Bulk ageing

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ride0488

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Making Mosti Mondaiale all juice masters edition amarone w/raisins.Up to phase 2 on instruction sheet sg at 0.096 day 14 .It said to not add siligel and liquifel if bulk aging. I added the packet of sulfites that came with the kit.How long do I wait to rack it again.for bulk aging.It's not that clear on instruction sheet.I know it's 1/4 tsp every 3 months,but I already added the packet that came with the kit.Should I rack it again in 2 weeks to get it off sediment and not add more sulfites.I'm not sure what to too.thanks
 
Making Mosti Mondaiale all juice masters edition amarone w/raisins.Up to phase 2 on instruction sheet sg at 0.096 day 14 .It said to not add siligel and liquifel if bulk aging. I added the packet of sulfites that came with the kit.How long do I wait to rack it again.for bulk aging.It's not that clear on instruction sheet.I know it's 1/4 tsp every 3 months,but I already added the packet that came with the kit.Should I rack it again in 2 weeks to get it off sediment and not add more sulfites.I'm not sure what to too.thanks

Ride0488:

I've done a lot of the MM kits, including AJME kits and have seen the instructions you refer to. My personal thoughts, at your current stage, is that you basically have two choices based on your preference, they are:

1. If you plan to bulk age for an extended period of time, 6 months to a year, simply rack every 3 months and add KMS as needed to keep your free SO2 levels in the correct range for the ph of your wine (if not measuring either, the "rule of thumb" is 1/4 tsp KMS at each 3 month interval racking). With extended BA, the wine will clear and degas on its own during this period. MM kits like this one can take the full year, perhaps a bit longer sometimes. If you do this, no need for siligel and liquigel, sort of a "purist, natural" way to go. You can always add them later, wait for them to do their job, rack and bottle.

2. Add siligel and liquigel now, and if your wine is properly degassed, it will drop sediment quickly. You may wish to rack off of those lees before your next 3 month racking if they pile up in the bottom of your carboy. From there, continue your BA til you can't wait anymore, racking at each interval if you have additional lees, or just mixing in your KMS if you have no lees.

I'm pretty sure MM is moving away from the liqui/ siligel combo to chitosan, some wines have had clearing issues within their instruction time frames, but if you're bulk aging a longer time frame, it'll clear either way.

These kits don't start hitting their stride until after a year anyway, so why even have them in a bottle? Waiting the year+ will help ensure a clear, gas free wine goes into your bottles / cellar.
 

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