Suggestions on first batch?

[thepatient]

First off, this is a great community. I've gotten a ton of useful information so far and haven't really needed to post any questions, as most of them have already been asked and answered a few times over. It seems that everyone has their own opinions and styles, and so I'd like to share what I've got going so far and would be happy to hear any input or suggestions.

Day 1: Started a Reserve du Chateau 4-week Cabernet Sauvignon kit, per instructions. Initial SG was 1.087 and temp was around 74.

Day 4: After three days of inactivity, I concluded that I shocked/killed the yeast by rehydrating in water that was too hot (lesson #1). A trip to my local shop yielded a thermometer and some new yeast. Repitched and got almost immediate results that day.

Day 11: After 7 days of pretty active fermentation down to SG 1.000, I syphoned to my secondary. I did a couple rounds of degassing that first day, but then basically just let it sit and settle for a week, not worrying about the SG or temp (which stayed around 72-74).

Day 21: Finally checked SG (0.995). No more noticeable settling, a thin layer of lees on the bottom and a small ring of tiny bubbles around the top of the carboy. I'm thinking fermentation is about finished, but will confirm with another day or two of SG testing. Though the kit is a 7-21-28-day, I'm planning on something closer to a 7-20-40-90 timeline, which to my understanding won't hurt anything.

After a couple more days of constant SG's, I'm going to de-gas and add my fining/clearing agents from the kit and get it ready for bulk aging in the basement where it's cooler. I'm planning on re-racking first to get it off the lees and avoid stirring them up again when degassing. To my understanding, it's more sensitive to oxygen at this point, so from here on out, I'm going to add a layer of CO2 to the carboy/bottle, let it sink, and then fill from the bottom.

The couple times I've tasted it so far, it's been kind of boring, so I picked up some French oak chips. I know a lot of people prefer cubes or spirals during bulk aging, but chips in a cheesecloth sock should be ok, no? I'm planning on keeping them in for about a week, then tasting every couple/few days, just to make sure they don't overpower.

I've also seen suggestions for adding sulfite/k-meta (is that the same thing?) if it's going to age for extended periods. If I'm planning on bottling around day 90, will that be necessary?

Thanks in advance. Love the site and looking forward to learning more.

 

[oldwhiskers]

Hey, welcome to the forum!!!!

 

[botigol]

As I'm sure that you have read on here a number of times, I know that I have in my quest for info, time is your friend and extending the timeline on a kit normally can only help. I would advise you to check the kit instructions before racking again. Some kits purposefully have you leave the sediment in order to assist with the fining. I haven't tried a Reserve du Chateau, so I don't know if this is the case with theirs, but Winexpert definitely does. Offhand the CO2 treatment doesn't seem necessary at this point, but it certainly will not hurt anything. You are right, most on here use oak chips in primary, if at all, and cubes or spirals in bulk, but so long as you can extract them when you feel that you have reached the level of oak that you desire I say go for it. Finally, sulfiting...yes, they are the same. From what I have seen most kits include a packet of k-meta as part of the stabilizing step, so you will definitely want to verify if this is the case before adding more. Once you get to bottling you will probably want to add a dose, but sooner would only prevent you from appreciating it since the SO2 level would be too high.

 

[Boatboy24]

Welcome!

I think you've got everything under control so for and it sounds like things are going well. Your schedule looks good. As was already mentioned, be sure you have a way to extract those chips when you've reached your desired level of oak. A lot of people simply put them in the carboy, then rack off when they are finished. If you're not racking, you probably have enough sulfite to get you through those 90 days until bottling. At that time (in the absence of a measured sulfite level), add 1/8 teaspoon before bottling.

 

[thepatient]

Thanks guys, much appreciated.

If there's a reason some kits keep the sediment in, I'll just stick to the instructions and de-gas and clear in my secondary. This particular kit has me adding Kieselsol, Chitosan, and then a Stabilizer at that point (but nothing explicitly marked K-meta or sulfite), letting it clear for about a week, and then transferring for bottling. I'll just re-rack for bulk aging and add the oak then instead.

Is there a sulfite test I can perform sometime during the aging process to make sure I've got an acceptable level?