Cellar Craft 14 day primary advice

[patc]

Hi All,


About to start the red mountain cab kit and was wondering if icould use the 14 day primary advice with this kit being that it is a grape skin kit and has anyone done it with these kits? i plan to just screw down the lid around the racking time for the secondary and count down the remaing days to the 14 mark and then rack,degass and stabilize and bulk age for three months on oak, and then clarify and bottle. Does this sound about right?Also i would think that the common sense in me says the more contact time with the skins the better so do you think i should adopt this and use it?

 

[vcasey]

Are you putting the skins in a bag? If so you'll want to wedge them in place under the must.
VC

 

[patc]

yes they will be in the bag provided

 

[vcasey]

I think Dean said he just wedges the bag in under the must and lets it ferment away. Maybe he'll pop in to verify, if not just search through the Cellar Craft stuff. BTW, I have heard a lot of terrific comments about this kit.
VC

 

[patc]

Yeah i am really excited!!!! Plan on suprising my brother in law next christmas with this one if it's as good as everything that i have read.

 

[Dean]

Yep, that's exactly what I do. I broke a spoon a while back and it's the perfect size to keep the bag submerged with the lid on.

The skins goodness is extracted mostly from alcohol, so extended contact is a good thing!

edit: just to clarify, my spoon is a regular nylon wine making spoon, not stainless steel or other metal.