Featured Article from August 2006 Newsletter:
The Selection Estate Series Crushendo is unique wine kit from Winexpert that comes with 18 liters of juice and a package of processed grape skins. Unlike other brands which just include unprocessed grape skins, stems and leaves, the Crushendo grape pack is processed to the point where all you have is the skins. They have also been processed in a way to maximize the results from using the grape skins which include increased body, flavor and aroma in your finished wine. There are currently four red wines available in the Crushendo series and certainly more coming in the future!
A number of home wine makers have experience frustration with the Crushendo’s due to the perceived difficulty of the first racking and the amount of mess created. Winexpert has not done a good job of explaining how to do this properly, so we have been experimenting with various ways to perform this racking to remove most of this frustration, significantly reduce the mess and prove that making a Crushendo is not that much additional work. Due to the grape skins, it is virtually impossible to use a racking cane or auto-siphon to get 6 gallons of juice. Even though a mess tip is included, it, too, will get clogged and you will be left with 2-3 gallons of “goo”. This is where the problems arise. “How do you get the wine out of that 2-3 gallons?” This tutorial will provide a simple and effective technique to accomplish this stage with relative ease.
In addition to equipment you normally use to make a kit wine, you will need a two gallon fermenting bucket and a large coarse straining bag. These items also come in handy for making small 1 gallon batches and fruit wines. We also recommend that you use 3 /8 ”racking cane, five feet of 3 /8” tubing and the small tubing clamp. Using the smaller size racking cane reduces the flow of the wine. As a result, the mesh tip included with the Crushendo, does not clog up as fast. This helps you to get more wine from the racking phase, resulting in less wine to get out of the lees (sediment).
To make a Crushendo, you must use a primary fermenter that is at least 7.9 gallons (30 liters) in size since your total volume will be roughly 6-1/2 gallons (25 liters) after adding the grape skin packet. A 6.5 gallon bucket will not work! The 7.9 gallon bucket is the only size bucket included in ALL of the starter packages sold by us.
After you have cleaned and sanitized your equipment and added the bentonite to the bucket, begin the Crushendo by:
<UL>
<LI>Making the kit to a full 23 liters before adding the grape pack and oak. This is very important to the stability of the finished wine and functioning of the fining agents.
<LI>Stir the batch well and then add the grape skin pack to the fermenting bucket. Cutting off the corner of the grape skin packet and squeezing the contents into the bucket slowly to prevent splashing works the best. </LI>[/list]
<UL>
<LI>Rinse out the grape skin packet using 1 cup only of warm water and add this to the must. Carefully stir the batch to incorporate the skins.
<LI>At this time, we want to check specific gravity before you add any oak packets that where included in your kit and your SG should be between 1.092 -1.100.
<LI>Open any oak packets and add all of them to your batch and stir them under the surface of the liquid. (Some kits can include multiple packets of oak)
<LI>Ensure the temperature is between 65-75° and sprinkle the yeast on top of liquid and do not stir. Cover and place your fermenter in an area with a temperature of 65-75°. </LI>[/list]
Please make note of the following:
<UL>
<LI>Your fermenter will be very full but there is enough room to complete this primary fermentation without it overflowing and making a big mess.
<LI>Making up your Crushendo and transferring to the secondary in an area that you can clean easily is recommended since it is quite possible to get some splashing due the added grape skin packet.
<LI>Use a sanitized spoon to gently stir your batch and push the grape skins under the surface of the liquid once per day. </LI>[/list]
<UL>
<LI>The primary fermentation will be very active once it starts and from my experience completes faster than most wine kits.
<LI>Test your SG after 3-5 days and it should be 1.010 or less. Remember the temperature of your fermentation area will affect the time it takes to get to the target SG (warmer=faster and cooler =slower).
<LI>When you reach the target SG of 1.010 or less it is time to transfer the liquid to a 6 gallon carboy. </LI>[/list]
Now comes the Wine Maker’s Toy Store way to simplify and reduce the mess of the first racking.
<UL>
<LI>Line the 2 gallon bucket with the large straining bag after sanitizing both and set aside.
