RJ Spagnols Kit #3: Super Tuscan, first skins kit

[lilvixen]

What's wrong with a little pet hair in your must? That's my secret ingredient.

I'm ok with a little, and I can't prevent a little from getting in. But the hair, dust, and dander from a short-haired cat, two long haired cats, and an aussie shepherd is just too much. As it is, we have fur-tumbleweeds within 24 hours of vacumming, and I don't want those finding their way into my future yummy wine.

 

[ceeaton]

Get a bunch of it and use it with a funnel and you can filter your wine .

You can advertise you only used "natural" ingredients too!

 

[lilvixen]

SG down to 1.018 and very fruity. I'll rack it tomorrow night when I have more time. Without the "all natural" filtering. Gross

 

[lilvixen]

I racked to secondary tonight: SG 1.010. I added the included pectinase and did a little degassing, stirring gently until the foam dissipated. It's still actively fizzing, so I think the BM4x4 should take it to dry without issue.

I racked to the glass carboy that came with my equipment kit - my first time using glass - and I don't like it compared to the Better Bottles I've used with the other two kits. It's heavy and awkward for me. I'm going to order another Better Bottle tomorrow to switch to at the racking for clearing and fining.

 

[DoctorCAD]

You'll like Better Bottles until you get yourself an All in One wine pump. After that, they will all be on Craigslist.

 

[AZMDTed]

You'll like Better Bottles until you get yourself an All in One wine pump. After that, they will all be on Craigslist.

I was thinking the same thing, except for one situation. I still use mine for secondary. Lately I've been using gravity feed to move from primary to secondary to keep the oxygen level up during secondary. Probably not necessary, but it does give me at least an excuse to keep my one plastic carboy. The downside to that is that the plastic one I have (not Better Bottle since I got it during the Better Bottle quality issue times) is smaller than most of my glass carboys, and a full primary will just about fill it up. If only all 6 gallon carboys were the same size.

 

[cintipam]

Ted, instead of Better Bottle get a Bubbler. Bubbler holds the same as most glass the same size ie 6 gals plus 3 cups. Better Bottle holds 6 gals almost exactly. I like my Bubblers a lot, and often rack from Bubbler to BB to help with decreasing amounts.

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/winemaking-equipment/fermentation-equipment/plastic-fermenters.html

Sorry Midwest isn't a sponsor. Maybe someone who has purchased plastic from one of our sponsors can speak up about the actual capacity of their plastic carboys.

Pam in cinti

 

[richmke]

There is a glass version of the BigMouth that you can probably use the AIO on. However, some of the comments I have seen say the glass is a little thin.

 

[lilvixen]

The Super Tuscan is down to 0.998 and 70*F. Bubbling appears to have stopped, but I'll leave it another week to completely finish.

I took a small taste after checking the SG, and it's super fruity! Shortly afterwards, I used a bottle of Rex Goliath cab to top up my first kit, WE Trinity Red, and had a half glass of the leftover Rex. Both my second kit, CC Sauv Blanc, and the Super Tuscan already taste better than the Rex, and the Super Tuscan has noticeably more body. I'm getting more and more excited about this wine making hobby!

I have two small LHBS in town, and I was unimpressed by the first one. I went by the second one last night to replace my chipped hydrometer (oops), and they're way better about customer service! Even though it's a longer drive, I'll be going there for local purchases.

 

[AZMDTed]

I'm glad you're enjoying the hobby. BTW, many will confirm that hydrometers are magnetically attracted to the floor. Always buy them in pairs

I started the day before you, racked to secondary on the 9th, and I'm at SG: .992. Either my room is warmer or the combined BM 4X4 and kit yeast had a heck of a party. Judging from your must temp, I'd say my room is about 4 degrees warmer than yours and that would explain the quicker ferment for me.

 

[wineforfun]

Both my second kit, CC Sauv Blanc, and the Super Tuscan already taste better than the Rex, and the Super Tuscan has noticeably more body. .

You will find most anything tastes better than Rex. Very thin, diluted wine. Normally on my higher end kits, I use Gnarly Head or something comparable to top up with, if need be.

My Super Tuscan is coming up on 2yrs. in the bottle. You will like it even more, the more you let it sit.

