Thanks Robie, I missed that in his website. Will have to slow down and read more. Of course, if I did that, I would order so much that I would need a loan. I will definately check the packs. It does make wine better.
I started the Grand Cru Brunello 3 weeks ago. Since this is my 6th kit, I tried a little experimenting, knowing full well I could ruin the results. At the beginning, I added 6 g of opti-red and 6 g of tanin vr supra. I took a big chance and used BM45 yeast (made a yeast starter using Go Ferm). Initial SG was 1.100. A day later I added 1 lb of currants (vitis vinefera variety). I followed a strict Fermaid K feeding schedule with stirring every day. This yeast was very foamy! My 9 gal fermenter was not even big enough. I actually had to rack it into 2 6 gal fermenters 4 days later. No H2S production occurred. I racked it to a single 6 gal carboy last week. SG was 0.997. SG yesterday was 0.994 (20 day mark). I plan on taking a SG today and tomorrow. I have been pleased with my results...no H2S, great mouthfeel, pleasant fruit aroma.
I do have a question. Even at 0.994 SG (temp is 66 F), I still have small bubbles coming up. Is is still fermenting or just CO2 coming out of solution? I haven' observed that on any of my previous kits this far into the fermentation. The smell is nice, so I know it isn't H2S. If the SG is stable tomorrow, should I rack and sulfite or wait a few more days? There is a lot of lees still on the bottom, and I am hence hesitant of leaving the wine on the lees for to much longer.
There is some question as to the usefulness of Opti-red in a kit. It surely won't hurt anything.
True dat....
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