Mosti Mondiale Alljuice Old Vine Merlot advice

[robie]

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

Hey Bill,
Oops! Sorry about the way that read!
Didn't mean you don't know what you are doing. Just meant the more times you do it, the better you will get at it and the better you will understand the process; it will become second nature.

 

[herbenus]

No offense taken. I actually had a laugh. But compared to folks here with a hundred or so kits or their own vineyard and wine cellars, I'm pretty much a poor boy operation. Bulk aging is not even an option for me because I have no space for carboys. But I can always squeeze a few more bottles into my closet. I'm having fun, drinking good wine, and learning new tricks all the time.

 

[robie]

No offense taken. I actually had a laugh. But compared to folks here with a hundred or so kits or their own vineyard and wine cellars, I'm pretty much a poor boy operation. Bulk aging is not even an option for me because I have no space for carboys. But I can always squeeze a few more bottles into my closet. I'm having fun, drinking good wine, and learning new tricks all the time.

You've done quite a few batches, yourself. We all have something to contribute. Besides, it's not a question of number, it's what one has learned and if one wants to contribute... you are in the right place to do that.

"Fun drinking wine" - I can't imagine a life without wine. We have a group of friends who think pretty much like my wife and I do. It really makes living a lot more fun!

I have a great place (basement) for wine making now, but we are getting ready to downsize for retirement. I can't imagine not having a good place to make wine, but only time will tell. I have so many bottles of wine stored and probably 6 full, five and six gallon carboys at the moment, so I am getting concerned about how to move all that, even if I only move across town.

Worse than moving it, will I have enough space for all that in a downsized house???
Luckily in my city, most houses, even small ones, have basements.

I am having to slow my pace of making wine until I get situated.

 

[herbenus]

There was a post here somewhere of someone who had to move a bunch or carboys. Myself I would just bottle it, even 1 gallon bottles, because you know you will stir it all up moving it.


Last count I have over 150 bottles of wine in my closet. I've been wondering why I'm making 2 kits right now with 2 more on order. It will take a while to drink all this.


One thingI dofind rewarding is whenI see a bottle of amerone or barolo in the store for $50 and I know mine cost less then $10. Now that's a cool feeling.


Congratulations on retirement.

 

[tonyt]

There was a post here somewhere of someone who had to move a bunch or carboys. Myself I would just bottle it, even 1 gallon bottles, because you know you will stir it all up moving it.


Last count I have over 150 bottles of wine in my closet. I've been wondering why I'm making 2 kits right now with 2 more on order. It will take a while to drink all this.


One thingI dofind rewarding is whenI see a bottle of amerone or barolo in the store for $50 and I know mine cost less then $10. Now that's a cool feeling.


Congratulations on retirement.

I am only a few miles from you, I'll be glad to help you thin out that 150 bottles.

 

[herbenus]

I'm afraid most of it needs aging so you wouldn't want it. Where is "a few miles from here?"

 

[tonyt]

I can be patient. Beaumont.

 

[robie]

Actually, I am 2 to 3 years away from downsizing, so I have some time to thin out the wine... as long as I slow down making it, that is.

I was raised in Amarillo; lived in Houston, and Dallas. Left Texas many years ago and miss it.
My wife thinks I am crazy for missing Texas, as she can't see the appeal. I think you have to have lived there for a number of years to appreciate it, as it just can't be explained.
My daughter lives in Plano and my brother lives in Texas City. Maybe one day I'll change my normal route from Dallas to Texas City to go through the Big Thicket. That should change her idea of Texas being a whole lot of nothing.

My last memory of Beaumont was seeing this normal sized house setting next to a tree that was almost as big around as the house was wide. I mean huge!!! Most people don't realize how big of trees exist in some parts of Texas.

 

[tonyt]

Actually, I am 2 to 3 years away from downsizing, so I have some time to thin out the wine... as long as I slow down making it, that is.

I was raised in Amarillo; lived in Houston, and Dallas. Left Texas many years ago and miss it.
My wife thinks I am crazy for missing Texas, as she can't see the appeal. I think you have to have lived there for a number of years to appreciate it, as it just can't be explained.
My daughter lives in Plano and my brother lives in Texas City. Maybe one day I'll change my normal route from Dallas to Texas City to go through the Big Thicket. That should change her idea of Texas being a whole lot of nothing.

My last memory of Beaumont was seeing this normal sized house setting next to a tree that was almost as big around as the house was wide. I mean huge!!! Most people don't realize how big of trees exist in some parts of Texas.

Sadly, the last two Hurricanes (Rita and Ike) thinned the old growth trees between 20 and 30 percent. It was very sad but nature's way. Some say Texas is just a big state but we know it's a state of mind. Sorry to get off track this thread has been all over the place.

