WineXpert Topping off Cabernet Franc Ice Wine

[Dokki]

I need to rack my Cabernet Franc ice wine kit that I've already added the f-pack to. There's a lot of sediment at the bottom and I'm afraid that my 750 mL bottle that I saved of overflow from the last racking isn't going to be enough to fill up the head space. I have not been able to find a Cabernet Franc wine or even a blend containing it locally in any of the stores. What are my best options available for topping this baby off? I'd prefer to leave water as the last resort.

Thanks.

 

[Putterrr]

Just use something like a Merlot if you have to. I used a bottle when making my coffee port to reduce the head space and it didn't seem to hurt anything.

cheers

 

[vacuumpumpman]

Just use something like a Merlot if you have to. I used a bottle when making my coffee port to reduce the head space and it didn't seem to hurt anything.

cheers

I agree ^^^^ a heavy dark red would be best - say a Cab

 

[SouthernChemist]

My experience with this kit was that I had more wine than I could put in my 3 gallon carboy even after multiple rackings. The f-pack is quite large. I'd be surprised if you didn't have enough reserved wine to top it up provided your racking technique was good. As far as using another red wine, I'd be careful. Red ice wines are not dark because of how they are made. This wine in particular is more of a 'salmon' color. Even ice wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz are not dark. If you have to use more wine to top off with, go with a lighter red or a rose-style wine. You won't 'ruin' the wine if you add a dark red (unless you add a lot), but it won't turn out the way it was intended, either.

I would also not expect to find an ice wine to top off with unless you have a rather large, disposable income. The cheapest red ice wine in the stores around my area is around $50, and that's for 350 mL. The price combined with the bottle size make it not a good option for topping off.

 

[jcag]

I agree ^^^^. I had a lot of "extra" wine when i needed to add the F-pack. If you run short, maybe you could add a sweet white zinfandel. The cab franc ice wine is a slightly darker red than a white zin.

 

[JerryF]

I need to rack my Cabernet Franc ice wine kit that I've already added the f-pack to. There's a lot of sediment at the bottom and I'm afraid that my 750 mL bottle that I saved of overflow from the last racking isn't going to be enough to fill up the head space. I have not been able to find a Cabernet Franc wine or even a blend containing it locally in any of the stores. What are my best options available for topping this baby off? I'd prefer to leave water as the last resort.

Thanks.

I ran into something similar when I did this same kit as you are doing. I only used half the f-pak at the back end though because I didn't want something so sweet I couldn't drink it. Agree with a couple of the other replies though; 1. Good luck trying to find a commercial red cab franc ice wine, and 2. The price if you were to find one! I refuse to use water in any of my wine as a top up medium so I use wines that are similar in nature that I have on hand already, or, in the case of my cab franc ice wine, I used a blush zinfandel. Only needed about 300 ml so no impact whatsoever. Still turned out great (aged about a year now in the bottles). I think you would be pleased with the result if you used a lighter bodied blush zinfandel. Jerry

 

[Dokki]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I racked this last night and luckily the amount of sediment was not nearly as much as it looked. The sediment level was real fine down at the bottom but there was an additional inch or so that the sediment had stuck to the sides of the carboy above this point giving the appearance that there was a fairly thick layer of gunk. I was able to completely fill up my carboy after racking plus a 375 mL bottle of extra for topping off next time. No topping off wine needed.