Mosti Mondiale Alljuice Old Vine Merlot advice

[herbenus]

I just started my first all juice with grape pack. Lots of surprises. When I opened the shipping box there was a bag on top of the MM box that I thought might have been shipped to me by mistake. It was the grape pack. For some reason I was expecting dried grapes. Okay, rookie mistake.Then I follow directions only to find they could have been organized a little better. It says open the grape pack and add, which I did, and then read the rest of the sentence "after step 3". Too late. Step 3 is add the yeast and bentonite. This time I'm more careful. It says "You may now add bentonite..." Next sentence says stir solution first, but luckily I caught this one. Along with add oak chips, directed after step 2, but "upon completing step 6."


I know I am supposed to read it all first... I know I'll be okay with the above. But the 6 gallon kit, with what must be an additionalgallon of grape pack, is certainly not going to fit in my carboy. Suggestions?


And thanks for letting me vent.

 

[v1rotate]

Hi, Bill

I used to drive past Magnolia on my way to Houston from Austin! Just finished fermenting a CC Rosso Fortissimo with "2.6L Super Pack". If the MM GP is actually 1 gallon it may not work in a 7.9 gallon bucket. But if it is no bigger than 2.6L, I think you will be ok if you closely manage your wine room temperature. I started with the must at 78' and had the wine area at 70' so that the must temp never got above 75' and was at 72' most of the time. If the fermentation gets too active, you could overflow a 7.9 gallon bucket.

You could get a food grade 10 gallon bucket from Walmart. That would come in handy in the wine room anyway!

Good luck!

 

[herbenus]

Thanks. I'm an inch from the top of the primary. Kind of close but with the colder temperatures I think I'll be okay. It was more of how to get all this into a 6 gallon carboy that I was wondering about. I have some gallon jugs to enlist, just hadn't counted on using them.


At any rate, I'm expecting big results from this kit.

 

[Goodfella]

Have themready.... After fermentation starts, You may need to pull some off. It will all be blended together soon anyways.

 

[Randoneur]

Have some wine bottles on hand when you rack to the carboy and put the excess in them, use them for topping up later.

 

[herbenus]

That's about all I can do, which is fine. This kit also adds the oak later where the kits I've done before added oak immediately. But i do plan on following directions to the letter on this one, at least going forward. I'll check it tonight and see if I need to move some off.

 

[tonyt]

I'd like to think they test these kits several times prior to marketing. Surely they know if it will fit into a 6 gallon carboy.

 

[PeterZ]

The Old Vines Zin I have bulk aging wound up filling a 6 gal carboy with almost a full 1500 ml bottle left over.

 

[robie]

After you rack of the gross lees, it should fit in the carboy, since it is likely a 6.5 gallon carboy.
If not, have a clear 1.5 liter or 750 ml bottle to put the overflow into. After you rack once more, it should all fit in one carboy.

You know, you can go to the bakery at Walmart, Target, Albertsons, ..etc. and they have food grade buckets with lids. They get their cake icing in them. They range in size from 1 gallon to 5 gallons. They will give them to you, if you ask. They clean up nicely and work well for small fermentor buckets and corkadors.

You could use one of these for fermenting the overflow, as I figure your fermentor bucket is going to run over. I would set your fermentor bucket in a tub, just in case it does overflow.

 

[herbenus]

On this one they want you to stir everything up before racking to carboy. Normally I probably wouldn't, but like I said I thinkI want to follow instructions on this one as it's my first MM all juice. I've got the bungs and extra airlocks so no biggy. I was just surprised that a 6 gallon kit is closer to 6-1/2 or 7 gallons.

 

[robie]

All the kits, which come with a grape pack, after you add the water to get 6 full gallons of must, then add the grape pack, you end up being more than 6 gallons.

It sounds like the grape pack you received is a pretty large one.

Tell me, did this MM kit come with a yeast nutrient, which is to be added after 3 or 4 days or fermentation? Some MM kits do. If it did, when you add it, you are likely to get a lot of extra foaming. Better have that tub ready!

Good luck, you are gojng to enjoy the results, I'm sure.