 

[herbenus]

I should have named the thread "what not to do..." Last night was a train wreck. A week ago, per instructions, I had thrown the grape pack in. I had also thrown the oak in, not per instructions. The mistake I made, not the first, was not to use a strainer bag. Last night I was ready to rack it over to a second primary and through a strainer. Well, and I knew this before, of course all those solids won't go through a hose of almost any size short of a garden hose. The instructions say mix all the sediment together and rack it off, and then later says the grape pack will stay in the bottom. It doesn't.


And as I was wondering how to sift the oak out of this mess I realized that I had two bags of oak so that problem was solved.







So after I managed to get most of the wine into a second bucket, and through a strainer, I was ready to rack some off into a carboy. I have a valve on the bucket which I attached a hose to.


Everything going good now - not. The hose popped off of the valve, spillingwine on the floor. I ran for rags, came back and noted that the puddle was growing. The hose was still in the carboy, doing what syphons do. Got it all cleaned up. Swore off winemaking (blank threat). Threw some new fresh oak into the carboy. Done except for a table full of hoses, strainers, and red rags,


I did however solve the problem of how to get 6-1/2 gallons of wine into a 6 gallon carboy. I think I lost almost 2 liters. I have a full carboy now plus one beer bottle full.


Another mistake I made was to wear a light colored sweater to work on a deep red wine.Idid saysomewhere that I was still learning. Funny to look back on now. Not so funny last night.

 

[ibglowin]

ROTFLMAO!

Oh my, haven't we all been here before at least once and sometimes more!

My wife always looks at me twice when she sees me working with red wine and I have on a light colored shirt.....

I tell her not to worry I have gotten much better at this......

When I am all finished I quietly head for the laundry room and the bucket of Oxyclean!

Great story.

I did however solve the problem of how to get 6-1/2 gallons of wine into a 6 gallon carboy.  I think I lost almost 2 liters.  I have a full carboy now plus one beer bottle full.
 
Another mistake I made was to wear a light colored sweater to work on a deep red wine.  I did say somewhere that I was still learning.  Funny to look back on now.  Not so funny last night.

 

[tonyt]

Too Too funny, even for a guy from Magnolia. I started a thread a while back called "best calamities of 2010" http://forum.finevinewines.com//forum_posts.asp?TID=10812&KW=funniest you need to copy this over there and be the first enshrined in 2011. You give us something to reach for, calamity wise that is.

 

[robie]

Bummer! I have had similar experiences.

Now, I always put the oak and grape pack in a paint strainer bag.

Last night I started my MM Meglioli Barolo. I was surprised that the instructions say the grape "pack" will stay in the bottom of the bucket, when they don't furnish the bag to put it in. They pretty well furnish everything else, like the labels, corks, shrink caps, ...etc.

I go to the paint store and buy paint strainer bags. I sanitize them well and use them for holding grapes, raisins, and oak. Helps to put a few pounds of marbles in the bag to hold everything down.

I have never had a hose pop off, but I have had a hose flop out of the receiving container. Yep, wine all over the floor.

You have now been properly initiated!!!

 

[walterkokidko]

Thanks for sharing all the experiences. I too am doing my 1st "All Juice with Grape Pack Meglioli kit"

I just did the 1st racking for the Barolo all juice.
Everyone is correct, the grape skins do not "just stay on the bottom" of the bucket after being stirred. I had to keep clearing my siphon hose. My fingers are still stained blue.

After adding the oak, and racking I filled about a quarter of an additional 3 gal carboy. Then I squeezed out the grape skins to almost get a full gallon of my the 3 gal carboy.

Realizing the grape skin "drippings" were the best part of the left over,I tried doing a double blending between the 2 carboys. What a mess that was.

Finally, I threw everything into a sanitized 7.5 gal primary bucket and filled it to within an inch of the top.

I thought it was going to explode through the air lock, but just percolating away very nicely.

Thanks for the ideas, I think I will rack back into another bucket prior to stabilizing, then into a 6.5 gal carboy and whatever 750 ml bottles I need to keep product for top off.

Before starting a "new kit", I think I'll check the forums 1st.
Thanks for sharing

 

[robie]

I am glad I started my MM Meglioli Barolo in a ten gallon fermentor bucket. After adding the humongous grape pack, along with some marbles to try to hold it down, It looks to be about 2.5 gallons above the 6 gallon mark.

That is the biggest grape pack I have every used.

I decided to use RP15 (VQ15) yeast, instead of the supplied EC-1118. Although it is not a big foamer, I have never seen such an active yeast. It looks like I have 4 or 5 fish tank aerators running under the surface.

Here's what a writeup said about VQ15 in a standard Nebbioli:

RP15 (VQ15): Emphasizes the berry aspects of the fruit,
along with licorice notes. In addition, colour stability,
increased mouthfeel and agreeable tannins are also
contributed.

I am looking forward to this wine being ready in a couple of years.