WineXpert LE Super Tuscan

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jgmann67

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After transferring the Enigma to a Carboy, I figured I might as well get this one underway, too.

Nice kit - comes with a big jammy grape skin pack, oak chips (for primary) and oak cubes (for later). Two bags of chitosan and RC 212 yeast.

Got the juice in the bucket with oak. Pre-grape pack SG was about 1.065. Placed the bag o' grape skins and stirred several times over a couple hours before pitching yeast and the SG went up to 1.095. Glad, too - I was pretty tired from driving all weekend and didn't want to be up mixing sugar/simple syrup.

Going to take a peak at it this morning. But, it smelled and looked awesome last night.
 
Very early on - no activity in the bubbler this morning.

Question:

The kit came with 30g of Oak cubes. Compared to the Eclipse Merlot's, that's not much at all. It dawns on me that maybe I'll put the spiral of oak in the Super Tuscan and use this packet of oak cubes for the Enigma. Do we go with more cubes or add a spiral instead?
 
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Stirred and squished the grape skins yesterday. Very little activity (slower to start than other kits), but I can see there's a head of steam building. This will likely start bubbling away later this morning.
 
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Super tuscan

you'll find that activity will increase along with temperature, ambient is fine as long as it's at 68 degress wine temp.or higher that's why i use a belly ban to start and increase the yeast process ,they like it warm.

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Process

WINE IS ACTIVE UNTIL IT BECOMES STILL,STAY THE COURSE AND LET IT REST AT THIS POINT (IMOP} :u
 
Super tucan

YOUR ARE STILL IN THE PRIMARY IF SO CONTINUE TO GIVE IT A GOOD DEGASSING UNTIL THE ACTIVITY IS NEXT TO NOTHING,IF YOUR AT THAT POINT NOW THEN RACK AND START TO DEGAS BUT DON'T ADD ANY OF THE CHEMS OR CLEARING AGENTS YET STIR AND LET SET ,THEN DO IT AGAIN ,THEN WALK AWAY FOR A WEEK ,THEN ADD CHEMS AND CLEARING AGENT.THEN WALK AWAY.:spm
 
The wine is now 0.990 and is still in the secondary Carboy until Wednesday. The LE instructions say to rack before fining and stabilizing.,.then after 8 days, rack again to age.

I have a spiral of medium toast French oak and plan to substitute it for the 30g of cubes that came with the kit. I'll use the cubes in the Enigma instead.
 
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Oak to taste, I usually go 1 spiral at a time. Taste at 3 month intervals. I have gotten away from using clarifies as the wine will clear nice with ageing.
 
I racked this one last night and dropped two spirals (I may regret that later, we'll see). Then topped with a similar commercial Super Tuscan. It's going to sit for the 3 months. Bottling scheduled for November.
 
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