteur White, Prise de Mousse
• Semillon: Chanson, Pasteur Champagne

Red Wines

• Cabernet (regular): Pasteur Red
• Cabernet (other): Pasteur Champagne, Montrachet, Prise de Mousse
• Merlot: Pasteur Red, Assmanshausen
• Merlot (for blending): Epernay 2, Beaujolais, Assmanshausen
• Gamay: Beaujolais
• Petit Sirah: Doesn’t matter
• Pinot Noir (light): Beaujolais
• Pinot Noir (regular): Assmanshausen
• White Zin: Epernay 2, Prise de Mousse
• Zinfandel, claret style: Pasteur Red
• Zinfandel, fruity: Prise de Mousse
• Zinfandel, heavy: Montrachet
• Zinfandel, over 25 brix: Fermivin

French/American hybrids

• Aurora: Epernay 2
• Cayuga: Chanson, Prise de Mousse
• Red fruity (Chelois, Foch, etc): Epernay 2, Beaujolais
• Red full bodied (Baco, Chambourcin, etc): Pasteur Red, Fermivin,
• Assmanshausen
• Seyval/Vidal Blanc (dry): Chanson, Prise de Mousse
• Seyval/Vidal Blanc (sweet): Epernay 2

Special types

• Blanc de noirs and Rose: Epernay 2, Prise de Mousse
• Carbonic Maceration: Beaujolais
• Late Harvest (Botrytis): Beerenauslese, Steinberg
• Port: Pasteur Champagne
• Sparkling (cuvee): Eperney 2, Prise de Mousse, Pasteur Champagne
• Sparkling (tirage): Etoile, Calif Champagne, Prise de Mousse
• Stuck fermentations: Fermivin, Pasteur Champagne

Non-Grape wines

• Apples: Epernay 2, Chanson
• Berry, Cherry: Pasteur Red, Beaujolais
• Peach, pear, apricot, plum: Epernay 2, C. Champ, Prise de Mousse
• Other: Epernay 2

The biggest list of yeast strains for winemaking I could find is located here

This is definitely a list to keep on hand, much like a palette of yeast to a winemaker’s paint brush. Based on the outcome that is desired, you now have a wide array to choose from.