Racked off the Zinfandel kit

Kaitala · Nov 2, 2020

Did the Chitosan and Kielsol to clear and racked off after it all settled. It was a cru WE kit.

5 gallons is in a carboy for aging. The rest I put in a bottle for drinking now.

Not bad. Pretty bland. I mean, it tastes like wine but pretty non descript. Hope it ages better.

I'm enjoying this process, but now I think it's time to start really getting in more depth learning. I've successfully gotten kits to produce alcohol following the recipe. Now I need to learn the why as well as the how. What produces what flavors and results.

I know there are a ton of great resources, and I look forward to learning more, both through this forum and elsewhere.

winemaker81 · Nov 5, 2020

Your wine is VERY green at this stage, so it's not going to taste amazing. Wine changes greatly during the first 3 months, and a lot of reds need 1 to 3 years to get really good.

How long are you going to bulk age? Kits typically range from 2 to 8 weeks -- this is a minimum, so you do not have to bottle on schedule.

salcoco · Nov 5, 2020

one year or better bulk aging would be best. if in a hurry sample one every three months to see how it improves gradually

joeswine · Nov 5, 2020

And with the next ones you can Think Outside The Box.

Kaitala · Nov 14, 2020

winemaker81 said:
How long are you going to bulk age? Kits typically range from 2 to 8 weeks -- this is a minimum, so you do not have to bottle on schedule.

Oddly enough, I'm not finding it difficult to leave them alone, lol. Thought I'd be trying to dip into it too soon, but maybe because it's not so great, I'd be sampling often. I have 3 bulk aging now, and the first one has been aging about 2 months. I'll probably sample when I do the 3 month rack to add kmeta.

One life lesson I have learned pretty well... it takes as long as it takes.