<LI>Use your 3/8” racking cane with the smaller mesh filter (included in the Crushendo kit) to transfer most of the wine. The easiest way to start the siphon is place the tubing clamp on one end in the open position. Then fill the tubing with either water or your wine and close the clamp. Then attach the other end of the tubing to the racking cane. Place the racking cane in the primary and lower the end of the tubing with the clamp to the receiving carboy. Open the clamp and the wine should start to flow.
<LI>Keep the tip of the racking cane around 5” from the bottom of the bucket. This will help prevent the mesh filter from clogging too quickly.
<LI>Rack as much of the liquid as you can from the primary fermenter but don’t get too concerned if you can’t get more than 3.5-4.5 gallons. The whole purpose behind using the racking cane is to reduce the weight of the bucket. This makes the next step much easier as now you are dealing with 12-20 pounds of wine instead of 50 pounds.
<LI>Start pouring the liquid from your primary fermenter into the straining bag in the small bucket to catch the solids.
<LI>If you have more than 1.5 gallons of material in the primary you will have to perform this step more than once. When the 2-gallon bucket is full or the primary is empty, pour the liquid collected in the bucket into the carboy. A large funnel will help make this process easier. </LI>[/list]
<UL>
<LI>When the primary fermenter is empty, squeeze all the liquid from the solids that you can. You can either use sanitized gloves or your sanitized bare hands.
<LI>After squeezing all the liquid from the solids contained in the straining bag, transfer the liquid to the carboy and discard the solids.
<LI>Reusing the grape skins is not recommended by Winexpert since all the flavoring compounds have been extracted and you will do nothing but get harsh tannins at this point.
<LI>If you have more liquid than the 6 gallon carboy will hold you can put this excess into a clean and sanitized wine bottle and hold until you make the first racking when fermentation is complete. A #2 stopper will fit a standard wine bottle so it can be fitted with an airlock. </LI>[/list]
<UL>
<LI>Now your wine will sit another 10 days to complete fermentation and then be racked before stabilizing and fining. </LI>[/list]
We hope this tutorial will show that making a Crushendo doesn’t need to stressful or intimidating. True it has a few extra steps compared to a normal wine kit, but as anyone who has tried these wines will tell you the end result is well worth the effort!
The Selection Estate Series Crushendo is unique wine kit from Winexpert that comes with 18 liters of juice and a package of processed grape skins. Unlike other brands which just include unprocessed grape skins, stems and leaves, the Crushendo grape pack is processed to the point where all you have is the skins. They have also been processed in a way to maximize the results from using the grape skins which include increased body, flavor and aroma in your finished wine. There are currently four red wines available in the Crushendo series and certainly more coming in the future!
A number of home wine makers have experience frustration with the Crushendo’s due to the perceived difficulty of the first racking and the amount of mess created. Winexpert has not done a good job of explaining how to do this properly, so we have been experimenting with various ways to perform this racking to remove most of this frustration, significantly reduce the mess and prove that making a Crushendo is not that much additional work. Due to the grape skins, it is virtually impossible to use a racking cane or auto-siphon to get 6 gallons of juice. Even though a mess tip is included, it, too, will get clogged and you will be left with 2-3 gallons of “goo”. This is where the problems arise. “How do you get the wine out of that 2-3 gallons?” This tutorial will provide a simple and effective technique to accomplish this stage with relative ease.
In addition to equipment you normally use to make a kit wine, you will need a two gallon fermenting bucket and a large coarse straining bag. These items also come in handy for making small 1 gallon batches and fruit wines. We also recommend that you use 3 /8 ”racking cane, five feet of 3 /8” tubing and the small tubing clamp. Using the smaller size racking cane reduces the flow of the wine. As a result, the mesh tip included with the Crushendo, does not clog up as fast. This helps you to get more wine from the racking phase, resulting in less wine to get out of the lees (sediment).
To make a Crushendo, you must use a primary fermenter that is at least 7.9 gallons (30 liters) in size since your total volume will be roughly 6-1/2 gallons (25 liters) after adding the grape skin packet. A 6.5 gallon bucket will not work! The 7.9 gallon bucket is the only size bucket included in ALL of the starter packages sold by us.
After you have cleaned and sanitized your equipment and added the bentonite to the bucket, begin the Crushendo by:
<UL>
<LI>Making the kit to a full 23 liters before adding the grape pack and oak. This is very important to the stability of the finished wine and functioning of the fining agents.
