Weigh down skins bag ?

[gawine]

I'm doing a Cellar Craft Amarone which comes with a pack of crushed grape skins. It advises to stir the skins daily or to simply weigh down the bag or wedge it in place in such a manner so that all of the skins remain in contact with the wine. I decided to weigh it done. A glass shot glass didn't work so I had to use a marble/granite mortar and pestle. Is that okay? I wouldn't think it would affect the flavor at all would it?

thanks!

 

[Sacalait]

Sure, that'll work.

 

[St Allie]

that'll work fine

Allie

 

[Wade E]

I still think yo need to move and squeeze it so that the frui in the niddle gets good exposure to give the wine better color and tannin extraction. Free floating is the best but cn be a PITA so I stir 2 times a day and make sure I am moving around all the skins in there. I alsio ferment to dry in my bucket with the skins and at an sg around 1.015 I will lock down the lid and jusy slosh the wine around in there good so as that the skind get wet and the C02 stays in.

 

[Sacalait]

Wade, that sounds interesting (even though I don't have a primary with a sealing top) but it would seem that you'd be extracting a lot of tannin from the seeds by exposing them long term to alcohol.

 

[djrockinsteve]

I still think yo need to move and squeeze it so that the frui in the niddle gets good exposure to give the wine better color and tannin extraction. Free floating is the best but cn be a PITA so I stir 2 times a day and make sure I am moving around all the skins in there. I alsio ferment to dry in my bucket with the skins and at an sg around 1.015 I will lock down the lid and jusy slosh the wine around in there good so as that the skind get wet and the C02 stays in.

Wade. What's that........ (frui in the niddle)? Have you been taste testing again.

 

[skiboarder72]

Like other people said, weighing down the skins bag will work but it won't help extract all the flavor and tannins of the skins. Every time you punch down the skins, they are added more flavor and tannins. Depends on what you are going for with your wine.

 

[Wade E]

Sacalait, these kits dont have much seeds so the tannins are much smoother. I know what you are talking about because I have made a few batches from grapes and would not do that with all those seeds as it would be very astringent.