WineXpert Selection Amarone w/Skins Extended Maceration

[jgmann67]

jgmann67 Thanks I will. Since my "kit wine" setup is apart from my usual winemaking setup i can pretty much roll two kits every two months. BTW I'm not a fan of Merlot (too bland) but I'm always willing to take a recommendation.

In that case, think Forza or the Selection Brunello w Skins. I think I start a kit about once a month myself. Then, I do fresh CA grapes in the fall.

 

[Trick]

A kind of addicted to skin kits. From now on, I will not consider any red kids with price above $60 without skin. (By the way, I am also playing cheap Costco kits with heavy hand tweaks to fill the gap and provide sufficient everyday supply.)

Here is my RJS EP Amorone journey to date:
Day 1 to Day 6 in 10L fermenter with loose skin and oak chips
Day 6 (SG=1.032), the foaming becomes quiet, transfer to Formonster with all the solids to strain bag. - Instead of leaving seeds behind as originally planned, I changed mind and transferred all the seeds as well to see how much tannin can be extracted. I placed a plastic marble into the bag to help dragging down the bag.
Day 12, CO2 bubbling in airlock slows down signifcantly. Very dark color. Looks wonderful! Took a steal taste, smelled very nice, but very harsh! Strong alcohol!
Day 15 CO2 generation looked almost stalled. Started worrying about O2. It is time to kick off the CO2 producer kit (Chilean Malbec) as planned.
Day 16 The CO2 kit started bubbling. I just run a hose from the CO2 kit bucket to the Fermonster (EP Amarone). Now I don't have to worry about the oxygen for the EM.

 

[Trick]

For the CO2 producer kit, (RJS Malbec with dry skin) I use the following strategy:
1. Before start primary, soak dry skin in 2L water for 1 day with some fresh black fruits (typical Joewine's tweak). And then freeze the mixture. Juice bag was not opened yet. The freezing is to break the cellular wall the skin and fruit to help color and tannin extraction. (Some research says it is effiective)
2. One day before start, defrost the mixture.
3. Prepare 6 gal must with the skin-Fpack mixture in 10L fermenter.
4. To extend the duration of CO2 supply over the duration of EM for EP Amarone (also limited by my bucket volume limit, I have only a 5 gal Home Depot bucket with sealable lid), I pulled out 2 gal of juice with strainer and save it in fridge. Transfer the remaining 4 gal must and all the solids to the 5 gal bucket with gasket lid.
5. Pitch yeast to the 4gal batch and supply CO2 to Fermonster.
6. Plan for about 12 days for this batch and then transfer 3 gal to a 3 gal carboy for secondary.
7. Warm up and add the 2 gal reserve directly on to the left over 1 gal must with lees and skins to continue CO2 production.
8. Hope this can last for another 12 days gas supply.
9. After that rack the wine to a 6 gal carboy and blend with the previous 3 gal batch and finish secondary and subsequent lengthy aging process as usual.
The steps involved for this kit sounds like a semi-EM process. It includes about 24 days of skin contact by feed juice in two steps. Since in the second stage, the 2 gal fresh juice will produce CO2, the risk of oxidation should be low.

Just some crazy ideas. Pretty long process, lots of work. Main purpose is to safeguard the EP batch. If it works, in the future, I will run a cheap one together with an premium kit.

 

[jgmann67]

Well, I had to open the Cherie Merlot to check the SG (which is at about 0.991). So, I dosed with Kmeta and sealed it back up.

The dried skins aren’t acting the same as the typical grape pack. But, c’est la vie.

 

[geek]

Well, I had to open the Cherie Merlot to check the SG (which is at about 0.991). So, I dosed with Kmeta and sealed it back up.

The dried skins aren’t acting the same as the typical grape pack. But, c’est la vie.

How many weeks is that Merlot now in EM?
Mine is over a week but I'm not sure I'm adding any k-meta.

 

[jgmann67]

How many weeks is that Merlot now in EM?
Mine is over a week but I'm not sure I'm adding any k-meta.

I'm three weeks in to the EM. If I'd have checked the SG at the end of week 2, I think I'd have probably just skipped it. But, since I opened it up after 3, I figured I'd better just do it. No harm.

