Suggestions For Topping Off With Wine

[vinividivici]

My Zin will be ready to rack to 3rd stage, bulk aging for two months. I've read other threads about topping off with various liquids and also marbles. LOL

If I top off with bottled wine, I'm looking for a good pairing. Would a Merlot be appropriate with the Zin? I have a litre bottle of it. I assume it will change the color, but what about the flavor? Do I need to stick with a Zin or ???

Being it's only a litre or so out of the 23 litre batch, maybe it won't change the flavor too much?

Your comments are most welcome!

Bob

 

[Racer]

If your kit is a zin and not a white zin the color shouldn't chage much at all. Since your working with a 23L kit topping off with wine could lead you to use somewhere between next to nothing up to 1500ml (roughly).That can be an addition of less then 1% up to 6%. As I've gotten better at racking over the years I find I average about 1/2 to 3/4 bottle addition after racking a kit (close to bottling). That puts me in the range of <1% up to about 2%. I can't usually taste a difference until it gets closer to a 10% addition myself.

 

[winemaker_3352]

I would try to match the same type of grape - unless you are looking for a blended taste.

 

[djrockinsteve]

Merlot would be a good choice to use to top off your zinfandel.

 

[Tom]

But, A Zinfandel would be better

 

[pkeeler]

My instinct is to try and add flavor or round out the batch. If it is acidic, adding a low acid wine for topping for instance. If you are making a malbec, merlot, carmenere, cab franc, and it is a bit fruity, blending in cab. sauv. will add complexity. However, the amounts are small, so I don't think it matters too much at all.

Add in the fact that most red wines under $12 these days are designed to all taste the same, and it probably doesn't matter. To get a varietally correct Zin would run you, at best, $18 for 750ml. Not the kind of thing I'd like to pour into a kit. But, maybe I'm just not dedicated enough ;-)

 

[ibglowin]

You probably would not be able to taste the Merlot but it just makes sense to top off with a like varietal wine if possible. In this case a Zin.

You have several options for inexpensive commercial Zins. Gnalrley Head can be usually found for $6-9 a bottle and Barefoot makes a decent Zin that is usually priced anywhere from $4-6 a bottle.

If you live near a Trader Joe's you have even more options!

 

[Flem]

My Zin will be ready to rack to 3rd stage, bulk aging for two months. I've read other threads about topping off with various liquids and also marbles. LOL

If I top off with bottled wine, I'm looking for a good pairing. Would a Merlot be appropriate with the Zin? I have a litre bottle of it. I assume it will change the color, but what about the flavor? Do I need to stick with a Zin or ???

Being it's only a litre or so out of the 23 litre batch, maybe it won't change the flavor too much?

Your comments are most welcome!

Bob

I noticed the "LOL" in your opening statement about topping off with marbles. Using sanitized glass (not painted) marbles is a very viable option that many of the forum members use. It totally eliminates any possibility of diluting or changing the makeup of your wine with another commercial wine. It may be worth a try.
Good Luck!

 

[vinividivici]

A lot of good suggestions, and I thank you all.

One further question: I'll be putting the batch into a 6 gallon carboy for bulk aging. When topping off, do you bring the level up to the neck only or leave a few inches below the bung?

BTW, I didn't mean to offend anyone in the glass marble camp. It's a gjuood idea, just sounds amusing at first.

Source for large glass marbles?

Bob

 

[ibglowin]

Fill it up to within ~3-4 inches from the top. You need some room for expansion especially as things warm up you will see a rise in the level.

I have purchased marbles from these guys. They are not the cheapest but they do claim the marbles are made in the USA.

I have a problem with buying el cheapo marbles from China made from who knows what and then sticking them into an ethanol extraction bath if you get my drift.......

 

[Runningwolf]

Ok for all you marble heads out there. I just read this some where else and copied the authors words to share with you:


I am a little paranoid about wine oxidation, So even though my kit instructions did not say to top off the carboy in the secondary fermenter, I used marbles & took up the airspace anyways. Well, last night came time to add Chitosan and stir with my trusty drill & paddle bit. I made sure & kept the paddles above the marbles, so I wouldn't have a problem. Well...a couple of the marbles jumped up into the fast moving wine, came in contact with the paddles, and were sent FLYING at who knows how many miles per hour towards the side of my glass carboy.

As you can imagine, they knocked a couple of holes in the side of my carboy, at which time the Shiraz/Viognier blend started pouring out, looking like someone had ruptured an artery. Remembering my first aid training from Boy Scouts, I applied direct pressure to the wound, will my buddy lifted the carboy back onto the counter, and started the siphoning into a spare carboy I had sitting nearby.

...so just a word of caution.

 

[vinividivici]

Fill it up to within ~3-4 inches from the top. You need some room for expansion especially as things warm up you will see a rise in the level.

I have purchased marbles from these guys. They are not the cheapest but they do claim the marbles are made in the USA.

I have a problem with buying el cheapo marbles from China made from who knows what and then sticking them into an ethanol extraction bath if you get my drift.......

Thanks, Mike. I also found Megaglass, marbles from Mexico. But I like the made in the USA better.

But then, I read Runningwolfs horrific account of his marble weapon.

 

[vinividivici]

Holy Crapola, Dan! I wonder if that's a "first" in marble land?

Not being a wiseguy, but it sounds like your drill was on uber-max to lift the marbles up and shoot them?

After all the replies, I think I'll add my bottle of Merlot to the batch...

Bob

 

[djrockinsteve]

Deezil and I were chatting about this last night. I have to try and remember to look for some glass rods with a hook to lower and pull them out of a carboy. I even wondered if a ziplock bag with a few drops of sulfite solution and air inside would suffice for awhile to rid the space of air to wine.

There has to be something better than 10,000 marbles!

 

[Runningwolf]

Deezil and I were chatting about this last night. I have to try and remember to look for some glass rods with a hook to lower and pull them out of a carboy. I even wondered if a ziplock bag with a few drops of sulfite solution and air inside would suffice for awhile to rid the space of air to wine.

There has to be something better than 10,000 marbles!

How about an air valve on the side of the carboy with a small bladder in it.

 

[Flem]

While I haven't used marbles (thus far) to top off with, I don't think I would use them until after I degassed thus avoiding this kind of disaster. What a mess!!!

 

[djrockinsteve]

Depending upon how much you need you can always get a box wine to top off. Better than having your wine go bad.

In time you will learn how to ferment enough juice to have extra for the entire process. Next time you go to the wine supply store pick up some #2 bungs for your bottles. They come in handy for that little extra.

 

[pkeeler]

I would look for marbles marked, "aquarium safe". Then, I would boil them in a wine or vinegar solution to see if they bubble. If they don't, they should be safe.

 

[roblloyd]

How about an air valve on the side of the carboy with a small bladder in it.

Carboy whoopee cushion! Great idea! This has some potential - probably more with the better bottles than the glass. The plastic you could drill a hole and add some kind of valve. Harder to clean and stir etc but worth thinking about.

I might just go with a bottle of the wine saver spray.