First racking a little late

[AlexPKeaton]

So our first kit (Mosti Mondiale Vinifera Castel de Papa) is in the primary fermenter - the directions said to rack the wine at 1.040-1.050 sg. We read many people online said they waited a little longer with their MM kits, so we thought we would wait until the weekend anyway, because we had more time to spend on the wine then.

Today the sg was 1.014 - way lower than what the kit suggested the sg should be for the first racking. So, two questions:

1. Is the wine ruined? My guess is probably not.

2. What should we do/monitor in case we did mess this thing up?

 

[Julie]

you are fine, i never rack a wine until it is around 1.010

 

[FTC Wines]

I agree with Julie, I never rack until 1.015 or less, I like my wine to have time in the primary. roy

 

[Flem]

It's not ruined. I just racked a MM at about 1.010 and it was fine.

 

[AlexPKeaton]

Great - thanks for the replys.

 

[djrockinsteve]

Making wine can have a lot of leeway. Some things can be a little sooner or later without consequences but it is best to understand what your must is going through. After a few batches it will be a lot easier for you.

 

[AlexPKeaton]

So, last weekend we finally bottled our first kit - the Mosti Mondiale Vinifera Castel de Papa. Honestly, the wine was really bland. I realize that it's the cheapest kit and that it (should) get much better over time, but I thought the taste would be the opposite of bland, i.e. very harsh and/or sour.

So, will this wine gain some flavor or is this the best I can expect with the lowest-level kits?

 

[Rocky]

Alex, I don't want to discourage you but I would not expect a marked improvement in the wine over time. If you ever do another 10 liter kit, I recommend that you use a grape pack or raisins with it. What were your initial and final SGs? Did you use all the oak that come with the kit?