Dried Skins

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Berry Juice

Berry Juice
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Hello All, I just purchased a Mivino Cab and it came with dried skins.
Should I let the skins float free in the primary or put them in a bag?
It came with a cheesecloth bag. Is this for squeezing them during the 5 day primary or easier to transfer to the secondary, if you even do that for extended maceration.
This is my first kit with skins and was curious for what is the best process.
Thanks
 
bagging is a pain, The loose skins stay in the primary fermenter during the racking unless you are transferring with a very large hose. I just slop the remaining wet mess into the compost. If you are bagging and want to reuse the bag then cleanup is tedious and sanitation on the reused bag can be dodgy.
 
I also free float, I have found that the dried skins are much easier to rack off of then the wet skins packs.
 
I made the mistake of using a supplied cheesecloth bag in a fermonster. It was a giant pain, and messy, to get the bag of wine-saturated skins out. I'm free-floating from now on.
 
Just racked it to my secondary, and the free float skins just no issue. Majority of them sank to the Bottom.
 
I made the mistake of using a supplied cheesecloth bag in a fermonster. It was a giant pain, and messy, to get the bag of wine-saturated skins out. I'm free-floating from now on.
For some reason, I decided to use the bag om my latest skin kit. After I added it to the fermonster, I realized that getting it out will be a mess. I will have to find a way to avoid most of the mess, perhaps I will cut the bag open in the fermonster... Any suggestions?
 
I'm making wine from fresh Fresco Mondiale juice and used the bag with skins in the primary. It's convenient for me since I don't use the skins after the primary. Instead i just squeeze the bag and get all the liquid out then wrap the bag, put it in a ziplock and freeze it for next year.
 
For some reason, I decided to use the bag om my latest skin kit. After I added it to the fermonster, I realized that getting it out will be a mess. I will have to find a way to avoid most of the mess, perhaps I will cut the bag open in the fermonster... Any suggestions?

It might be tricky to reach in well enough to get a cut bag dumped out from inside the Fermonster. You may just need to don a pair of nitrile gloves and SLOWLY raise the bag out of the wine, trying to get some of the skins with each grab (so they're not all clumped at the bottom) and squeezing really well as you work it up and out of the vessel. If some skins do end up in a clump - larger than the Fermonster opening - at the bottom of the bag, stop any squeezing above the clump before trying to work the clump out of the opening, in order to minimize the amount of juice that runs down the outside of the Fermonster. You'll still probably get a little that runs down the outside, but if you're patient and go slowly, you should be able to minimize the mess.

It would be good to put a dark colored towel around the base of the Fermonster, and to have a bowl in place before you begin for placing the bag once it's out.
 
Is there a website that just sells dried Cab grape skins?

Not that I've found. The Mosti all-grape pack (wet) is the only grape skin add-on product (for wine making) that I've seen.

It's still kind of early on in my experimentation, but so far it appears I'm going to have decent results using a combination of Sunmaid zante currants (3/4 cup) and dried elderberries (1/2 cup) with regard to adding aroma and body.

I also did some experimenting with using the "Rayzyn" brand of wine raisins as an adjunct late last spring, but it will be a few months yet before I have a sense of how well that did or did not work.
 
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I've done it both ways .
It all depends on what you fermentation is done on .
Tub. Allowing them is always a good thing but be prepared to take more time in the removal.
In a bag remember to punch down twice a day, removal is a piece of cake.
The lane difference is your skills and experience and what you ferment in.
 
Can you tell me, if you allow them to free float, should they be stirred around at all? or just left alone to mingle?

(newbie here... thanks to all of the great posts and guidance from this group)
 
Hi,

New member and winemaker. I’ve been experimenting with pails of fresh grape juice - Cab sauv, Barolo, Malbec etc and have been looking to add more body to the finished wines. I was thinking about adding grape skins to my next batch. Is the Mosti All Grape pack still what people use or is there anything else available?

The instructions look like it’s from a kit. Do you just add one pack/6 gallon batch?

Thanks
 
Hi,

New member and winemaker. I’ve been experimenting with pails of fresh grape juice - Cab sauv, Barolo, Malbec etc and have been looking to add more body to the finished wines. I was thinking about adding grape skins to my next batch. Is the Mosti All Grape pack still what people use or is there anything else available?

The instructions look like it’s from a kit. Do you just add one pack/6 gallon batch?

Thanks

Why not just try making wine from grapes? You can buy the grapes already crushed, destemmed, and frozen, just waiting for you to finish the job...............
 
Why not just try making wine from grapes? You can buy the grapes already crushed, destemmed, and frozen, just waiting for you to finish the job...............

Like I said I'm new to this. I was only aware of the kits you can buy from like Master Vintner and then some wineries that import fresh juice without the skins etc.

Are you talking about frozen pails like this: http://winegrapesdirect.com/frozen-wine-grapes-juice-sale-buy-purchase/

Where is the best place to buy?
 

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