Finer Wine Kit Cab Sav yeast

[Jovimaple]

I got a rebate for my year's supply of contact lenses, so OF COURSE I used it within 10 minutes of getting the Visa card info to order another FWK.

I ordered a Tavola Cab Sav, since I am really enjoying the one I made last year. But this time I am going to use Avante yeast. I just need to make sure I save a couple bottles of the first batch so I can compare the two in a year or so.

 

[Jovimaple]

Bottled my FWK Peach (delicious!) this weekend, so I have room for another batch. And we went grocery shopping last night, so I needed room in the fridge!

So the cab sav that was taking up room in the fridge has begun. Only change from the directions so far is using Renaissance Avante yeast instead of the included RC 212. I will pitch the yeast starter later today.

This Tavola kit included oak chips for primary. I checked my notes from the Tavola cab sav I made last summer, and it included both oak chips for primary and oak cubes for aging. I have some of my own oak cubes so I will use them at that point.

I ordered a seed pack (that is optional these days but was auto-included last year), so that went into primary, too.

I don't plan to backsweeten so I will not be using the included finishing pack, which is kmeta and sorbate. I will just use my own kmeta.

I plan to skip the included K&C, and let time do its job on the clearing.

The concentrate was very sludgy! It smelled like grape jelly and yes, it did stain my hands when it got a little messy trying to squeeze every last bit out of the bag. With purplish hands, I feel like a real winemaker now!

 

[Jovimaple]

One other note - given how vigorous aka messy my barbera juice bucket ferment was using Avante yeast, I have put a bunch of old towels around the fermenting bucket so hopefully that will be easier to clean up if the same thing happens with this batch!

 

[Jovimaple]

SG is .995 and has been for almost 48 hours. Tonight or tomorrow night, I plan to rack to a 5 gallon carboy and add kmeta and oak. Whatever is left over - hopefully enough to fill one of my Mogen David 13 cup jugs, will also get some kmeta but no oak; it will be used for topping off or will get mixed back in at bottling time.

I am not planning to backsweeten so I won't be using the included stabilizer pack - just my own kmeta. And since it didn't come with aging oak, I will be using some French medium toast that I have.