Great, thanks! I'll give it a try and report back.
How much do you add, and which type? I think I have some grape tannin left from last year's wine, would that work?
To each his/her own I guess. I'm okay with off-dry reds, as long as the sugar isn't overpowering, and I can control this during backsweetening. My wife also is not a fan of super dry wines, so I try to cater to her tastes as well.
You can use grape tannin, i use to use chestnut tannin but i really prefer a quality tannin addition like scott tann laboratories Tannin complex...you can taste the difference quality makes, lol. They have a bunch of others, however the cellaring tannin is cheaper in bulk and seems to be the most oak neutral although I’m not 100% sure since this is just going off what i read. I prefer to get the oak flavour from actual staves or cubes over time rather than powder.
It’s personal preference how much to add, i use 1 tsp in higher end kits in the primary and 1tsp after the first racking off the fine lees that way its in the wine for 3-4 months before i rack again. I might add another 1 tsp in 6-10 months time if i feel it still needs more...typically not Though. The cheaper low end kits get 1 tablespoon in the primary and 1 tsp after the first racking off the fine lees, sometimes a bit more but not usually. I like tannic wines, obviously it depends on the grape as some like a Pinot noir might not get anything for tannins it just depends on how it tastes. If you are not bulk aging for 10-12 months just add in the tannin complex at the stage its left in the carboy the longest. I would say about 2 months before bottling should the minimum to get the tannins integrated aswell as minimizing sediment in the bottle. I heard somewhere that tannins in the primary go to waste a bit, where only half are used and the others are sacrificial however i also heard its the most important addition into a well rounded wine which is why i usually always add something in the primary now.
One more thing, Scott tann has a technical better product for the primiary which is marketed as a fermentation tannin. Im sure its better in the primary than the cellaring tannin, i just don’t have access to it in canada for a reasonable price. I pretty much only have access to the tannin complex in bulk, so i also have to use up a 1 pound bag which is why its also going in the primary.
a little sugar goes a long way i find. An alternative is food grade vegetable glycerin if you are concerned about the sugar itself, its about 60% as sweet as sugar.
Information overload Lol, don’t forget to have fun and experiment aswell because its as complicated as you want it to be. The more time you spend in this kit hobby the more opinions you will have. You will either swear by one method or another which may be opposite to what others do.
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