tttaff
Junior
- Joined
- Sep 6, 2010
- Messages
- 18
- Reaction score
- 19
Here's my experience with the MM LE Amarone and issues with racking into the secondary fermenter.
When I started I tried pouring the grape pack contents into a cheesecloth, but it was so awkward that half of it spilled out of the cheesecloth. So I said "screw it, I'm just dumping it all in".
When racking to secondary this morning, at first I tried a hose off the fermenter spigot, but that was clogged. So, I first scooped off the grape pieces floating on top using a big strainer and put those into a cheesecloth inside a large aluminum bowl. Then took a 1 quart glass measuring cup and just scooped out the wine and poured it into the secondary through a funnel. It was a little messy and took longer, but did the job just fine.
Because of all the grape skins near the bottom, the last few pours had to be through the strainer to get the juice to go through the funnel (saving all the grape skins into the cheesecloth). Finally, took all the grape skins/pieces in the cheesecloth and wringed those out back into the glass measuring cup (took two times, there was so much of the stuff). I ended up with 6 gallons in the carboy (plus my oak chips) and some extra which I put in 2 1.5 liter bottles.
I'd probably do the same thing again - wasn't that bad although it was a little messy. But I like that the grape skins are all just free floating around in the must instead of all bunched together tightly in some bag.
When I started I tried pouring the grape pack contents into a cheesecloth, but it was so awkward that half of it spilled out of the cheesecloth. So I said "screw it, I'm just dumping it all in".
When racking to secondary this morning, at first I tried a hose off the fermenter spigot, but that was clogged. So, I first scooped off the grape pieces floating on top using a big strainer and put those into a cheesecloth inside a large aluminum bowl. Then took a 1 quart glass measuring cup and just scooped out the wine and poured it into the secondary through a funnel. It was a little messy and took longer, but did the job just fine.
Because of all the grape skins near the bottom, the last few pours had to be through the strainer to get the juice to go through the funnel (saving all the grape skins into the cheesecloth). Finally, took all the grape skins/pieces in the cheesecloth and wringed those out back into the glass measuring cup (took two times, there was so much of the stuff). I ended up with 6 gallons in the carboy (plus my oak chips) and some extra which I put in 2 1.5 liter bottles.
I'd probably do the same thing again - wasn't that bad although it was a little messy. But I like that the grape skins are all just free floating around in the must instead of all bunched together tightly in some bag.
