Other California Zinfandel from Williams Brewing Co.

[pioneergirl]

Okay - this will be my second wine kit ever. Got my first ever wine kit bulk aging - secondary - bugged my husband to purchase me another kit. Wanted one with skins, but would need a bigger primary ferm. bucket -- so he went and surprised me....

While he was purchasing brewing supplies from Williams Brewing Co. he ordered me a Zinfandel kit from them (red). I opened the box and saw that all it came with was 2 cans of concentrate, 1 cote de blanc yeast packet and a little pkg of oak shavings. According to the catalog, the juice is Lodi, CA Zin. He also purchased me a winemaking book. AWWWWW.

I am already planning a deviation. I am planning on substituting either a pasteur red or some other lalvin yeast for zins that will require food AND I will add in the french oak chips I already have. This is supposed to be a 5 gal kit. The cans say that sulfites are already added -- so I will leave out.

I think I will also plan on purchasing some fining agens (right terminology?) too. The instructions don't say the kit requires fining agents or additional sulfites. Just to let prim. ferm for 2 wks, rack and age for 8 wks. add fining agents then if wanted, but if not then bottle and age for 6mos plus...

Anyone ever order from them? Any input for me to think on before I undertake primary ferm? thanks! Carolyn

 

[robie]

I have never heard of that kit. Sounds like an early drinker, since it doesn't come with any post fermentation stabilizers (Kmeta and sorbate). Likely, the reason they say to let set for 8 weeks is because it doesn't come with its own clarifiers (finings). I would buy a packet of SuperKleer to clear the wine; it is a two-part clarifier and works great.

Drink this one soon after the six months of aging.

 

[robie]

Carolyn, if you need a bigger fermentor but don't want to buy one just yet, you can go to Wal-mart, Target or most any store that has a pastry/baking department. They have 1, 2 and 3 gallon fod grade buckets, in which they get cake icing and doe. They just throw them away, but most of the time will give them to you. Try to get the lid for the bucket, too.

If you clean and sanitize these food grade buckets, you can split fermentation between multiple buckets.

I have several from Wal-mart. I use them for storing hoses, corks. I ferment small batches in them, also.

 

[Brazarabit]

hi there

very interesting thank

 

[Rocky]

Carolyn, I have never made the Zinfandel but I have made several kits of their Muscat (which I blend with Zinfandel) and I have been pleased with the wine. I would try to find or make a grape pack or add raisins to the Zinfandel. I think this would enhance the flavor and body.

 

[pioneergirl]

Rocky, if I were to add raisins.....Do I really just add raisins? Like, sunmaid? You have to understand, where I live even the brew store that carries very little winemaking stuff has very little knowledge about it; he's just there really interested in the beer brewing and then adds the wine stuff as requested. Super nice, they will order in whatever I ask.

I reconstituted the kit today and ended up adding more on the 5.5 gallon side of water to bring the OG to a 1.101ish (@ 5 gal mark it was around 1.108)and added the Lalvin 212 yeast. Purchased a brew belt to keep it warm and cozy. I didn't add the oak or anything else; I am letting it be (I think I am overcompensating on the overzealous attempt I am still going thru with that Grand Cru Merlot which I racked a second time, added more oak and isinglass tested the ph and that one is a 3.2 and I am scared!) Anyway....back to this Zin. So far, so good....Let me know about those raisins....I am curious about that.

@ Robie - I never stopped to think about it that way....sometimes I get a little too hyperfocussed. Today, I did buy a stopper with a hole in it to go into a growler just in case when I rack this Zin there is overflow and then I can use that to top off as I go racking along.

 

[Rocky]

Rocky, if I were to add raisins.....Do I really just add raisins? Like, sunmaid?

That is what I use, Carolyn. I get them from Sam's Club here and add about a pound to a six gallon batch. I find it is best to rough chop them or pulse them in a food processor to break up the skin. I also put them in a strainer bag to make racking easier.

 

[pioneergirl]

Well alrighty then. let's put the raisins on the list. Vigorous fermentation going on with the brew belt in place. Really vigorous.....

 

[Ratergam]

very interesting

will seek for discussion very interesting!@

 

[pioneergirl]

I have never heard of that kit. Sounds like an early drinker, since it doesn't come with any post fermentation stabilizers (Kmeta and sorbate). Likely, the reason they say to let set for 8 weeks is because it doesn't come with its own clarifiers (finings). I would buy a packet of SuperKleer to clear the wine; it is a two-part clarifier and works great.

Drink this one soon after the six months of aging.

Over the weekend, I also went to the local shops to purchase some fining agents.....No superKleer, no kieselsol (sp?), only chitosan pack, isinglass, and the other, more commercial clearing agent - sparkeloid (which I read causes haze if you don't filter before bottling). I purchased the isinglass for my other wine that is still degassing and at second racking. Also went to Walmart and forgot to purchase raisins...

