My latest batch of Cab is on its way!

Last weekend I mixed up a Winexpert Cab Sauv kit in my primary fermenter. Based on some opinions I read on here, I never clamped the lid down tight on the fermenter. Rather I just set it on top and let it ferment for 7 days.

Here we are 7 days later. My batch was right at the upper limit the WE instructions said was acceptable for racking. So...we racked it tonight!

We're getting better at this process. Sterilizing, racking and cleanup took less than an hour. And topping up only took about a half bottle of my previous batch (compared with 2 full bottles last time. (less sediment this time?)

Anyway, the 10-day 2ndary fermentation timer has started.

Fedoradude said:

We're getting better at this process. Sterilizing, racking and cleanup took less than an hour.

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Nice! I swear, I cannot do anything in the wine room in less than 90 minutes! Good work!

Very nice. How does it taste?

When going to the secondary, racking some sediment over is no big deal.

Good Luck

NorCal said:

Very nice. How does it taste?

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We didn't test it at this stage.

Putterrr said:

When going to the secondary, racking some sediment over is no big deal.

Good Luck

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Thanks. I remember the last batch (my 1st ever) I racked it 3X in the carboy trying to eliminate sediment. Hopefully won't have that much effort involved this time.

sour_grapes said:

Nice! I swear, I cannot do anything in the wine room in less than 90 minutes! Good work!

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A wine room! What a great idea! Thinking, thinking.... (The wife is cringing, cringing....)

Fedoradude said:

We're getting better at this process. Sterilizing, racking and cleanup took less than an hour. And topping up only took about a half bottle of my previous batch (compared with 2 full bottles last time. (less sediment this time?)

Anyway, the 10-day 2ndary fermentation timer has started.

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So I hope you did the K-meta treatment and the timer has been set for 1 yr. (with a couple of rackovers @3 months). Should be mighty flavorful and CO2 free by then

sour_grapes said:

Nice! I swear, I cannot do anything in the wine room in less than 90 minutes! Good work!

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Paul,, that's because "keeping your whistle properly wet" while you work also adds some time

Floandgary said:

So I hope you did the K-meta treatment and the timer has been set for 1 yr. (with a couple of rackovers @3 months). Should be mighty flavorful and CO2 free by then

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Not really.

My last batch was bottled after 3 rackings. We are planning on bottle aging most of it (and most of this batch) for 1 year to reach that full flavor you're talking about.

As for this batch, there wasn't any addition of ingredients required by direction at this first racking. There's a stirring that is supposed to happen after a few days to get the particles that have settled back into suspension and then after 10 days in the carboy (supposedly) it's ready for the addition of those other ingredients and fining.

Putterrr said:

When going to the secondary, racking some sediment over is no big deal.

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That's good. I looked at it this morning and there's a pretty healthy sediment layer in the bottom of the carboy.

This go round I will remember to stir that sediment vigorously back into suspension as the directions say to do.

I know that helps get rid of the Co2 but I'm wondering what it does for the nose and taste at this point?

Stir sediment back into the wine...? I've never heard of this...

A very typical step in many of the WE kits.

JDesCotes said:

Stir sediment back into the wine...?

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Good, cause I've got probably 1.5" of sediment to stir back in.

What I dont' understand about this particular WE kit is that it recommends racking it only once - from the carboy into bottles. With the sediment I've seen in two batches of this kit now, I can't imagine bottling right away. There'd be a ton of sediment making it into the bottles.

I would imagine you dose it with chitosan/kisosol. That will take all of the suspended particles out fairly efficiently (assuming you don't have active fermentation still going)

Fedoradude said:

Good, cause I've got probably 1.5" of sediment to stir back in.

What I dont' understand about this particular WE kit is that it recommends racking it only once - from the carboy into bottles. With the sediment I've seen in two batches of this kit now, I can't imagine bottling right away. There'd be a ton of sediment making it into the bottles.

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I agree. I am more cautious than their instructions. I only bottle from a vessel that has no sediment at all in it. (In my case, I use a bottling bucket, where I transfer wine from the carboy to the bucket before bottling. I can afford to leave a little wine + sediment in the carboy, since my carboys hold 31+ bottles.

Here's an idea of the sediment that's settled in 2ndary fermentation.

Putterrr said:

When going to the secondary, racking some sediment over is no big deal.

Good Luck

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Yep and I don't use the tip for the first racking to carry over some yeast to make sure it ferments out