WineXpert Classic Chile Cabernet Sauvignon 8L

[vezePilot]

Yesterday I bottled my 6 gallon batch of Cabernet. Between the two Carboy steps, I pulled out nearly a bottle and tasted it. I decided that I could perhaps make it more like my favorite, Auspicion ... by simply adding/blending that brand. So during bottling I poured two bottles of Auspicion into it.

This has produced a very tasty Cabernet. I'm letting it stand for a few days, and I'll apply labels and store it away. Image is of the first dozen bottles, total was 29 bottles after adding the Auspicion. (next up will be bottling a 6 gal batch of Moscato)

Oh, also ... that Portuguese-style Corking machine is awesome. I have mine set up on and screwed to a heavy stand more than a foot off the floor. This makes the whole process easier on my back.

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[Khristyjeff]

Yesterday I bottled my 6 gallon batch of Cabernet. Between the two Carboy steps, I pulled out nearly a bottle and tasted it. I decided that I could perhaps make it more like my favorite, Auspicion ... by simply adding/blending that brand. So during bottling I poured two bottles of Auspicion into it.

This has produced a very tasty Cabernet. I'm letting it stand for a few days, and I'll apply labels and store it away. Image is of the first dozen bottles, total was 29 bottles after adding the Auspicion. (next up will be bottling a 6 gal batch of Moscato)

Oh, also ... that Portuguese-style Corking machine is awesome. I have mine set up on and screwed to a heavy stand more than a foot off the floor. This makes the whole process easier on my back.
View attachment 77864
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Congrats. Sounds tasty, and you are now officially a "blender." I definitely need to jump on this bandwagon! My plan is to start blending some of my wines at bottling time. [Note above that I resisted the temptation to type "blendwagon." Seemed a bit too grown-inducing.]

 

[vezePilot]

It took me a couple of days to figure out how to add more than a half bottle to a full carboy, in order to do any blending. I must be slow, but then I realized I can use my Bottling Bucket made for beer. This 6 gallon brewing bucket has a spigot for the vinyl bottling tubing. (Everything is kept clean & sanitized, incl. this spigot.)

Siphon half of the carboy (~3 gal) into the bucket, pour in a bottle of <blend wine>. Use the bottling Wand for the first ~15 bottles. Then do the second half & second <blend wine> bottle.

In the photo above you can see the orange tape I used to mark full and half full on the carboy, for the Blending-While-Bottling ops.

I did taste this Cab before blending, and it seems that blending two bottles of something else in six gallons does make a discernable difference.

 

[winemaker81]

One 750 ml bottle into a 19 liter carboy is a 4% addition, so 2 bottles is 8%. Since some commercial blends list as little as 1% or 2% of a blending wine, it makes sense that 8% is a perceptible difference.

I typically bottle from the primary, so I'd add the 2 bottles to the primary, add K-meta, then rack in the main wine.

 

[vezePilot]

I have been away on a trip to Flagstaff, AZ for 10 days. I took three bottles of my Cabernet, and four bottles of my Moscato, with me. I stayed at the Little America hotel there. And I compared my Cabernet to several others. I tried two different Cabs at Little America, and a few others at restaurants. I cannot believe that on my first attempt with a 6 gallon WineXpert Kit the result is a wine that absolutely holds its own when compared to fine Cabs from established vineyards. All of my friends say the same thing.

I brought a few of the bottles of Moscato home with me. But we easily drank all of the Cabernet.

This was a church conference, and that is why I labeled my wine "Fellowship". This was perfectly fitting.

 

[vezePilot]

It’s time to start planning another batch of this Cabernet. I was very surprised at how well my first attempt at a large batch turned out. There does not seem to be any reason to change what I did to produce this wine. Just need to finally recover from an illness …

 

[winemaker81]

The time to plan is BEFORE you bottle the current batch. Wine evaporates much quicker than you may realize!

Good luck and perseverance on the recovery!

 

[vezePilot]

Now that I am down to the last 5 or 6 bottles of the Cabernet that I made, I have purchased a few bottles from local stores so mine lasts a bit longer. This includes the Auspicion Cab that I was enjoying last year. That is the same vintner that I added to my own, in the misguided assumption that it would make my Kit wine better.

Wrong.

I have gotten very accustomed to my own, made from the WineXpert Kit with grapes from Chile. Having some Auspicion again proves how INFERIOR it is. I WILL NOT be adding Auspicion to my next batch.

I still can't believe how well the Kit of Cabernet turned out.

I will also be starting another batch of the WineXpert California Moscato. These two are all I need.

 

[vezePilot]

Oh No! I forgot that the instructions say to keep the fermenter in an area where the temperature is between 68 and 77 F.
Doh! In the wintertime, we don't even keep the house nor the garage that warm through the night.

But then my wife reminded me that I have a ... uh ... small space ... walled off from the rest of the shed, way at the back. It is very well insulated, disguised and has wiring for lights and ventilation. The, uh ... statute of limitations has even run out for what I built it for, it's been that many years since I used it.

