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I have an RJ Spagnols Chilean Malbec Cru Select and Gewurztraminer Cellar Classic going in the primary right now. I had some trouble keeping fermentation temperature (only about 67F) for the first couple of days with the heat belt (only about 50F in my basement). Someone suggested putting a...

I'm on my 5th kit in 3 months (yes already addicted!). I have only used RJ Spagnols kits so far. I've done Cru Select Old Vine Zin, Brunello, Chilean Malbec and Cellar Classic Barolo Bianco and Riesling. My Zin and Brunello are the oldest and are about 3 months old. I HAD to try both Zin and...

ok i understand.. so since it was left behind, i don't have them to worry about this time around, thus having difficulty with clearing?

When I degassed, i used a drill mounted whip. Per the instructions, I degassed for over 10 minutes. Isn't Bentonite a fining agent? I used that in the primary fermentation, but left it behind. Does that matter?

I didn't know this. Well, the degassing part, the wine was about 75, as it came right out of my primary which was brew belt'ed. But it has since dropped in temp since then. The instructions state that after moving to the glass carboy, to keep it in an elevated place 59-66 degrees. My last batch...

thanks for all the great information guys. Steve, I didn't know temperature had an effect on oxidation, bad or good. If so, it is sitting in my cellar at around 60-62 deg F. That OK? Again, thanks all. I can't wait until this one's done. It has some serious potential--tasted it upon racking...

OK, thanks. Here's an updated picture from this morning with the bubbles down. You think i'd be better off leaving it, rather than buying another bottle of like wine to top off?? I'd mind less if I were adding a wine I made. Do you think I made a bad choice in not heeding my LBS's advice??

I've tried looking for an answer to this, but I'm still not quite sure about my situation. Against my LBS's advice, I'm racking my 6 gal wine kits from the fermenter into 6 gal carboys. They suggested buying a 5 gal and then smaller jugs for the remained to avoid topping off with other wine.. My...

Hi all! I'm starting my third batch of wine from kits. The first two are CruSelect Zinfandel and Brunello. While those are aging, I wanted to make a white, which I heard would age much faster. After doing some research, it seems that the common theory of picking a white wine kit is to not...

I will try this before bottling. I tried something I saw online with a vacu-vin (pump to preserve an open bottle of wine). In theory, it works... I think anyways. You hook up a vacu-vin saver to your air lock (emptied of course) and you pump 10-15 times. I have two wines in carboys, one only...

OK, was not very descriptive. Along the edge of the glass IN the wine :h

Well that was a concern of mine also. However, it's not splashing around all over the place inside the carboy. I kept it controlled along the edge of the glass.

I understand. So I'm able to degas the same day/time I'm ready to bottle? I will taste again at this point, but I'm guessing the two racks didn't make a difference? Would they normally?? The wine splashing into both containers could be a form of degassing, no?

Ok, did some researching, and I couldn't find an answer to my specific situation. As mentioned, I'm doing a cru select ov zinfandel. I've been following directions exactly; it's my first wine ever, so I don't want to steer away from the directions at all. We degassed (using a drill mounted whip)...

Steve, thanks for the tips. I'm gonna pick from what he has in stock and just run with it. I'm sure it will be good. Wade, I think I was already going to rule out the Grand Cru Kit since it's about half the amount of juice included in the kit. I don't mind spending an extra $20-30 for...

I thought maybe for my very first batch I wanted to keep it as simple as possible. I'm not sure though. Are all those others you've tried with skins??

That old vine zin, was that with the grape skins? I just confirmed that the one he had there was a Cru Select without skins. I've been exploring malbecs the past few months like it's my job--and i wish it was :D I will ask him if he can order one. If not I may go with the zin if you confirm...

Wade, they had one California Old Vine Zin, and after doing some research, I believe that only came in the Cellar Classic Winery series. If I'm not mistaken, they have the grape skins? I can double check if he has any more of those. Which Cru Selects have you tried? And how'd u like each of...

Well I went to the LHBS finally and checked out their selection. All that he carries is RJ Spagnols in a few different "brands": Grand Cru 10L kits, Cru Select 15L kits, and Cellar Classic 15L kits. He also had a couple En Primeur kits which I think are RJS's top of the line kit. He...

Smurfe - I understand what you're saying now. I read somewhere that if I were to age longer than a year in the bottle, I should add another 1/4 tsp of meta right before bottle time, is this correct? CPfan - thanks for the info, I will check out these kits in person. I told me over the phone...