WineXpert Starting a Lodi Old Vines Zinfandel Kit..

[masta]

Sounds like it is just the acidity you are tasting of a very young wine. If you stirred well to degas with the fizz-x you should not have a CO2 issue at this point.


The first batch is always the toughest with so many questions and worrying...over nothing most of the time!

Congrats and please post a photo when you have it bottled.

 

[ARCHER]

Masta,


I just read your post about not racking before sulfiting/sorbating/fining, I guess the wine would benefit from a more complete clearing. Is this the case?


In the past I have always racked before adding these treatments and my wines have cleared well. Will my finished product be clearer by not racking before treatments?


Archer

 

[masta]

The reason not to rack before fining is explained below and as always the instructions for the wine kits are designed to get the wine into the bottle ASAP.


Winexpert Instructions:


<A name=43>Q: Why is it necessary to add the fining agents (package #4) before transferring the wine must off the sediment that has built up in the carboy bottom? Wouldn't it be more efficient for package #4 to be added after the sediment has been removed? It seems the clearing agent has to do more work to clear the wine by adding it with the sediment still in the carboy, especially when you're stirring this sediment up in the process.</A>


A: This one fools a lot of people, as it does seem at the outset that you'd want to get rid of the sediment first and then add the clearing agent, particularly when the wine in the carboy otherwise seems clear. The temptation is so great, many winemakers DO switch the steps themselves. This is not wrong - it's just less efficient, believe it or not.


The clearing, or fining, agents used in Winexpert's wine kits, whether it be chitosan or isinglass, both act more efficiently in clearing wine when they have a base of sediment to begin with. The sediment acts as a trigger mechanism which sends the finings into action in clearing out the mix of proteins, pigments, phenolics, dead yeast, etc.


Both the fining agents and the particles to clear out from the wine have either a positive or a negative charge. And just like in the movies, opposites attract. A negatively charged fining agent like bentonite will serve to bring together those particles having a positive charge, while positively charged fining agents like chitosan or isinglass will attract negatively charged particles. This process allows for the molecular weight structures of the particles to become larger: smaller particles join together to become larger particles, which in turn fall to the bottom of the carboy when their mass becomes great enough.


If the fining agents do not 'find' enough particles present in the wine must to join together into larger particles, the clearing process may stall, as there will not be enough small particles present to conglomerate into the larger particles which will fall out. Small particles on their own will remain suspended in the must, and the fining's efficiency is reduced.


This is why you must thoroughly stir the sediment when adding package #4, as it effectively mixes the fining agents and the particles together to start the clearing process.


Resist the urge to jump the gun on transferring, or racking, the wine! Trust the method behind the madness of Winexpert's instructions, and stir up that sediment with confidence!

 

[peterCooper]

Archer,

When you get ready to bottle, rack to a clean carboy first to take the wine off
the lees. Then bottle from the clean carboy. That way you can be sure
BEFORE YOU BOTTLE that you cannot disturb the lees and cloud up the wine.

I know this only because I messed up two weeks ago and I could have had
my second batch bottled already if I hadn't.

Peter

PS. Where's the photo?

 

[ARCHER]

Thanks for the explanation Masta. This makes sense to me.


Thanks Peter, for the tip.


Archer

 

[darrenlm]

I was in a local homebrew store today for a few emergency supplies and I was informed that the no rinse cleaner is not the same thing as potassium metabisulfite. I recall reading somewhere that it was.This Zinfandel kit has been bottled and was stabalizedwith theID Carlson Norinse cleaner (1/4 teaspoon dissolved in 1/2 cup water and mixed into 6 gallons of wine)


This is the stuff in the 5 lbs tub I ordered from George...


So question #1...is the norinse cleaner thesame as the potassium metabisulfite?


Question #2...did I accidentlytaint or ruin my wine?


Question #3...what do I do?

 

[Joseph1]

The no-rinse cleaner is not the same as potassium metabisulfite. The cleaner is for cleaning equipment only. The potassium metabisulfite is for sanitizing equipment and stabilizing the wine.<?amespace prefix = o ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" />

The no-rinse cleaner is not toxic and your addition was quite small. I doubt that you have tainted or ruined your wine. However, you have not added the level of sulfite needed for extended bottle aging. You will have to open one up in a few months to see how it tastes.

 

[geocorn]

Joseph is correct on all accounts. The no-rinse cleaner is an oxygen based cleanser and is NOT toxic; therefore, the amount you added should not affect your wine at all.


On the other hand, your wine may not keep without the extra sulfite. Not a lot to do now but store your wine properly to extend the life as long as possible. When you open a bottle and the taste appears to be fading, I would drink the rest of your bottles, in short order.

 

[darrenlm]

Good advice and Thanks a bunch! I was really worried for a minute that I wouldneed to scrap the batch. Im thinking I'll make a bunch of this into Christmas presents now in order to get in used up before itsshortened life is up Just tell everyone to drink it soon...


-Darren

 

[darrenlm]

Here is a sample of the finished product from my Lodi kit.


I didnt feel like getting all 29 bottles out, but trust me, they all look just like these 4

I named this wine after my dog, who's name is Guinness and has a small white spot on his chest.

 

[promo0]

Looks good! I hope my labels turn out as good. I'm running my first two batches as well, Luna Rossa and Chilean Malbec. I'll be degassing next week and staring secondary fermination tomorrow. I wonder if I should add extra sulfite to age?

 

[JerryNTA]

looks good

 

[geocorn]

I recommend adding the extra sulfite. You are only raising the free SO2 from 20-24 ppm to 30-36 ppm which is still less than half of what is in a commercial wine.

 

[Hippie]

Good advice, makes sense if planning to age past a year.