Feels like science again

 

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Yeast being reconstituted in a 50:50 mix
of warm boiled water and Rondo must. 

I left biochemical lab work behind many, many moons ago. As a kid, I always knew I was going to be a scientist after they told me I was too short to be an astronaut. But industrial bench work didn't agree with me and neither did academia, so I applied my science degree to medical marketing instead. It's a really long time since I've held beakers, mixed solutions, measured chemical composition, and peered into instruments. 

Yet, here I am weighing solutions, measuring out quantities of nutrient and yeast, reconstituting the yeast and initiating the biological process known as fermentation under clean room conditions at controlled temperature. 

I was checking Brix every few days using a refractometer. I measured the specific gravity of our must using a hydrometer in a volumetric cylinder, carefully recording the results and temperature at which the readings were taken. I will need to measure the pH of the wine and calculate alcohol by volume after the second fermentation. I actually bought a set of beakers and glass stir sticks as well as backup refractometers and hydrometers just to be safe. 

Winemaking is all about science. After all, it's a biological process that yields specific chemical compounds that can be identified and measured. Who would have thought that I'd find yet another application for my education at this stage of my life? It's fun and produces a desirable product. Hardly like work at all.