WineXpert 1st kit questions from a Newbie

[Hippie]

I think you really do need another, larger primary. Mine is 7.9 gallons and not big enough sometimes for juice with pulp when making a 5 gallon batch. I have been using the same and only one for years and all the while contemplating a larger one.

 

[cbwenger]

i use an 8 gallon, and it takes up all the space i can afford once the crushed grapes are in there... i would spend the couple extra dollars (think there about $10, and order some more fun toys to rationalize the shipping costs)... but i don't think i'd try to make it up in the carboy by adding water to top up or anything like that

 

[Jackie]

I use a 7.9 and you really need atleast that size for the crushendos. With the grape pack, it's 25 litres. Mine was pretty full. But it did fine and I don't plan to buy a larger one. If you skimp on the water at the beginning you could end up with a stuck fermentation--it's very important especially with the crushendos to use the right amount of water from the very beginning to get a complete fermentation. Edited by: Jackie

 

[peterCooper]

I am now fining my first kit. It seems to be going well, though I notice that
there seems to be some of the precipitate caught in the meniscus at the top
of the carboy.

Should I open up and dislodge them?

I think I am going to leave the crushendo for a couple of rounds. Make sure
I can get wine out of the simple kits first. Let's hope the crushendo's come
up for another special soon.

Edited by: peterCooper

 

[Hippie]

It won't hurt anything, Peter. Just clean it out when you rack again and clean the carboy.

 

[Maineiak]

My husband gets a bit frustrated with me because I give a lot of our finished wine away. We have friends and family who truly enjoy my wine and I really get a kick out of sharing it with them. It's the best part of the wine making experience for me.


I think I probably drink as much as I give away though. I try to have a good variety on the shelves downstairs so I can grab whatever suits the mood.

 

[peterCooper]

Well that's settled then. I started a Pinot Grigio last night. Should be ready
to go into the carboy in a week, just as soon as the Chianti goes into the
bottle. I get the feeling they will both be ready right around Christmas. One
of each as gifts should go down reasonably well.

Does anyone know about the Amarone? It's on special this month. I'm
caught between it and the Sangiovese. I know I like the commercial versions. Edited by: peterCooper

 

[Hippie]

The Amarone has been getting great reviews from alot of people. It is a 3 gallon kit. You will need a 3 gallon carboy for it. I have also heard great reviews about the Sangiovese.

 

[peterCooper]

I started a Pinot Grigio two nights ago. I can smell the yeast CO2 but there
is no frothing. Is that typical of a lightish white. I suppose I should leave it
a couple of days and then check the SG. Any other advice?

 

[geocorn]

Sometimes the rapid fermentation occurs very quickly and goes unnoticed. When you open the lid, can you see anything on the sides of the bucket? If so, then the rapid fermentation has occured and you are just fine. My suggestion to all newbies is walk away from your wine for at least 5 days after you start the fermentation. I never check mine until day 7 and I have made over 120 batches without a single failure. I know new wine makers are very excited about their wine, but the best advice I can give you is tobe patient and let nature do her thing.

 

[peterCooper]

Big moment ahead.

I'm bottling my first one tonight. Drew a sample, its as clear as a whistle.
I've cleaned and sterilized the bottles.
Do I rinse and dry or just dry leaving the residue of the sulphite sterilizer?

I can see it not making any difference as I could add sulphite to let the wine
age longer anyway.

 

[geocorn]

No need to rinse if you sanitized with the sulfite solution. Just let them dry. The miniscule amount of sulfite left in the bottle will help protect your winejuat alittle while longer.

 

[peterCooper]

Oh and quick taste of the sample. This is the Vintner's reserve Chianti. I'm
sure the bouquet will develop but it's not bad right from the start. Tastes
very young, almost like a Beaujolais. There's a low priced Louis Jadet doing
the rounds that's similar but if it ages like you guys say it will, I'm in for a
treat.

I'll have photo's tomorrow. Oooh I am excited!

 

[peterCooper]

Thanks for the quick reply George.
Also for the quick turnaround on the next batch and the corks.

I'm hoping to rack the Pinot Grigio just as soon as I have bottled tonight.
That one is still cooking up a storm.