So this is an excellent little space that is kept warm using 86% efficient heat lamps with a thermo controller, and it is even partitioned into two smaller spaces so that the lights do not point directly at the fermenter(s). If it's sunny out, rooftop solar panels & a large battery array power the lights. Otherwise, a transfer switch automatically reconnects to the house. There is even a battery-protection circuit board that controls a large MOSFET to keep the batteries from excessive discharge through the inverter.

Fermentation is proceeding nicely.

 

[ChuckD]

Haven't tried it, but I heard you can add "what you built it for" to your wine with very good results!

 

[cmason1957]

During the winter, I ferment in my basement. It never gets much above 64F down there. It might take a day more, but not much more. I don't quite understand why kit manufacturers say 68 - whatever. The yeast they provide is good down to about 54 F, as I recall.

 

[oppyland]

During the winter, I ferment in my basement. It never gets much above 64F down there. It might take a day more, but not much more. I don't quite understand why kit manufacturers say 68 - whatever. The yeast they provide is good down to about 54 F, as I recall.

Yeah, same here, except my basement is a few degrees cooler. I've got a pinot grigio that's about done with primary, and I started batches of rhubarb and raspberry/rhubarb yesterday. Haven't had any issues with fermentation so far.

 

[winemaker81]

I don't quite understand why kit manufacturers say 68 - whatever.

You're an experienced winemaker and are comfortable waiting for fermentation, and knowledgeable to deal with any issues. OTOH, we get beginners posting in a panic, "I inoculated 10 minutes ago and the wine isn't fermenting!"

Ok, yeah, I'm exaggerating (by quite a bit), but we do get folks posting because fermentation hasn't kicked off in 24-48 hours. Starting at 68 F or above ensures a more timely fermentation. FWK do the 18-24 hour starter for exactly that reason, and it works. And produces a lot less nervousness among beginners.

I've had winter wines take 3+ weeks to ferment, as the temperature is 58-60 F. But I was expecting this so it wasn't a problem.

 

[Venatorscribe]

I have been away on a trip to Flagstaff, AZ for 10 days. I took three bottles of my Cabernet, and four bottles of my Moscato, with me. I stayed at the Little America hotel there. And I compared my Cabernet to several others. I tried two different Cabs at Little America, and a few others at restaurants. I cannot believe that on my first attempt with a 6 gallon WineXpert Kit the result is a wine that absolutely holds its own when compared to fine Cabs from established vineyards. All of my friends say the same thing.

I brought a few of the bottles of Moscato home with me. But we easily drank all of the Cabernet.

This was a church conference, and that is why I labeled my wine "Fellowship". This was perfectly fitting.

View attachment 79340

Interesting and pleasing to read. I made one of those smallish quantity kits a few months back. Its resting in a carboy presently but I must say it was a pleasure to ferment. There was not a large amount of oak included included in the kit so I used an additional 90 grams of oak ( during primary) from my supplies. At its first racking I was amazed at the colour, aroma and taste. So obviously the revised processing techniques employed in the concentration of the juice by the kit manufacturers has eliminated the “kit taste” by retaining more of the grape flavonoids…Good job WineExpert.

 

[vezePilot]

I have completed my second batch of WinExpert Classic Chile Cabernet Sauvignon. Who can argue with the wisdom of learning how to make wine, sticking with it, and continuing to produce ... in these trying days?



I have also a second batch of WinExpert California Moscato in process for nearly a week.

 

[Caroline_Hundley]

I’m making my first kit (winexpert 8l Malbec) and it says to keep the wine between 68 and 74 degrees during clearing but to keep it away from direct heat. I don’t keep my house that warm in the winter. I bought a heating pad with temperature control. Can I use that during clearing or does that count as direct heat?

 

[winemaker81]

I’m making my first kit (winexpert 8l Malbec) and it says to keep the wine between 68 and 74 degrees during clearing but to keep it away from direct heat. I don’t keep my house that warm in the winter. I bought a heating pad with temperature control. Can I use that during clearing or does that count as direct heat?

Once fermentation is 100% done, having a stable temperature is more important than the temperature itself.

I agree with not letting the wine get warmer than 75 F, if that is possible (not everyone has ideal conditions). Regarding low temperatures, as long as it's not freezing it's ok. My cellar is 58 F in the winter, so that's my storage temperature, and others have noted that they store wines in the lower 50's F. If your house is in the 50's or 60's F, you're fine.

 

[sour_grapes]

You do not need to keep it at those temperatures. You can keep it at a lower temperature; however, it will take longer to naturally degas. If you are not in a hurry to bottle, you can simply wait.

I don't know the answer about "direct heat." It would help to know WHY they say to keep away from direct heat, but I don't know that either!

 

[oppyland]

I agree with the other guys - lower temperature isn't a big deal, things just take more time. My basement is currently about 60* and I have a kit happily fermenting away, and several other different batches bulk aging.

 

[winemaker81]

You do not need to keep it at those temperatures. You can keep it at a lower temperature; however, it will take longer to naturally degas. If you are not in a hurry to bottle, you can simply wait.

Good point! If you manually degas, it won't matter. If you naturally degas, plan on bulk aging longer -- which is a good idea, anyway.