No i personally transfere to secondary even though it ferments to dry. After that many days it is not likely that the SG will be very high at all but can happen i suppose, but with what i have experienced i t usually is dry at that point then i rack to a secondary and it also helps immensely with degassing as there seems to be a lot less gas when stabilizing.
Cellar Craft CC Showcase Yakima Valley Syrah
- Thread starter ibglowin
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I don't do this, Tony, but my understanding is fermenting for 14 days in the primary and then stabilizing. I like to let the wine finish the fermentation under airlock and then stabilize on day 20ish. There are lots of ways to make kit wines and plenty of nice results.ttortorice said:
PeterZ
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Since I do most of my wine work on the weekends I go 14 days in the primary. When I transfer to glass I add the sulfite, and at that point I consider myself in bulk aging. I rack off the lees after a month. I often don't use the clarifiers, because I usually leave the wine in bulk aging for 9 months or more, racking every three months.
Since I vacuum rack, this takes care of degassing as well as clarifying. Then I filter and bottle.
Since I vacuum rack, this takes care of degassing as well as clarifying. Then I filter and bottle.
PeterZ said:
Two questions, Peter. Does "after a month" mean a month after pitching yeast, or after transferring to glass? And how do you manage your sulfiting? I'm guessing you either routinely add 1/4 tsp of KMeta at each 3 month racking or use a test kit to keep track of FSO2 levels.
Your technique sure simplifies the process! Like.
Bottling time for CC Showcase Yakima Valley Syrah!
Well, it has been a full year since I pitched the yeast on this guy and figured it was about time to get him into the bottle. Spent 3-4 months in the barrel and got a hefty tannin boost as well. Little extra shot of french oak beans at the end to layer the oak just a bit with the hungarian. Very nice left over glass after filtering and bottling. Lots of pepper and spice. If you like OVZ Zin you would love this wine. Great summer BBQ/Grilling wine. WA state has some of the best Syrah out there these days. This is a good one folks!
Well, it has been a full year since I pitched the yeast on this guy and figured it was about time to get him into the bottle. Spent 3-4 months in the barrel and got a hefty tannin boost as well. Little extra shot of french oak beans at the end to layer the oak just a bit with the hungarian. Very nice left over glass after filtering and bottling. Lots of pepper and spice. If you like OVZ Zin you would love this wine. Great summer BBQ/Grilling wine. WA state has some of the best Syrah out there these days. This is a good one folks!
Nice labels, Mike. I keep saying I'm going to order some from them and hasn't happened yet.
Anyway...... I bottled a batch of this back in mid-April. I was curious if you (or anyone) has any vendor documentation or experience on minimum and peak aging recommendations for the Syrah. George used to have this info on his site which was very helpful for planning, but that went away with recent site change. CC/Vineco don't list it either.
Anyway...... I bottled a batch of this back in mid-April. I was curious if you (or anyone) has any vendor documentation or experience on minimum and peak aging recommendations for the Syrah. George used to have this info on his site which was very helpful for planning, but that went away with recent site change. CC/Vineco don't list it either.
Those guidelines are so subjective, I am not sure they are worth posting which is why they went away probably. I am sure you could drink a Showcase kit at 4-6 months if you really wanted to. I would say the earliest for this kit would be 9-12 months. I added extra tannin so 12 mo is a minimum. I won't open the first split until 18mo. I now have 3 year old Showcase red wines that are drinking magnificent. I would fully expect them to be good for another 2 years but they probably won't last that long!
Nobody grows a better Syrah than Columbia Valley AVA. 
byathread
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Mike,
I bet this is drinking beautifully now (assuming its still around). Would you care to give an update? I understand the kit is being discontinued and I just need a final push to invest in it (as I have several kits waiting in the wings already).
Cheers.
I bet this is drinking beautifully now (assuming its still around). Would you care to give an update? I understand the kit is being discontinued and I just need a final push to invest in it (as I have several kits waiting in the wings already).
Cheers.
I have posted updates recently in other threads about this guy. It is now about 28 months old. I really don't start hitting my wines until the 2 year mark these days as the cellar inventory is deep enough to allow for full aging. It is really incredible. Absolutely one of the best kits I have made to date. Taste like a commercial wine all the way. NO kit taste whatsoever. I still have ~2 cases left out of the 30 or so bottles so it will easily last me into the 3-4 year range. If you can get one still run, don't walk to order it.