One brew shop has told me they will order anything in (they are more beer/not really wine; only carry minimum like a few kits and such). I suppose I will need to call them and ask them to bring in superkleer for my first racking (hoping they will be able to find it on their list to order..) Although the RJSpagnols kit came with a potassium sorbate pkg, I don't believe I need to add this to this Zinfandel - so I will not order any.

 

[robie]

Several of our forum sponsors can ship you what you need. I can buy supplies, equipment and kits all the way from Dallas and after paying shipping, they still cost less than buying from the local LHBS's, which are too expensive. If buying out of state, you don't typically have to pay sales tax, either.

 

[pioneergirl]

Alright. Tonight I purchased the raisins. Tested the wineand it was reading at 1.102? I am so bad at looking at this thingy. the 1.10 line and then one more dash. Anyway, we added the raisins coarsly chopped as suggested and they were welcomed with a big fizzing into the bucket. The brew belt is still securely in place and I see that it is still fermenting and bubbling throught the airlock. Nice....

 

[pioneergirl]

Today I took a reading and it reads 1.002 -- Yes I even had my husband look at it too - I am just really bad at reading that darn thing. I think everything is looking good, but still needs some time fermenting to bring down to a lower number, right? Would someone just please confirm my thoughts here? It should end up at .99 or less correct? Even though I have the raisins in there now (put those is last sunday night).

My thinking is to leave it alone for possibly another 3-5 days and check again. thoughts?

 

[Rocky]

Carolyn, If you still have the wine in a fermenting bucket, I would transfer it to a carboy and install an airlock. I would also squeeze the raisins to get all the juice and other materials out of them and remove them at this time. Let the wine continue to ferment in the carboy until fermentation stops. You will probably have an SG reading in the low 0.990's in the end. My Zinfandels usually go down to about 0.991 or .0992.

 

[REDBOATNY]

You also added more sugar when you added the raisins. You might end up with a sweet Zin. I am not familiar with the yeast you used, it may tolerate all of that sugar and work out for you. lets hope so.

 

[pioneergirl]

Yes, good point, I realized that putting in the raisins inherantly added more sugar....I removed them and racked into a carboy as Rocky suggested. The yeast I used needs added nutrients - was recommended for zins and has a higher alcohol tolerance and reports a moderate fermentation rate (need to define moderate? I have no idea what this means). I wanted to capture a bigger flavor. So far, it obviously tastes sweeter, but the rest of it tastes really good. maybe a pinch more food....and time...

I just tend to be an impatient person, especially when I see my husband already bottled his 5th batch of beer with 3 more batches waiting in the wings....

 

[cpfan]

I just tend to be an impatient person, especially when I see my husband already bottled his 5th batch of beer with 3 more batches waiting in the wings

My point of view....

Beer...three weeks
Wine...three years
(Actually, the way I make beer it's about 6 weeks to drinking.)

Beer is for the impatient, wine is for the procrastinators. Make beer to drink while you're waiting for your wine.

Steve

 

[pioneergirl]

Do you think I should wait or move onto Clarifying?

I checked the SG on 3/22 and today 3/27 and both times read 1.0. It is being held in laundry room at 68 degrees Still very fizzy. Only been thru one racking on 3/10 after also having added raisins for a week prior. At this point w/ nothing else done or added. I was thinking that it should read a little lower. But then I am thinking that with the raisin addition that it would naturally read a little higher - if the yeast are pretty much done.

Do you think I should hold this a little longer? Or, do you think I should proceed to clarifying? I was thinking today I'd degass and clarify and hold again.

 

[pioneergirl]

Got no responses...SG still 1.000, so I decided to move on to degass and clarify all at once. Put the carboy next to the heater vent to warm up. I immediately noticed a difference in degassing with the warmer temps. Got my superkleer packet and initiated packet 1 and while stirring and degassing broke the spoon handle off into the carboy !
(I spent some time researching the forums on degassing and saw someone mention using a carboy brush to degass and put that into my memory banks)

Thank goodness I did that! I cleaned, sanitized a hardly used big bottle brush/carboy brush and continued with packet 2 later on and boy did that WORK! Lots and lots of bubbles. With the 2 pakets, I degassed for about an hour - watching it foam up and foam down, shaking the brush a bit, foam up, foam down.

In addition to the plastic handle, I also added a half cup of french oak and put carboy back in the laundry room to settle out over some time now. I will fetch it out at next racking.

 

[robie]

Sorry you go no responses. If the wine has been as 1.0 for several days, it is probably finished fermenting. Sounds like your degassing is going OK.

So, you are stirring with the carboy cleaning brush? Just make sure you are not stirring a lot of air ino the wine. I guess that will work OK.