WineXpert Crushendo Kits

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masta

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Has anyone made any of the new Crushendo kits from Winexpert?


I know George hasmade one and tells me it should be great!Edited by: masta
 
I haven't made any of those Masta, too expensive and too much fruit in the freezer. I do need to make an order soon though for corks and yeast at the least.
 
First Crushendo Kit hasbeen ordered and can't wait to get it started and compare it to the Cellar Craft kit that is also in route!
smiley4.gif



I think I need to work more overtime!
 
Yes, everyone needs to work more for the Motherland! Please keep us informed on the crushendo kit.
 
I certainly will....received my first Cellar Craft kit yesterday and guess what...another leaker...WTF!


It isn't too bad but I can see why, these kitshave the grape skins packaged in a 1.5 L plastic bucket sitting on top of the juice bag.


Crushendo kithas shipped and it will be almost a side by side comparison ofthese kits. Told the wife she will be manning the sanitized spoon to stir these babies during the day will I am off making the loot to pay for them.
 
Good idea Scott, and I agree with you, the jug sure would be mashing and rubbing aloton a long journey while the box is being tossed around by people who aren't paying for it.
 
I have the Crushendo Syrah in 'secondary'. The color is amazing and the smell is fantastic. It was a bit tricky getting all the juice into the carboy from the primary. Ended up with a makeshift funnel with a screen to gently press some juice from the skins. Probably as close to making wine from grapes as I'll get for several years. Probably will oak with some beans after the fining and stabilizing in a couple of weeks.


robb
 
Sounds great...can't wait to get my Crushendo going. I have read other posts and and squeezing the juice from the skins seems to be common....can't waste that precious juice!
 
Thanks for the info on that Crushendo Syrah, Robb. Please keep us informed about it and how well the oak melds with it.
 
Robb,


When you racked the Crushendo from the primary were all the skins on the top or was there some at the bottom? I have been reading up on the best way to handle getting all the juice from the skins and my plan is to use a nylon straining bag I have and squeeze the life out of them.


Thanks
 
That should work, Scott. If you are starting another red wine or dark fruit wine immediately after racking the kit wines to glass, you can save the skins and other lees with yeast and use all that to start the next batch. You just might end up with an interesting character in the new wine.
 
The majority of the grapes were at the bottom of the primary. So, when racking to the secondary, siphon from the top of the primary and slowly lower the tip of the siphon to the bottom of the bucket. I did end up just pouring the remainder of the spent yeast, oak and grapes into the funnel to filter
 
i squeezed all i could out of it... i was suppose to bottl last week, but it was fizzy... i racked it over at 0.980 sg and the only thing i could think might have caused this is that i did not put all of the chitosin in because it was too full... any ideas on what to do to get the "fizzy" out ??... i racked to another carboy and whipped it for about 3 minutes (lots of foam) waited 2 hours and whipped it again for10 minutes (lots of foam again) and thought i'd let it set for another month. There was still some foam when I stopped whipping it, but not nearly as much...(i used a whip degasser, drill speed on low and medium)... also, had a very dry taste, lots of tannin, anyone else try theirs yet?? hopefully it will balance out w/ age
 
Haven't tried those kits. Next time you will remember to start degassing at the stabilizing and clearing stage, right? The wine will be great, I'm sure.
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i used the whip for degassing during stabilizing, just as the instructions said, once before the chitosin, and once after... not sure what happened??? or if i corrected it??
 
Degassing once before and once after the addition of the fining agent
is the WinExpert recommended method. They don't say that we can over-do
it. I recommend stirring even more. Bubbly CO2 keeps dead yeast cells
in suspension and that tastes harsh! I wonder though, what the
pros do, when they have a 350 gal steel barrel that needs the CO2
kicked out ????
 
They get the super de-gasser out! I wonder if it as much as a problem with an oak barrel. Since the oak allows oxygen in, maybe it also lets CO2 out. Just a thought.
 
It's just the same deal as bulk aging, I am thinking. The CO2 just dissapates slowly. That's how it happens with me alot. Another reason to not rush into bottles.
 
New Crushendo coming out this month!


Info from Tim Vandergrift:
<DIV =postcolor>"Announcing . . .

Crushendo Montagnac Vieux Chateau d’Oc


Appellation: La Cave Montagnac, France

Languedoc-Roussillon (lang-dock roo-see-onh) is one of the oldest and largest wine growing regions of France. Running from the sun-drenched shores of the Mediterranean to the border of Spain and the Pyrenees mountains, it has a wine making history reaching back centuries. The combination of a perfect Mediterranean climate and rich soil explains why Languedoc-Roussillon is one of the most successful wine regions in France.

Named for Occitan, (oh-kit-onh) the language of ancient troubadours, this wine is a special blend of the renowned grape varieties traditional to the region: Mourvèdre, Carignane, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Viognier.

Vieux Chateau d’Oc is a bold wine, ruby red in colour with a deep, dark plum and blackberry bouquet showing subtle accents of chocolate. Rich, lush and complex; soft black fruit combines with a hint of spiciness that follows through with a firm, tannic finish on the palate.

Harvest Conditions:

pH 3.4

Brix 21.6°

T.A 5.00

Similar Styles: Selection Vieux Chateau du Roi, French Syrah, Crushendo Santa Ynez Valley Syrah.

Food Pairings: Leg of lamb, braised short ribs; peppered steak; liver terrines; duck/goose liver paté; ripe cheese with walnuts.

Sweetness Code: 0 (Dry)
Body: Medium-Full
Alcohol by Volume: 12.5% – 13%
Oak: 60 grams French Oak

Ageing: This wine will be very tempting to drink young, with its gripping tannins and plum and blackberry fruit, but only after a full year in the bottle will the delicate floral character of the Viognier blossom out against the backdrop of mellowed tannins from the Mourvèdre and Carignane and the rich fruit of the Syrah and the mouthwatering blackberry of the Cabernet Sauvignon. Extended ageing (up to 2 years) will bring extended rewards to the patient!"
 

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