 

[Flem]

You still have a 6 gallon kit.It's just that the grape pack displaced a lot of wine. Once you get past the primary fermentation and remove the grape pack, I'm betting you'll have less than 6 gallons because, squeeze as you may, there will still be a lot of wine absorbed by the grape pack.



Good luck!


Mike

 

[v1rotate]

The CC LR Rosso Fortissimo I have going filled the 7.9 gallon bucket a good 2" above the 6 gallon level. There was a TON of sediment and it ended up filling up a Mexican 6 gallon carboy nearly to the top. An Italian carboy would probably have worked perfectly if I had had one available.

 

[tonyt]

The CC LR Rosso Fortissimo I have going filled the 7.9 gallon bucket a good 2" above the 6 gallon level. There was a TON of sediment and it ended up filling up a Mexican 6 gallon carboy nearly to the top. An Italian carboy would probably have worked perfectly if I had had one available.

Same kit same experience. Only needed about 750ml of wine and a couple hands full of marbles to top up. I'll bet it will be the same with the MM Merlot kit in question.

 

[herbenus]

"Tell me, did this MM kit come with a yeast nutrient, which is to be added after 3 or 4 days or fermentation? Some MM kits do. If it did, when you add it, you are likely to get a lot of extra foaming. Better have that tub ready!"


yep. Nutrient pack.

 

[robie]

"Tell me, did this MM kit come with a yeast nutrient, which is to be added after 3 or 4 days or fermentation? Some MM kits do. If it did, when you add it, you are likely to get a lot of extra foaming. Better have that tub ready!"


yep. Nutrient pack.

When you add the nutrient pack, the foaming action can really take off, so watch out for what we call a 'wine volcano'. If your wine is in a carboy when you add the nutrient, it can sometimes seriously fill your airlock with foam, then on to the floor.

That's why many of us, when there is a nutrient packet, do the primary and secondary both in the fermentor bucket and not rack to a carboy until AFTER fermentation is completely finished. It is just an option.

Just be sure to watch it closely after you add the nutrient.

 

[herbenus]

Leaving it in the primary is a good idea. Or I could rack to second bucket, maybe syphoningthrough a strainer bag at the same time. Although I don't think contact with the skins a little longer should hurt.

 

[robie]

Leaving it in the primary is a good idea. Or I could rack to second bucket, maybe syphoningthrough a strainer bag at the same time. Although I don't think contact with the skins a little longer should hurt.

I think it is OK to leave in contact with the skins during the whole fermentation period, both primary and secondary. Just don't try to extend secondary time.

Same rules apply for secondary in bucket and in carboy - you should keep secondary stage wine sealed and under an air lock. You don't need to open the bucket during secondary, except to check SG toward the end of fermentation. If you want to make sure grape skins are OK and not drying out, tilt the bucket and try to get the wine inside rotating, so some liquid will wet the grape skins, which could still be floating. (This is why I always put my skins in a bag and weight the bag down with marbles or something heavy.)

One fermentation container works well; so well that some folks do all their fermenting in one step. It's a matter of experience... you know, understanding what you are doing. Once you get several cycles under your belt, it will become natural.

 

[Flem]

Leaving it in the primary is a good idea. Or I could rack to second bucket, maybe syphoningthrough a strainer bag at the same time. Although I don't think contact with the skins a little longer should hurt.

I have an MM kit that wanted me to add the nutrient between 1.040 and 1.050. I was concerned about the volcano so I added it to the Primary bucket and stirred it occasionally for about an hour. I then racked it to the carboy very slow and carefully. I didn't have a problem, but I was very careful. It was very active for about 4 days. It's now starting to slow down. Good Luck!


Mike

 

[herbenus]

It's a matter of experience... you know, understanding what you are doing. Once you get several cycles under your belt, it will become natural.

I had to think about this one. I'm on my 10th kit with a few fruit wines in addition but I'm definitelystill learning. Like when I was ready to rack the last kit,Viognier, only to find I'd left out the clearing agents. Or each time I jab an autosyphon into a too-full carboy. But this is my first all-juice and my first grape pack. I've made the move into the higher end kits andam learning some new things - the journey continues. Thanks for all the advice. It has been very helpful