Mosti Mondiale MM Renaissance Castel del Papa

[TXTom]

So, I'm on day 7 after transferring to a carboy. Per the MM directions, I should rack to another carboy, degas and start the clearing process. I plan to bulk age this one instead of bottling quickly as I want to be able to taste it along the way and possibly add some french oak influence depending on how it goes. I understand that I should hold off on fining/clearing agents but the question is should I degas now or just rack and let it be for now.

 

[ibglowin]

You are rushing things. Slow down. Primary fermentation is usually 7 days. Secondary is usually 12 days. How long has the oak been on? You should not think about moving on to degas and fine until about day 20 or so.

 

[tonyt]

What Mike said additionally, I wouldn't rack to another carboy for degassing, I always clarify and degass in primary bucket with drill mounted mix-stir attachment.

 

[TXTom]

Sorry, I was trying to somewhat follow the directions but already have moved slower than the MM directions so it definitely doesn't seem like rushing. The oak chips have been in the wine for 7 days, which is at the outer bound of what the directions recommend. To recap from the beginning:


Day 0- SG of 1.103 before pitching
Day 1- SG of 1.097, stirred
Day 2- SG of 1.065, stirred
Day 3- SG of 1.036, added yeast nutrient and stirred
Day 4- SG of 1.018, stirred
Day 5- SG of 1.006, stirred
Day 6- SG of 1.001, transferred to carboy and added oak chips
Day 7- SG of 1.000, stirred
Day 8- didn't measure
Day 9- SG of 0.980, stirred
Day 10- didn't measure
Day 11- didn't measure
Day 12- didn't measure
Day 13- Today and haven't measure yet

 

[v1rotate]

I'd wait until this weekend and then rack, degas and add the KM, Tom.
Then, in 3 or 4 weeks rack off the sediment which should have dropped out and you are good for 3 months of bulk aging, or so.

 

[TXTom]

It's been awhile since I have been on here so I thought I would update this. After racking back in November, I haven't touched it except to occasionally pull the airlock off and smell and I have thiefed a couple of small tastes. It has finally started to come around and doesn't taste like fermented Welch's like it did for the first few months. I am thinking this wine could use a bit more oak so if anyone has any suggestions for adding a bit more, I am all ears and plan to stop by the Toy Store and talk to George. Since I plan to make a Bodega 12L kit next, I think I will pick up a 3 gallon carboy, rack this one to the 3 gallon, add oak, top off and then bottle the rest so I can compare later. Again, I am all ears if anyone has any thoughts.

 

[ibglowin]

This type of wine (red rhone blend) is not normally heavy on the oak. If you want to bump it up try an ounce of french chips. Go easy.

 

[TXTom]

Yep, I don't want it heavy on oak but do want at least a hint at this stage, that will hopefully integrate over time. And if it ends up with a touch too much, it will at least be a good comparison to the bottles that won't receive additional oak and I can always give them away if I don't like.

 

[TXTom]

I ended up racking to a 3 gallon carboy as planned and added around a half ounce of French oak chips so far. I was amazed at how clear the wine was despite not using any of the fining agents. I bottled the remaining and will let it rest for several months before trying.