 

[lilvixen]

@AZMDTed, please continue to update here too. I'd be fascinated to know how our slight differences have affected things. I am in a high elevation, I don't know if that affects ferment time too. In primary, it stayed in the mid 70s. Since moving to glass a week ago, the temp held around 72 for a couple days, and in the last day or two, dropped to 70. It's not as warm as my first two kits, which, even now, are around 72 (plastic vs glass?). Room temp is 70-75 throughout the day, but I have all the carboys wrapped in towels to help insulate against the swing.

Thanks, @wineforfun. I'll use Gnarly Head or something from Costco in the future. I didn't start tasting and enjoying wine until a few years ago, and I remembered Rex being ok. Not great, but ok. However, last night, after the 2012 Old Vine Zin we had with dinner and small samples from the carboys, the Rex was just... not good. I told DH that our palettes have come a long way since drinking Rex.

D.J., you mentions yours is 2 years in the bottle, Is that its total age or did you bulk age too? I'm thinking I'll bottle this kit around Christmas and trying the first bottle next July. I know it's a big kit so it needs time, but it's also my third kit ever, so I'm in the learning stages of how it tastes when. My goal is one bottle per month so I can see how it tastes over time from year 1 to 3.

 

[jgmann67]

My goal is one bottle per month so I can see how it tastes over time from year 1 to 3.

You might think about getting some 375ml bottles for tasting. Anymore, when I bottle reds, I'll do two cases in a 750ml, and whatever is left in the 375's. It saves more wine for prime time.

 

[dcbrown73]

Point taken. I cracked the lid on the side nearest to the wall where there's the least chance of pet disturbance.

This response is a bit late, but I just lay the lid on top and do not snap it down. I do not leave any edges exposed. This allows the CO2 to push out from under the lid (since it's not snapped down) if the small hole on top isn't enough. When I stir it daily, that's where it gets the required oxygen to keep fermentation going.

 

[lilvixen]

SG held steady this week at 0.997. After reading up on high altitude fermenting, for future kits, I will add a "fun" yeast and the kit yeast like @AZMDTed did. I proceeded to Step 3 for degassing and stabilizing, so now, it'll sit for a month, following the extended kit instructions.

 

[lilvixen]

I warmed up the Super Tuscan with a Brew Belt, racked, and did one final degassing session yesterday before bottling - and despite 5 months of bulk aging, it still erupted in a small, foamy volcano. Grr. I got 27 bottles and 5.75 splits. We'll enjoy the partial split tonight with dinner, and then have a split each month or two to see how it changes. The wine in the 750s will be a year old at that point, which is the magical turning point, right? We're looking forward to that.

In the last month, I've started up 3 more premium kits, and my carboys are full again. The cycle continues. Hopefully with better degassing results this round.

 

[StBlGT]

Degassing is the worst. I couldn't get it right no matter what I did. That is, until i purchased an AIO. That is now my secret weapon!

 

[lilvixen]

We opened a split last night to enjoy with dinner. I gave it 40 minutes to breath in the glass, but that first sip was still super sharp. I'm not enough of a connoisseur to know what the sharpness is, but I'm leaning towards youth? It's the same sharpness the Luna Bianca had in the sample I tasted when I bottled it this weekend.

Anyway, after a bit of swirling and more breathing time as we ate dinner, the wine calmed down and was really good! It doesn't look like I posted it, but I added a pinch of tannin and a couple ounces of oak cubes during aging. It has subtle tannins and no discernible oak flavor to me, but hubby and I both really like it. It's medium-to-full body and felt perfectly thick (concentrated?) to me. I didn't detect any of the interesting odor I smell in the WE Trinity Red or CC Sterling Malbec kits I've made, so I'm guessing it's a kit value difference.

I nurse my wine glass, and when I got to the last half (after the sharpness dissipated), it tasted comparable to the commercial wines we drink, so I'm beyond happy about how this Super Tuscan turned out, and I look forward to trying other RJS En Primeur kits.

I'm having way too much fun with this hobby.

 

[lilvixen]

One more note, I'm guessing this ended up around 14% ABV, despite not going super dry. I don't have a with-skins SG to do official calculations, but hubby and I unscientifically agreed that its effects were comparable to commercial wines marked 14%.

 

[ehammonds]

Good to hear. My EP Super Tuscan is on week five of extended maceration in the primary. Can't wait to enjoy this in the future