 

[baron4406]

I'm gonna dose mine with KMeta , seeing this extra headspace is making me nervous.

 

[Bplewniak]

I just transferred after a 9 week extended fermentation to a carboy. I’m new to this hobby but the initial tastings have been drinkable (6 kits in carboys now). Am I the only one who goes a little over 6 gallon for the fermentation so I have a chance to drink a glass or so after?

I’m sitting back enjoying this surprisingly pleasant 2 month old amorone. I hope the fruitiness calms down a bit after a year or 2 before bottling. Is this common with early kit wines?

I can’t wait to see this one develop over time. This transfer made room for the Forza to enter the primary to sit for another 8 weeks or so extended stay.

 

[jgmann67]

I just transferred after a 9 week extended fermentation to a carboy. I’m new to this hobby but the initial tastings have been drinkable (6 kits in carboys now). Am I the only one who goes a little over 6 gallon for the fermentation so I have a chance to drink a glass or so after?

I’m sitting back enjoying this surprisingly pleasant 2 month old amorone. I hope the fruitiness calms down a bit after a year or 2 before bottling. Is this common with early kit wines?

I can’t wait to see this one develop over time. This transfer made room for the Forza to enter the primary to sit for another 8 weeks or so extended stay.

It is common. The wine will calm down - and become more mellow and "stewed." I put 2oz of Hungarian and French medium toast oak cubes in with mine for added complexity.

 

[jgmann67]

I checked on this project this morning. The wine in the 5 gal carboy doesn't pass the flashlight test (can't see the light on the other side). But, the wine in the 1.5 bottle is pretty clear when I hold it up to a light.

This one is really dark. Much darker than the first batch I did without doing EM.

I also checked my Cherie Merlot EM. All skins are at the bottom of the carboy. We'll rack that in a couple weeks.

 

[geek]

I am a month into EM with the Cherie Merlot and still have a bunch or maybe all of the skins still floating on top.
I have not stirred this since, just shake the carboy a bit to move the wine.

 

[Trick]

My RJS EP Amarone is 6 weeks into EM. Stir at least twice a week with continuous CO2 feed until now. The "CO2 provider" batch died out and I dosed 1/4 TSP of KMS and let SO2 do the safeguard job for the rest two weeks. Tastes surprisingly nice with a lot of fruit flavour.

 

[jgmann67]

Next week is racking week for the Cherie Merlot. I could probably do it today, but it's been a hell of a week.

 

[geek]

Next week is racking week for the Cherie Merlot. I could probably do it today, but it's been a hell of a week.

I'm right behind you Jim, mine will be racked this coming week, today is about 5 weeks into the EM.

 

[geek]

Finally racked the MV Cherie Merlot after sitting in 'secondary' at 1.018, that was January 25.
So it's been sitting quietly for about 6 weeks without sulfites. At first I perceived a strange smell and thought the wine got oxidated but it seems ok after racking and adding sulfite plus stirring.

Skipped sorbate and clearing agents, will be resting quietly for some time in the basement...

SG ~0.995, it started at 1.106

According to FermCalc this has an average 14.5% ~ 15% ABV, maybe a bit high for a Merlot.....

 

[sour_grapes]

Ooops, posted in wrong thread.

Do we have a delete option in the new forum?

 

[baron4406]

For you guys doing an extended maceration with the skins in the bag, what are you supposed to do at the end of the EM with the skins bag? I was thinking of fishing it out and giving it a good squeeze then take it out, and rack after a day or two when it settles.

 

[pillswoj]

I took mine out and squeeze, then racked into a carboy. I will rack it again in 7 - 14 days

 

[geek]

I took the plunge and didn't use the bag....everything lose. Worked out well for me.

 

[pillswoj]

I took the plunge and didn't use the bag....everything lose. Worked out well for me.

If the kit has the dried skins i leave them loose, they settle nicely and you can rack off them easily. I have been putting the wet skins in the bag though, the one time I didn't they were a pain to deal with when racking.(That was not an EM though. Maybe i should try again with em)