RJ Spagnols Grand Cru Valpolicella

[Vanterax]

Hi all,

I bought the kit this weekend and it comes with a generous amount of oak chips and grape skins along with a cheese cloth tube sock (for lack of a better explanation). It also came with two infusion bags (I think that's what they're called). Fermentation started this weekend with oak and grape skin in the cheese cloth. However, everything is floating to the top instead of being deep into the juice.

Does it make a difference whether the added "bonus items" are floating (i.e. diminishing oxygen exposure) or sunk to the bottom? If it's better to have those items submerged, is there a good trick to achieve this?

Right now, with that cheese cloth blob floating along with the two infusion bags, it's covering a large portion of the surface.

 

[mmadmikes1]

push bit down at least once a day, twice would be better

 

[joeswine]

push bit down at least once a day, twice would be better

what were the infusions? I made this wine two years ago and it was outstanding,just bottled it (fresh juice) it comes from a area in Italy called VALPOLICELLA,which is also the area in which the fabulous wine called amarone is produced........

 

[Vanterax]

what were the infusions?

I'm not sure. They look like two oversized tea bags. That's what the instructions call them.

 

[Dugger]

I'm not sure. They look like two oversized tea bags. That's what the instructions call them.

I believe they're oak sawdust bags, if I recall - these kits usually come with 2 bags of chips and 2 bags of sawdust. This sounds like a RJS Grand Cru International kit.

 

[Vanterax]

The oak dust came in two other bags that got mixed up in the cheese cloth bag with the grape skins. I have 3 large things floating in the fermenter:

1 big cheese cloth bag with oak and grape skins.
2 oversized tea bags that the instructions call infusion bags.

 

[joeswine]

when i made it i used raisins and a raisin tea along with French oat in a 12gallon batch,after primary,i added 1lb. of raisins and let them soak for a month,then powered oak,at the end of the first year i racked added 1lb. of raisins and more oak to balance to the flavor and tannins by now the deepness was starting to come thought ,took a sample to a winery and they did a acid test ,they instructed me to bring the acid level up to 3.5 and let it sit,Ive won two metals with this brew after two full years of manuring and and now I'm going to embark on a quest to make a true super Tuscan..

 

[Dugger]

The oak dust came in two other bags that got mixed up in the cheese cloth bag with the grape skins. I have 3 large things floating in the fermenter:

1 big cheese cloth bag with oak and grape skins.
2 oversized tea bags that the instructions call infusion bags.

Then perhaps it's the oak chips that are in the infusion bags - I'm pretty sure there would be 4 bags.

 

[Vanterax]

In any case, someone suggested that next time I could tie that cheesecloth sock to a heavy cup or beer mug (sanitized, of course) and that'll keep it sunk into the wine. Or fill it with sanitized marbles.

That wine is violently fermenting! Woke up this morning with foam overflowing (I don't secure the lid on the fermenting bucket. I just leave it loose), but it smells so good! I got great hopes for this one and will take my time.

 

[Vanterax]

I got to rack the wine out of the bucket this weekend so I opened up one of those teabags to see what's in there.

You were right, big chunks of oak chips while the cheesecloth bag has oak sawdust. Currently, the wine has a very strong oak flavor. I mean it's thick. The kit came with a big load of oak. I hope it will mellow out over time.