[Sca-cooks] Verjus

[Wanda Pease]

Edouard,

	Let's experiment this summer!  We might even take the 'Lanie down to Coos
Bay and do a grape heist on Brother Will's vineyard.  You would have a great
time with the llamas and the wine, and 'Lanie can relax on the deck
overlooking the river.
	In fact, later in the season we would be welcome guests at picking/bottling
time.  Will "sells" wine making kits with grape juice and yeast since it is
illegal to sell the wine itself without a license!  Grape picking is
actually a lot of fun if you don't Have to do it!

Regina
> >
> My understanding is wild yeast (and possibly other microbes) are on the
> grape skin, that they are the white bloom coating on grapes. Basically,
> breaking the skin starts fermentation. And grape juice as just the right
> amount of sugars, pH level, and nutrients for yeast to live on (a
> co-evolution). On an interesting corallary, for matzo to be kosher for
> Pesach/Passover, they have to be baked withing 18 minutes of contact
> with the water. Otherwise, they could be leavened naturally (and
> therefore not kosher for Pesach), which might give you an idea of how
> fast natural fermentation can start.
>
> If the grapes are tart enough, the pH may be too low for the bacteria to
> survive, thus cancelling any need to clean the grapes before crushing.
> For comparison, household wine vinegar is pH 2, along with lemon juice.
> More than orange juice (ph 3), less than stomach acid. The pH of wine
> must (grape juice) is supposed to be around 3-4. From orange juice to
> tomato juice.
>
> On the other hand, yeast is far more tolerant to acid levels and will
> ferment at pH lower than 3.5. I don't know how low yeast can go. Dry
> sherry can start as low as 2.7.
>
> As far as when to pick grapes for verjuis, usually wineries pick and
> crush for wine in October, maybe late September, depending on the local
> climate and that particular season. I would say early August to early
> September. Mostly a guess. You might want to step out once a week to the
> vine and check.
>
> --
> Edouard, Sire de Bruyerecourt
> bruyere at jeffnet.org
> ================================================================
> "Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly,
> while bad people will find a way around the laws."
> - Plato (427-347 B.C.)
>
>
>
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