WineXpert Chocolate Rasberry Port

[Runningwolf]

Thanks for the welcome! Never could be accused of being the SP!! I figured the initials stood for the outcome for the cat if it ruined a primary full of wine!

This does look like a fun place to be and I sure am enjoying the beginnings of a great activity.

Hey Sue how about going on our introductions thread when you get a chance to let us know what you have done and anything else you would like to share. This will give you a chance to meet the rest of Wades kids. Yep, I have lots of brothers and sisters here LOL. We also have a map you can check out to see who else may be in your area ad you can post yourself on it if you wish. You'll see we have members all over the world.

 

[SueMc]

Oh youll love it and your carboys will be duplicating like rabbits!

Oh they already are! I originally got an equipment kit as well as the fruit wine add-on kit (3 gal. carboy, etc) from Midwest. I have peach in a 5 gal, kit cab in a 6 gal, watermelon in a 3 gal and now the choc/rasp! Got a 5 and 6 gal. waiting to be filled although the choc/rasp is the last one this year (famous last words).
I really like Midwest. I did discover that a Friar Tuck store is about 50 miles from me and they have alot of supplies at comparable prices without paying to ship glass.
I'm quickly finding out it is a fun and addicting hobby...and I don't mean the drinking!

 

[SueMc]

Hey Sue how about going on our introductions thread

I'll do that. This thread came up when I searched rasp/choc port and haven't looked around much yet.

 

[Runningwolf]

Oh they already are! I'm quickly finding out it is a fun and addicting hobby...and I don't mean the drinking!

Check out Craigs list and ebay also. Most of my carboys were used.

 

[cla519]

I made a huge mistake making this. I just realized that I forgot to add the sugar pack and just added at when should have been the 3rd stage. Do you think I've ruined it?

 

[danc]

i just started this kit last night. I warmed up the juice to eighty degrees be for pitching the yeast and also added 1/3 the sugar. Thanks for all the advice in this thread.

Any advice on how long this kit should be bulked aged for?

 

[Wade E]

Id let it age for about 4 months minimum as this one likes to drop sediment for awhile evan after using a fioning agent.

 

[Redtrk]

I bought a kit today for chocolate raspberry port at one of my local suppliers here in Cincinnati. He had one on the shelf and I wasn't looking for it but it was there calling my name. My wife and I had read seen this thread earlier and started looking online for this kit. It was sold out almost everywhere we checked. Those that had some had them jacked up in price so I felt fortunate to see it in a store and only having a $60 tag on the price.
We're going to start it tonight so i'm going to read through this thread and see how it went for others. If you have any suggestions please post em up.

 

[abefroman]

I bought a kit today for chocolate raspberry port at one of my local suppliers here in Cincinnati. He had one on the shelf and I wasn't looking for it but it was there calling my name. My wife and I had read seen this thread earlier and started looking online for this kit. It was sold out almost everywhere we checked. Those that had some had them jacked up in price so I felt fortunate to see it in a store and only having a $60 tag on the price.
We're going to start it tonight so i'm going to read through this thread and see how it went for others. If you have any suggestions please post em up.

Awesome find!

I'm going to try to pick up some this year if it comes out again.

 

[Wade E]

$60 is a freaking deal!!!!! Just keep it nice and warm and stir it every day, also if I were you add add a little of that Chaptalization pack once the sg gets down a bit every day instead of dumping it in near the end as it usually results in it having a stuck fermentation.

 

[AquaCom]

That is a seriously good find. Most places sold out as soon as this kit came out!
As Wade says, keep it well up on temp (at the higher end that the instructions tell you!). I gave mine a good whisking every day with an egg whisker to beat o2 into it.
Tastes great even when you bottle it. Age it for a month and it's a gorgeous...but don't be tempted! Let it age. So I would suggest you hide it very well as you will be tempted to drink it early!

 

[Redtrk]

When you guys say to give it a stir everyday do you sterilize the mixing spoon every time? Since I've started into making wine I've been a nut about making sure that everything that touches my wine is sterilized.

 

[Runningwolf]

When you guys say to give it a stir everyday do you sterilize the mixing spoon every time? Since I've started into making wine I've been a nut about making sure that everything that touches my wine is sterilized.

YES we do.

 

[Redtrk]

YES we do.

That's good to know cuz it says I'm doing things right. I'll continue to sterilize the heck out of EVERYTHING.

Question I have though.

For something so little to sanitize do you mix up a batch each time or would it be okay to mix up a batch of metabisulphite and keep it in a spray bottle? I'm not sure what the life of the solution would be.

 

[rocket man]

For something so little to sanitize do you mix up a batch each time or would it be okay to mix up a batch of metabisulphite and keep it in a spray bottle? I'm not sure what the life of the solution would be.

That's what I do. When your just going to check the SG, or give your must a quick stir I have a spray bottle with K-meta in it. I spray the equipment, wait for a few seconds, and shake off the excess. I keep the solution for a month or so. I figure if it still stinks it must be working.

 

[Runningwolf]

Yep Rocket man is correct. The k-meta lasts for months. Just give it a sniff if it stinks its good! I also keep it in a spray bottle.

 

[Redtrk]

This is good to know and thanks guys. It will save on K-meta for sure and time. I'm going to pick up a new spray bottle today.

 

[Wade E]

Yep, my kmeta will last many months, like around 6.

 

[danc]

This weekend i degassed, added the stabilizers, and the clarifying agent. My final gravity was only down to 1.020, will this have any negative impact on this wine?

I had the wine in a room that had a ceramic heater and as the fermentation slowed i slowly, increased the temp about 1 degree each day. i also stirred daily. is there something i should have done differently? i added the sugar to the wine slowly over several days instead of all at once.

 

[robie]

This weekend i degassed, added the stabilizers, and the clarifying agent. My final gravity was only down to 1.020, will this have any negative impact on this wine?

I had the wine in a room that had a ceramic heater and as the fermentation slowed i slowly, increased the temp about 1 degree each day. i also stirred daily. is there something i should have done differently? i added the sugar to the wine slowly over several days instead of all at once.

I assume this SG was before you added the F pack and after you added the sugar pack...
There is not much else you could have done.
After I added the extra bag of sugar to my Choc R. Port, my SG was about 1.026. After I waited the allotted time, I added about 2 more weeks to that stage, and like you, I raised the temp to about 78F. My SG wouldn't budge below 1.012 for that last 2 weeks; once it reached 1.012, it never moved at all. If a port stops fermenting at that stage, there's not much you can do, as the alcohol level is pretty high to try to add more yeast.

Since you added the sorbate, you should be OK. It might be a slight bit sweeter, but that's about all.