New Winemaker in Melbourne

[georges]

Hi everyone-

i have been reading this site for a few days and have found it to be a MASSIVE source of great information. aren't forums always better than simple instructive websites?!!

Why did i want to get into winemaking?

1) I spent 4 years of my childhood on a vineyard in the south of france due to parents work and have always dreamed of owning a small vineyard as my retirement plan

2) I love wine (and drink a sometimes staggering amount of it)

So i have gone out and got everything i need for a basic setup and first kit. My plan is to make a bunch of kits over the souther winter months and then try and make 2 or 3 batches from grapes next season.

the kit i have bought is a Spagnols Grand Cru international Australian Cabernet- thought i'd get something im familiar with so i can accurately gauge my success (or lack of!).

Does anyone have any suggestions? I am going to start making this kit on saturday morning.

Some things i am concerned about-

1) weird tastes-i have read a few threads here about "kit" tastes and "CO2" tastes. i tried to buy a vacuum degasser at the shop but they said they dont sell them. got a drill mounted paddle instead. will this do?

2) colour- a lot of pictures of home made red wines i have seen seem to be very "red" and clear, like juice. i am really hoping to get a good deep colour happening.


Thanks in advance and again, what a great website!

george

 

[Julie]

Hi George welcome to winemakingtalk.

 

[georges]

Thanks julie!

 

[Runningwolf]

George, welcome aboard! I have made a boat load of kits and most all of them turned out very good. You might even consider getting a Orchard Breezin kit. They are very fast drinkers you can enjoy while the others are aging.

 

[winemaker_3352]

Welcome aboard!!

I don't have any experience with kits - I use fresh fruits and grapes.

I know a lot of folks on here do make kits and will chime in with their thoughts.

Also - contact Wade E - he sells complete vacuum pump systems.

 

[ibglowin]

Welcome to the forums!

 

[Runningwolf]

Also - contact Wade E - he sells complete vacuum pump systems.

Better be careful what you volunteer Wade for. We're talking Australia here.

 

[winemaker_3352]

He will probably bill me for that

 

[Flem]

Welcome to the forum. My suggestion for making kits is to buy the best grade you can afford. They usually cost a "few dollars" more but they will give you a richer, full bodied wine. Spread that increase over 30 bottles and it's pretty insignificant. RJS Winery Series is one of the best. IMO

 

[Dugger]

Welcome to a great forum, Georges. Lots of very knowledgeable and interesting people on here!
Just a few comments/suggestions for your first kit.
- Follow the directions as closely as you can.
- Make sure you mix the juice and water well when you start and get the temperature about 20-23C.
- Put the grapeskin pack probably under the juice bag in the box) in the muslin bag; you can put the oak in with it or use a separate muslin bag if you have one; put this in and submerge it to get it good and wet; punch this down (submerge) twice a day min.; Spagnols also recommend squeezing the skins but this is optional (I use latex gloves sprayed with sanitizer to do this); try to leave the skins in for the full 14 days to maximize extraction from them.
- I ferment for about a week under a loose lid to facilitate handling the grapeskins and then finish with a week under a tight lid and airlock for the second week (the grapeskins are usually ready to stay submerged on their own by then). Others use a tight lid from the start and presumably remove it to punch down the skins.
- when you stabilize and degas, make sure the temp of the wine is about 23C/75F which will make it much, much easier to get the gas (CO2) out when you stir. Colder temps keep the gas in.
- I recommend you do the optional rack off sediment a couple of weeks or so later. I usually add the 1/4 tsp Kmeta to the receiving carboy ( or bucket) and rack and do another degassing. Then let it sit for the remaining time.
- I usually filter but this is optional. If you don't be very careful bottling that you don't disturb the sediment. You can also rack again off the sediment if you wish but this will extend your time to bottle.
- Time is usually a big factor when you first start; we are all anxious for the wine to be bottled and then we want to drink it! Once the wine is stabilized, however, time is your friend and the longer you extend the steps (within reason), the better off your wine will be. This particular wine, IMO, should sit for a year before you start drinking it. You can sample it at 3,6 and 9 months to see how it is progressing ( I use small bottles to do this - either 375 ml or beer bottles). Runningwolf's suggestion of a mist kit to drink while your Cab Sauv is aging is a good one.
- After stabilizing make sure the carboy is topped up to avoid potential oxidation of the wine; a similar or at least red wine is preferred for this. Water can be used if it is just a small amount but most of us tend to frown on this practice. However,the kit manufacturers do allow for about 750 ml top up with water in their kit design so if you have to do this, don't lose any sleep over it.
- This kit is an upper mid level kit so, although not the best, it will give you a good wine; it will be dark, have pretty good body and at a year should be rid of any perceived kit taste (some think it's a myth!).
- Vacuum degassing is the way to go, but hand or drill stirring will work as long as the temp is up.

Sorry for the long post - hope this may help a bit - good luck.

 

[georges]

Thanks for the welcomes everyone

Dugger- thanks for excellent tips- they are much appreciated.

I will do the extra racking recommended- each time you take the wine off the lees, how do you wash out your carboy? do you re-sterilize before racking back into it?

There seems to be a bit of a lack of kit availability where i live- i would love to get my hands on some en primeur or winery series kits or cellar craft showcase series. any suggestions? will anyone from USA ship to australia?

thanks again

george

 

[Dugger]

If you are going to reuse the carboy right away, just rinse out the sediment and put the wine back in. If you are not going to reuse, rinse it out and then wash with your cleaner, put a little Kmeta sanitizing solution in it ( a half cup or so, even less) and put a cap on it; the sulphite fumes will keep it sanitized until you are ready to use it again.
When you rack off the sediment you can also put this liquid sludge in a bottle and let it settle overnight or a couple of days and recover some wine from it - this can be used for topup or just to drink.
Another thing I recommend is to smell and taste your wine at each step to see what it is like and what to expect in future. Also take a SG each day to see how it progresses, again to know what to expect.
Regarding kits to Australia, I'm not sure. Most kits are made in Canada and shipped to various countries - you could visit the websites of the various makers and see if they list distributers downunder or contact them and ask. Also, others on here, particularly those from Aus & NZ may know an answer to that. The list of kit makers is in the main forums headings.

 

[wineh]

Welcome from another newbie.
Funny, I make these three Winexpert kits: SI Australian Cabernet Sauvignon, SI Australian Shiraz, and SI Auastralian Cab/Shiraz. Winexpert is in Canada, so they get their juice from there to here, and blend and package here. If you made one of them, it would be a full planet round trip! If you like the inky-dark reds, in the winexpert brand, that would be the SI Argentine Malbec, and SE Stag's Leap District Merlot (and a few others). Not that I'm partial to Winexpert or anything.
There must be wine kit manufacturers at home for you. And the Australian grapes are awesome!

 

[georges]

Thanks for the replies- much appreciated.

Wineh- dont worry, the irony of the world round trip hasn't escaped me. but it really does seem like there are very few wine kits here in australia. just doesn't seem to be much of a market (there are millions of beer brewing shops but they dont stock much wine stuff). its a shame cause i'd love to get my hands on some of the top end kits from various manufacturers. anyway i am going to try emailing the brands and seeing if they will do small volume shipments like 5 kits or something.

didn't get a chance to get my first kit underway today as planned because i had to go clothes shopping for 8 hours with my girlfriend instead. as you do. so it's going to be an easter day job!

cheeers


george

 

[Dugger]

It seems to me that if your brew store can get you GCI's and Cellar Classic kits they should be able to bring in the Winery Series and en Primeur kits as well. It may take some time for them to get delivery but they should be available. Have you asked them to bring some in?