Time to bottle Mosacato?

[saddlebronze]

Just looking for opinions on whether it is time to bottle my moscato. This is a Vino Italiano 4 Week wine kit that started on 12/1/2011. Added Golden raisins and followed the instructions very closely. At this point it says to bottle, and to not bulk age if you have added the clarifier and stabilizer. Which I have added because they told me too! Only after that did I see the note at the bottom about bulk aging. Anyway, I am ready to bottle as I have collected enough bottles and the wine is crystal clear. It is in cold stabilization the last few weeks around 40 degrees and it seems like I could do it at any time. I am wondering what backsweetening I should do because bone dry it seems to need it. The instructions call for wine conditioner, but I might use straight simple syrup. As for the stats: Current S.G. 0.995, pH 4.0, TA 0.6, taste=very good, but dry. Any thoughts appreciated.

 

[Julie]

Hi Saddlebronze,

Yes backsweeten and IMO I would never use a wine conditioner, I did once and did not like the aftertaste that it left. I really do not see any reason to use it. You can use a simple syrup if you want, I would just take out a cup or two of wine and add sugar to that and heat it up, do not boil, until the sugar is disolved, stirring constantly. I would backsweeten to 1.004 and taste to see if that is to your liking.

 

[saddlebronze]

Thanks Julie. That's what I will do. I guess if I backsweeten I will have to add sorbate to keep it well behaved in the bottles?

 

[UBB]

IMO bulk aging it in a carboy can only help the wine.

 

[saddlebronze]

That's what I was thinking. I guess the advice not to bulk age after adding clarifiers and stabilizer is to avoid letting the wine rest on the lees after all that stuff has settled out. I may go ahead and bottle this batch since it is a wine that is supposed to be consumed young and it is a 4 week kit. It tastes pretty good, so a few months in bottle should only improve it, provided I do it right!

 

[Julie]

Yes sorbate and I would leave it age in the carboy for at least a week to make sure your wine is clear and there is nothing laying in the bottom of the carboy. Sometimes when you sweeten your wine it will cloud it up but it clears quickly.

 

[UBB]

after you add the sorbate wait to make sure it's clear,and then you could always rack again and then let it age in the carboy.

 

[Flem]

I would rack it at least one more time, if not two. Then keep it in the carboy for another few weeks before bottling. Otherwise, I believe you WILL have sediment in the bottle within a month. Patience, my friend, patience. Good Luck!!

 

[saddlebronze]

Thanks for all the input, I will wait for now and then rack a few more times. I read that you could use just meta at a dose of 3 grams per 5 gallons instead of meta and sorbate. Has anyone tried this. I don't want to taste the sorbate in the finished wine.

 

[Flem]

Use the potassium sorbate if you are going to backsweeten your wine. I inhibits refermentation.

 

[wvbrewer]

I would would wait a week or to after adding the sorbate to insure that the fermentation will not restart before back sweetening. Most of the kits I have seen has this in the instructions..