WineXpert Am I missing something?? Top up question...

[sideways2]

So...I have three WE red kits going...and I was noticing in the instructions that there is not one place that tells you where to top up...

I have two Selection kits and one World Vineyard kit...in fact the WV tells you not to top up at all!!

Section 3 Number 3:

http://www.winexpert.com/images/Vintners Reserve World Vineyard instructions - Feb 2013.pdf

How can this be?? Has something changed??

Here is a pic of what I got going on...seems like quite a bit of room at the top...and I pulled from the primary pretty good...wasn't much left!!

Thanks!!

 

[Putterrr]

They changed a couple years ago to DONT TOP UP. As long as your are following their time frame, you are OK. If you plan on aging longer in the carboy then you will have to top up or rack down to a smaller carboy

cheers

 

[sideways2]

A couple of years ago?? Interesting cause the three kits I did at Christmas time said to top up!!

So that means no more 30 bottles of wine per batch

 

[ibglowin]

I think it was more like just last year they made the change. Again this only works if you are NOT bulk aging.

 

[wildvines]

Agreed with the rest. They don't want you to too up unless bulk aging


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[Broge5]

Somebody please advise me if this is a bad thing, but I can't stand seeing the airspace in the top of the carboy so I always end up putting similar wine in. But never more water.


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[sideways2]

So I wonder how the u-vin places do it...they must have to top up using water to get the 30 bottles out of a kit...

 

[ibglowin]

Toping up with a like or similar wine is never a bad thing. It will only make it better as long as the wine is halfway decent.

Somebody please advise me if this is a bad thing, but I can't stand seeing the airspace in the top of the carboy so I always end up putting similar wine in. But never more water.


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[ibglowin]

Unless they have some magical machine that no one else has that can separate 100% of the gross lees and waste not one drop of wine……

Well make your own conclusion. What do you think they would pick.

A) Something free from the tap

B) Something that cost $15 a bottle in Canada

So I wonder how the u-vin places do it...they must have to top up using water to get the 30 bottles out of a kit...

 

[wineh]

Actually, in the selection and eclipse kits, there is a top up instruction, but it is in step 5 bottling (funny place for it). As others have said step 5 advises if you are bulk aging to top up with a similar wine or rack down to a smaller vessel to eliminate the headspace.
Having said that, with a lot more diligence when racking, and only using the sediment bowl for racking from the primary, I'm not doing a lot of topping up anymore anyway (less than a bottle after step 4), especially with the grapeskin kits.

 

[bkisel]

And yet in the bottling step - before addressing bulk aging - the instructions say "Clean and sanitise thirty 750ml (25.4 fl. oz) wine bottles, siphon rod and hose.". You've got to loose a bottle or two following the directions to bottling without bulk aging.

 

[Broge5]

I totally agree. I don't see how you could possibly get 30 bottles if you don't top of it all. Since I use mostly the larger Italian carboys and I top up at every stage beginning with racking from primary, I generally get about 32 bottles. Or actually about 30 bottles with about 4 to 6 splits for early tasting.
Again, I only top up with similar wine, and it's often about two bottles once all is said and done


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[Putterrr]

The brew on site here tells customers the kits make 29 bottles. I myself get 31 but then I top up

cheers