RJ Spagnols EP Delu Ranch Wood Cab Sav

[bcfryer]

I am at day 28 with my first EP kit. It is the Delu Ranch Woodbridge Cab Sav. I am still new to bulk agingand I want to go in that direction with this kit. SG is .996 and would like to procede. Tell me if I am headed in the right direction. First off I would like to get to bottling day three months from now if all is clear. So Next I will rack off the secondary to a primary bucket add sulphite as was supplied with this kit and degass and transfer back to a clean glass carboy.Top off the carboy and setit in my basement closet which is at 55 degrees this time of year. Then two weeks shy of the three months I shouldrack again , add the supplied sorbate and the two clearing additives and bring the temp of the wine up to do another degass round. That brings my next thought. Is the sorbate, the two clearing additives and the additional degass all or in part necessary? Next I would let the kit sit an additional 2 to 3 weeks prior to bottling.


thanks

 

[ibglowin]

First off, why do you want to bottle at 3 months? Do you need the carboy? Reds should be bulk aged for at least 6 months IMHO.
How are you degassing? If your degassing with a drill or mix-stir I would not store it at 55 until you have added the fining agents and it has fallen completely clear. I would add the fining agents now, keep it warm 72 degrees until it has cleared, rack off the fines in 3 weeks or so, top off once again, then let it age at 55 degrees until bottling time.
I would not add the sorbate as long as it was fermented dry (like it is). Sorbate is not required unless you add some type of residual sugar post fermentation. Its just an insurance policy just in case you didn't ferment to dry.

 

[bcfryer]

ok now I am straight on not being necessary to use sorbate if kit is fermented to dry SG (.998) or less in either a whiteor a redkit with no F pack or sweetener pack. (no additional sugar added after fermentation).


But still have questions about adding the fining packets . Before bulk aging or after bulk aging several weeks prior to bottling. Any difference white or red ?


I guess if I am going to add finingpacks at all I should do so and degass prior to bulk aging. I have read that somedo and some don't at all.

 

[John Prince]

I add the fining agents after .996. Rack it again after 3 weeks then bulk age.<div id="myWatcherDiv" style="displayone;">

 

[ibglowin]

Kit wines need the fining agents unless you have unlimited bulk aging time for it to clear on its own. They really want to hold on to CO2 and not clear as easily without them.
If you are sure its properly degassed, add them now (fining agents), keep it WARM, and let it clear. Once clear, rack again, top up and begin the bulk aging process. The sulfite package should be added just before you add the fining agents.

 

[Wade E]

The way I always do my wine is ferment dry, sulfite, degas, and then add fining agent. Once all clear then rack off sediment and now in can be stored in a cooler environment, until then though it stays at mid 70's! Even though some instructions say you can keep it at cooler temps during fining Ive found as so have many others that these fining agents dont usually work to good in cooler climates and have failed to do their job until brought in to warmer temps and then they dropped like a rock!

 

[bcfryer]

ok guys thanks for the advice. I think I am straight on this. ferment to dry, add sulphite, degass , add the two clearing packets, degass more then back to glass carboy top off and store in room temps 70 - 75 for three weeks untill clear , rack off sediment and back to glass carboy for long term ageing in cooler temps. and again no need for the sorbatewith a dry wine.

 

[bcfryer]

thinking back I have had two red kits where there were solids present in the bottles. I knowthe clearing stage was done during colder weather and it was in the basement at around 55- 60 degrees. Other kits that were set to clear during the warmer summer months did not have the solids in the bottles. I never realised the temps were so critical after degassing and during clearing . I always lumped clearing and bulk aging together. Also I never have done many high end kits. Mostly up untill the last six months all were Grand cru int. 12L kits. Started with 6 RJS winery kitsin April May June and July of this year. then one CC 16L and this 18L EP Cab Sav.

 

[ibglowin]

When you say solids what exactly do you mean? Crystals or fine sediment almost like a powder? Crystals would be wine diamonds from falling out after going through the a Winter where the temps were in the 50's.
A fine powdery sediment is usually just more fines falling out from time. Best way to avoid that is to filter before bottling.

 

[ibglowin]

Don't forget to top up with 1/8 tsp K-Meta every 4-6 mos.

 

[bcfryer]

Fine sediment. What I was saying was that the colder temps during the clearing phase for these two kits probably caused the fine sediment to be present in the bottles after 6 months or so. The kits where the temps were up during clearing did not produce more sediment in the bottles after 6 months storage. So my lesson learned is to keep temps up in the 70-75 degree range during clearing and I will have better results getting the sediment to drop.