<LI>Stir the batch well and then add the grape skin pack to the fermenting bucket. Cutting off the corner of the grape skin packet and squeezing the contents into the bucket slowly to prevent splashing works the best. </LI>[/list]
<UL>
<LI>Rinse out the grape skin packet using 1 cup only of warm water and add this to the must. Carefully stir the batch to incorporate the skins.
<LI>At this time, we want to check specific gravity before you add any oak packets that where included in your kit and your SG should be between 1.092 -1.100.
<LI>Open any oak packets and add all of them to your batch and stir them under the surface of the liquid. (Some kits can include multiple packets of oak)
<LI>Ensure the temperature is between 65-75° and sprinkle the yeast on top of liquid and do not stir. Cover and place your fermenter in an area with a temperature of 65-75°. </LI>[/list]
Please make note of the following:
<UL>
<LI>Your fermenter will be very full but there is enough room to complete this primary fermentation without it overflowing and making a big mess.
<LI>Making up your Crushendo and transferring to the secondary in an area that you can clean easily is recommended since it is quite possible to get some splashing due the added grape skin packet.
<LI>Use a sanitized spoon to gently stir your batch and push the grape skins under the surface of the liquid once per day. </LI>[/list]
<UL>
<LI>The primary fermentation will be very active once it starts and from my experience completes faster than most wine kits.
<LI>Test your SG after 3-5 days and it should be 1.010 or less. Remember the temperature of your fermentation area will affect the time it takes to get to the target SG (warmer=faster and cooler =slower).
<LI>When you reach the target SG of 1.010 or less it is time to transfer the liquid to a 6 gallon carboy. </LI>[/list]
Now comes the Wine Maker’s Toy Store way to simplify and reduce the mess of the first racking.
<UL>
<LI>Line the 2 gallon bucket with the large straining bag after sanitizing both and set aside.
<LI>Use your 3/8” racking cane with the smaller mesh filter (included in the Crushendo kit) to transfer most of the wine. The easiest way to start the siphon is place the tubing clamp on one end in the open position. Then fill the tubing with either water or your wine and close the clamp. Then attach the other end of the tubing to the racking cane. Place the racking cane in the primary and lower the end of the tubing with the clamp to the receiving carboy. Open the clamp and the wine should start to flow.
<LI>Keep the tip of the racking cane around 5” from the bottom of the bucket. This will help prevent the mesh filter from clogging too quickly.
<LI>Rack as much of the liquid as you can from the primary fermenter but don’t get too concerned if you can’t get more than 3.5-4.5 gallons. The whole purpose behind using the racking cane is to reduce the weight of the bucket. This makes the next step much easier as now you are dealing with 12-20 pounds of wine instead of 50 pounds.
<LI>Start pouring the liquid from your primary fermenter into the straining bag in the small bucket to catch the solids.
<LI>If you have more than 1.5 gallons of material in the primary you will have to perform this step more than once. When the 2-gallon bucket is full or the primary is empty, pour the liquid collected in the bucket into the carboy. A large funnel will help make this process easier. </LI>[/list]
<UL>
<LI>When the primary fermenter is empty, squeeze all the liquid from the solids that you can. You can either use sanitized gloves or your sanitized bare hands.
<LI>After squeezing all the liquid from the solids contained in the straining bag, transfer the liquid to the carboy and discard the solids.
<LI>Reusing the grape skins is not recommended by Winexpert since all the flavoring compounds have been extracted and you will do nothing but get harsh tannins at this point.
<LI>If you have more liquid than the 6 gallon carboy will hold you can put this excess into a clean and sanitized wine bottle and hold until you make the first racking when fermentation is complete. A #2 stopper will fit a standard wine bottle so it can be fitted with an airlock. </LI>[/list]
<UL>
<LI>Now your wine will sit another 10 days to complete fermentation and then be racked before stabilizing and fining. </LI>[/list]
We hope this tutorial will show that making a Crushendo doesn’t need to stressful or intimidating. True it has a few extra steps compared to a normal wine kit, but as anyone who has tried these wines will tell you the end result is well worth the effort!
