Cellar Craft CC Showcase walla walla cab merlot

[DryFly]

Yup sure does. A bag of what looks like grape jam. It's in the mesh bag at the bottom of the bucket already. I'm waiting 12 hours before I put the yeast in so I can get a more accurate gravity reading.

I am about to start my first kit. Should I do this?

 

[roger80465]

I am about to start my first kit. Should I do this?

I have done that with my kits. The change in SG is remarkable. Can't say if it makes a difference in the wine.

 

[sour_grapes]

I am about to start my first kit. Should I do this?

I would not call it particularly important to do. If you do choose to wait, you will get a more accurate number for the starting SG, and thus of the ABV. But this is not so important!

 

[WinoNick]

Racking onto the Hungarian oak cubes

 

[WinoNick]

I've been following an extended schedule....



Except instead of 90 days, it's been aging in the carboy about 150 days. I haven't touched it in that time. I'm about to bottle. Do you think I'll need to degass?

 

[Johnd]

@WinoNick:

It's certainly possible that it's degassed in 5 months, taste a little sample to see. You can also put some in a test tube, cover with your thumb and shake it up real good. See if there's a pressure release when you remove your thumb.

 

[Boatboy24]

Racking onto the Hungarian oak cubes
View attachment 26321

Great pic!!

 

[LindaLou]

Can you age it that long in the Better Bottle? Or does it need to be glass?

 

[ehammonds]

I have one that I started in April 2015. Came out of the barrel recently and has been aging now, and pre-barrel, in a plastic carboy.

 

[geek]

This kit comes very highly regarded on WMT. I made this kit about 17 mos. ago, and so I will open my first one in about a month. I cannot say if you should make any tweaks, but here is what I did. I swapped out the yeast for ICV-D254, and I added 8 g of FT Rouge tannin in the primary. Sorry I cannot tell you more than that!

Paul,

I cannot imagine how good this wine may be by now. [emoji4]

 

[WinoNick]

Well, here's an update. I ended up aging it in the carboy for a lot longer than planned...about 9 months. My airlock almost went dry at one point and I thought I ruined it. I tasted on 9/18/16 and it didn't seem like it went bad. So I added 1/4tsp kmeta and bottled. Also, I only added kmeta when I started the bulk aging. Didn't add any every 3 months like I probably should have.

I'll let it rest in the bottle for a couple more months then give it a try..

 

[Boatboy24]

Also, I only added kmeta when I started the bulk aging. Didn't add any every 3 months like I probably should have.

There is so little air exchange when under airlock, that I'm not sure a sulfite addition every 3 months is necessary. If racking, sure. But otherwise, I don't usually add. I have no science to back this up, BTW; just my own logic (however flawed that may be).

 

[WinoNick]

Couldn't wait any longer. It's good.

 

[jgmann67]

View attachment 31692

Couldn't wait any longer. It's good.

And then there were 28...

If this is good now, chances are it will be awesome in another year and stellar the year after that. The big challenge is having wine to taste after 2 years.

For your next batch, you might consider doing a half dozen 375's. Tasting every 3 months, it allows you to enjoy the wine along the way, while aging the wine another 18 months... and you're only down 2.25 liters (3 regular bottles).

 

[bigtex52]

And then there were 28...

LOL. I thought I was the only one OCD enough to count the bottles in his picture.

 

[WinoNick]

LOL. I thought I was the only one OCD enough to count the bottles in his picture.

Lol!! ......

 

[jgmann67]

LOL. I thought I was the only one OCD enough to count the bottles in his picture.

It's a constant struggle. [emoji12]

 

[Inverted]

View attachment 31692

Couldn't wait any longer. It's good.

Looks gorgeous, nice deep color!