WineXpert Have I totally messed up????

[Cove Cottage]

Istarteda Cabernet Sauvignon kit per the instructions and then racked off the lees to a carboy after about 9 days.


Here's where the problem comes ... I have left the wine in the carboy (with airlock) without going to the stabilizing step for 3 weeks.

What a dummy ...have Itotally messed up? I'm so mad at myself

Looking for any help or advise you can give PLEASE!!!


Thanks, Margaret

 

[Steve]

As long as it was still fermenting when racked into the carboy it should be protected by CO2. I would take a gravity and if it is within range go ahead and degas and stabilize...


Everything should be fine.Edited by: Steve

 

[masta]

Steve is correct and do not worry...not a problem at all.

 

[smurfe]

I am routinely at least a week to two weeks behind stabilizing most every kit I make so that would put me at 3 weeks or so on many kits. Draw a sample and take a taste. I am sure you will be relieved. In fact I will be over in your neck of the woods in a month or so and I would be glad to drink some to assure you it will be fine

Smurfe

Edited by: smurfe

 

[Cove Cottage]

Thanks Guys! I will get out the drill andstabilizethe Cab tonight. I am definately doing the happy dance. Sure hated the thought of pouring out 6 gallons of wine. Can't tell you how much I appreciate your help.


Smurfe, John and I would be proud to have you taste our wine. It would also be nice to meet another winemaker who deals with issues here along "Hurricane Alley". Send me an email at [email protected] and we will see if we can't get together.


Margaret

 

[smurfe]

Thanks Guys! I will get out the drill andstabilizethe Cab tonight. I am definitely doing the happy dance. Sure hated the thought of pouring out 6 gallons of wine. Can't tell you how much I appreciate your help.


Smurfe, John and I would be proud to have you taste our wine. It would also be nice to meet another winemaker who deals with issues here along "Hurricane Alley". Send me an email at [email protected] and we will see if we can't get together.


Margaret

Sounds like a plan. I don't know for sure where we are going. Might be Disney but probably not as my youngest is still a little small for that. We have a good friend that lives in Navarre Beach, might go there.


We go to Panama City Beach a lot. In fact I got a tourist guide from there today in the mail. I love the tourist trap feel of there. It's been a couple years since we been there.How are the beaches? Have they got them back nice?


Smurfe

 

[OldWino1]

hey if the air lock is kept on and properly set up Co2 will take care of it. I usualy do a 4 week kit in about 6.5 weeks. I want it clear so I can maybe give a little away. I dont want to use filter machine. The only machine is the floor corker. and a drill for degassing and stirring

 

[Cove Cottage]

Cove Cottage is VERY happy to report that the wine is fine. Extra time spent in step 2 didn't seem to have an adverse effect. What a relief! SG was as it should be and the taste was very good.


Once again thanks to everyone for their advice.


Smurfe, I hate to tell you but I haven't been to the PC beach in years. I grew up here in PC and hate to see what has happened to our beautiful beaches.When I need some beach time I head out to the Tyndall Air Force beaches. The Tyndall beaches are a true gem. Thre areno highrises, no low flying banner planes, no para-sailing, no noisy wave runners, no crowds... just miles and miles of pristine beach without the first building. PCB is still a good place to visit if you like that "tourist trap" feel. Don't know when you are planning your trip, but it's Spring Break and we have about an extra 500,000 folks at the beach until after Easter. Avoid it like the plague! That is unless you are into wet T-Shirt contest, Rap music, bumper to bumper traffic, and 500,000 college kids sharing the beach. After Easter is the perfect time to visit. mwm

 

[PolishWineP]

Glad to hear the wine is fine!


Sorry to hear about all the extra peeps in your neighborhood!

 

[Cove Cottage]

PWP,


Yep, I'm pretty darn happy that I didn't have to toss it. Actually I was surprised at how good it tasted in comparison to the first wine I made (VR Red Zinfandel) at the same stage. I did a much better stirring job this time around and it’s also a better kit. (<?amespace prefix = st1 ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficearttags" /><st1:City wt="on"><st1lace wt="on">Woodbridge</st1lace></st1:City> Ranch II Cabernet Sauvignon) <?amespace prefix = o ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" />


Now about all those kids ….the good news is that I live in the town of <st1:City wt="on">Panama City</st1:City> and all the Spring Break kids are on <st1lace wt="on"><st1laceName wt="on">Panama City</st1laceName> <st1lace wt="on">Beach</st1lace></st1lace>. A nice bay separates us ...

 

[smurfe]

Cove Cottage is VERY happy to report that the wine is fine. Extra time spent in step 2 didn't seem to have an adverse effect. What a relief! SG was as it should be and the taste was very good.


Once again thanks to everyone for their advice.


Smurfe, I hate to tell you but I haven't been to the PC beach in years. I grew up here in PC and hate to see what has happened to our beautiful beaches.When I need some beach time I head out to the Tyndall Air Force beaches. The Tyndall beaches are a true gem. Thre areno high rises, no low flying banner planes, no para-sailing, no noisy wave runners, no crowds... just miles and miles of pristine beach without the first building. PCB is still a good place to visit if you like that "tourist trap" feel. Don't know when you are planning your trip, but it's Spring Break and we have about an extra 500,000 folks at the beach until after Easter. Avoid it like the plague! That is unless you are into wet T-Shirt contest, Rap music, bumper to bumper traffic, and 500,000 college kids sharing the beach. After Easter is the perfect time to visit. mwm

You are right about the traffic jams there. I could only imagine it at spring break. It took us like an hour and a half to drive from the end closer to you to the other end of the beach one night coming back from dinner. It was like a mile and a half drive. We still haven't decided where we are going or if we are going anywhere during spring break or if we are waiting till summer break to go to the beach.


Glad your wine turned out fine, had no doubts that it wouldn't be. I had a couple kits that actually fermented to DONE prior to stabilizing and they turned out fine. These were the kits I had going when the hurricanes hit and sat for like 3 weeks till I could get around to them. These are actually my best tasting kits to date.


Smurfe