WineXpert WE Selection Sangiovese - adding used grape pack

I am planning to add a grape pack that was the by product of a Chilean batch I did in May (6 gallon juice bucket + 3 lugs of grapes) to a Selection Sangiovese kit. The pack has been frozen for two months now and I am wondering if I should stick with the yeast that was originally used in the first ferment (CLOS), or will I be fine choosing another yeast (BM4x4). I currently have both yeasts on hand.

The reason I ask is that I originally split the left over grape skins into three 3 lb packs and placed one directly in a VR Diablo Rojo kit, which started to show signs of fermentation within 3 or 4 hours. Hence I never added any more yeast. The batch fermented just fine and is bottled, just needs some age.

I plan on adding one of the 3 lb packs to the kit.

Any comments or suggestions are welcome, thanks.

I'd just throw in the skins and just let her rip!

Experimentation sangiovese?

IT'S YOUR WINE BUT IF YOU ASK ME DON'T!THE SELECTIONS KIT ISN'T A VERY STRONGER KIT TO START WITH (I MADE ONE) AND APPLIED MY TWEAKS AS ALWAYS,IF YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT A FRESH GRAPE SKIN PAC FROM THE (MFG) THEN MAYBE ? IF YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT FRESH GRAPE SKINS FROZEN THEN NO. WITH THIS SANGIOVESE RAISINS AND WINE TANNINS PLUS CAPITALIZATION ARE ALL THAT'S REQUIRED IN THE PRIMARY FOR A BLEND OR SECONDARY FOR A BACKGROUND EFFECT,ONLY MY OPINION.

Joe, so are you saying that the 10L Kit you have pictured and the Selection 16L kit are about the same quality? Guess I should have saved some money and bought the cheaper kit.

But since I already have the Selection kit, I do plan on adding some sacrificial tannins (FT Rouge) at the beginning of fermentation, probably won't up the SG with sugar so the kit remains in balance. I'm adding the "used" grape skins from the prior ferment as people here say that it will improve the quality of the final wine from the kit.

My main question was about the yeast that is present in the frozen grape pack. I thought someone here would have had prior experiences with that, but if they have, they haven't seen this post or cared to reply. I received a package that had CLOS yeast on Saturday, so I think I'll be safe and add the same yeast that was used in the prior batch.

Thank you both for taking the time to reply.

Started this kit toady. SG 1.088. Added a 3 lb used skin pack (equal parts Malbec/Merlot/Cab Sauv) and FT Rouge. Rehydrated CLOS yeast in Go Ferm. Plan on adding 5g of Fermaid O when airlock shows signs of life, 4g at half sugar depletion (aiming for 1.040 or so). Otherwise following kit instructions (Bentonite Clay added as well as 60g sawdust). Must smells really good.

The smell

OH YES NOTHING LIKE THE SMELL OF FERMENTATION IN THE MORNING>

Fermenting along quite nicely. SG 1.070 adj and must temp at 78*F. Added 5g Fermaid O, probably don't have to add anything else since CLOS has low nutrient requirements. Smells fine and the airlock has a nice melody, quite up pace. Grape skin pack getting smaller already. Not sure how many solids I'm really getting out of it, but it makes me feel good and that's what it is all about, my hobby making me feel good.

Checked today, SG 1.024 (1.025 adj). You gotta be kidding me, a 0.045 drop in 21 hours? Checked twice, used another hydrometer, 1.025, go figure. Smells great, no SO2, don't know what to say. Ambient temperature at 73*F. Nothing out of the ordinary for a red wine other than the SG drop. Maybe I misread my reading last night.

Fast fermentation

LOOK AT YOUR WINE TEMPERATURE,AT 73 DEGREES THATS A GOOD TEMP. FOR YEAST TO WORK HARD AND FAST THROUGH..THAT'S WHY I USE THE HEATER BAND TO UP THE TEMP ALLTHE TIME AND HAVE A GOOD SOLID YEAST ACTIVITY .IT'S ALL IN THE SAUCE!

I have probably been fermenting a little on the cool side. Leftovers from brewing bitters all the time. Guess I should plan on fermenting my reds in the summer and doing white batches in the winter.

SG at 1.009 (adj) @ 72*F. Airlock activity slowing from yesterdays frantic pace. Still nice CO2 bubbles at the surface when I took the lid off to squeeze the skins. Skins were floating high.

SG 0.999 (adj) - did a last squeeze of the grape skins and tossed it out (and took the garbage bag outside). Still CO2 bubbles breaking the surface. Put the lid back on, will let go a few more days before racking.

Racked tonight because I'm home, it's lightly raining and can't cut the lawn, and my daughter went to Field Hockey practice unexpectedly (but a good thing). SG was .993 @ 70*F. Still some CO2 activity. When I cleaned out the gross lees the sawdust temporarily clogged my sink and was about 2 inches thick. Nice fruit and alcohol aroma. A good liter to 1.5 L short, will have to find something to top it off at the Gestopo run State store this weekend.

racking down

can you rack down instead of adding something strange to the original mix, don't you have a headspace eliminator to use?

No headspace eliminator and can't go down in size until a batch of beer I'm making gets bottled/kegged in a week or so. Probably fine for now, next step in a week or so is to add the Kmeta and clarifiers and oak cubes. By then hopefully a 5 gallon carboy opens up from the beer. Though there was a lot of sediment I'm wondering if I started a little under 23L in the beginning.

Headspace

THAT SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN....GO FOR IT. DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE MUST,STAY WITH YOUR PLAN,IT WILL BE JUST FINE.

Racked tonight, degassed (much less gas than Forza kit), added Kmeta and clarifiers (1 pkg Chitosan). Sample from racking (before additions) had SG 0.992 @ 72*F and nice oak in the nose, but a slightly sour aftertaste (can't remember if I used FT Rouge, will have to reread this post). Little heavier mouth feel than the cheap Bolla Sangiovese I'm currently drinking, but the same dry aftertaste sensation in the front of the mouth.

Need my time-machine-aging-carboy because this one will be hard to wait much past Thanksgiving to start sampling. Might have to employ a few 375ml bottles.

Edit: I did use FT Rouge. Gotta make a red wine without it and see if it is the root of the sour taste I'm getting in young red wines.

ceeaton

stay the course and let the wine rest give it at least till turkey day to revisit then it will have evolved enough to stand up on it's own, see what transpires .Time is on your side.

Opened a bottle of this tonight. Had too many German Dunkel mugs of beer, wanted something on the dry side. Plus I was full of Weisswurst sausage, didn't need to drink much more volume before bed. Settled on a bottle of this WE SE Sangiovese. It's now about 2 1/2 yrs old, actually has a nose of cherry, no discernible kit taste (and I seem hypersensitive to it). Nice flavor and much more body than I remember. Color still has no orange edges to it, so not showing any aging at this point. I only have a few bottles left, so either I hide them better or I make another one of these kits. I think for the price it would be worth making another kit and letting it sit longer before opening the first bottle. This was one of my earlier wines, so as a newbie it was hard to keep from opening the bottles. I think I've got enough in the pipeline now to let any one of my red wines make it to two years before bottling, and hopefully another year until I start sampling.

Any tweaking to the kit?