 

[peterCooper]

Here it is. The first ever from my cellar.

and, just for fun, here is the Pinot Grigio being racked into the carboy.

I suppose the hard part is now waiting a month to see how the Chianti is
progressing.

 

[geocorn]

Congratulations. It looks wonderful!

 

[peterCooper]

I had cause to open a bottle of the Chianti the other day. A little of the
wine had seeped through the cork. and I mean seeped, not leaked. The
wine appears to have gone through the cork. Needless to say this was
not a FVW cork. I'm still suffering from not having found you guys
BEFORE I bought my first kit.

So, I had a tacticial decision to make. A week after bottling, do I put a
new cork in and run the very grave risk of it happening again or do I drink
it, mainly because I want to find out how it is doing and I HAVE NO
PATIENCE

Well here I am after obviously selecting the latter option with a few
questions.

First of all there is a slight SO2 smell to the bouquet, not offputting but
detectable. I presume that goes away if you follow the instructions and
wait a month.

Second, it is a little gassy, CO2 I presume. I can feel it on my tongue.
I've some commercial Beaujolais' that does the same thing. Does that go
away in time? If not, how do I avoid it in the future. Is that one of those
"spank the wine until it cries for mercy before stabilizing issues"?

Third, the wine lacks bite. I'm not sure if I mean it has low acidity or it is
a litle weak. I topped up with water, as per instructions when I stabilized.
Next time I'll use my muddy bottom river wine from this go round. Will
that bite emerge over time also?

Any thought?

 

[MedPretzel]

SO2 Smell? I would probably say decant it, let it sit about 20 minutes, and it will smell better.





CO2? More of a problem. Is it bubbling or is it just a "feel"? If it bubbled, you didn't degas well enough (I know, it sucks). Keep an eye on your wine for a while, open another bottle in about a month, and if there's a "poof" sound, you should open your bottles, dump it into a carboy and degas the heck out of it. I know, it's a pain, but so is cleaning up popped bottles of red Chianti. Don't worry about it right now, but just keep an eye on it. Keep you bottles in a cool place for the time being, and if it were my bottles, I'd keep them standing straight up (less mess if they pop) until you have done "the test" in a month.





The bite is probably just from the immaturity of the wine. I've recently bottled a Cab Franc (July) and it has no bite. It almost tastes diluted. However, I made a Valpolicella about a year ago (bottled July 11, 2004) and it tastes much better. I would say, the longer the aging, the better.





Your cork "seeping" is something that happens to me too. Corks don't seal a wine "air-tight", and a little bit can go through. This is where high quality corks are important. I haven't seen it with George's corks, and haven't heard anyone on the forum say that it's happened with theirs.





These are just my opinions, I am sure more seasoned winemakers like Hippie and George can add/improve on what I said.





Martina

 

[MedPretzel]

I forgot to add, but I am not sure, since I never made a Chianti kit wine:





When I lived in Germany, Chianti usually had a little "sparkle" to it, i.e. it sort of resembled a red, sparkling wine. Again, I'm not sure if this kit was made to do that or not.





George could probably help you out here.

Just an addendum in case you're panicing about the CO2 issue.

Martina

 

[geocorn]

Peter,


Sorry about the corks. You are not the first to have a problem with some of the corks available to home wine makers. Now you know why I recommend mine.


Regarding your questions. The smell may be from the CO2, instead of SO2 or it could be that is SO2 and it will go away.


The CO2 issue is quite common and there is an easy cure. Decant your wine for 30-60 minutes. That will give the CO2 time to leave the wine. Next time, stir the wine really well or as you put it "spank it really good". In addition, if you can allow your wine to sit in the carboy for a month after you stablize, it will de-gas itself. You still should stir it well, but the extra time will benefit the clearing process, as well.


The VR Chianti is not as acidic as most store Chianti's. It generally has excellent flavor, but is weak on tannins. This is a common thread with all of the VR kits. The concentration process removes some of the solids which contribute to body, flavor and aroma, as well as some of the tannins. If you really like the more full bodies wines, either add some oak or move up to the Selection series, or both. The higher end kits have more juice and, as a result, more solids.