Cellar Craft Just Started 2009 Downunder Trio Kit (w/photos)

[RJMehr]

Last night I started my first Cellar Craft kit, the 2009 Limited Downunder Trio (Cabernet,
Grenache and <st1lace wt="on"><st1ity wt="on">Shiraz grapes). My first time with grape packs/skins. I am posting photos of the complete process. My only problem will be waiting 1 year to drink this wine.

The box for CC Showcase kits is much larger then the 4-5 week kits. I am having a problem inserting more then one image per posting so I will try posting the rest of the images in the next posting.







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[Grumpy]

I completely understand as i always have a hard time aging my wine but if i try a bottle once a month it seems to show me where the wine is in the aging process and i enjoy that as well.

 

[RJMehr]

More photos of my first CC kit. My old, no longer used darkroom has become my winery production room.

It really is working out quite nicely for making my wines.

The supersize grape pack in warm water to make the grapes easier to get out of the bag.

Mixing bentonite in warm water.

I had to move very quickly to have time to take this photo before all the juice was emptied into my 8 gallon plastic bucket.

This juice was very foamy when I poured it into the bucket. No fermentation is taking place yet.

Mix, mix, mix, I love having the Mix-Stir, saving my arm a lot of stirring.

The arm of my wife, Mary, adding the grape pack to the must.

My SG was only 1.086 +0.02 (temp correction). I thought it would be higher.

I added the oak chips directly to the must. I now wish I had either added it to the grape pack or a muslin bag. I think it will be a mess when I have to rack for secondary fermentation.

Adding the bentonite to the must. The must already has a nice smell to it.

Pitching the yeast. Now the fun begins.

Time to let the yeast gods go to work.

 

[Rocky_Top]

Thanks for sharing the pictures. Now you need to start another one to keep from drinking this one.


Your dark room does make a nice wine room. I got down to the last picture and thought to myself Wow!!, these are nice pictures. Then it hit me, dark room, nice pictures,photographer. I was a little slow.

 

[NorthernWinos]

Love the wine room....
Thanks for sharing the pix.....

 

[RJMehr]

I am a wedding photographer in the Washington, DC area so these photos had better be good.

Up until about 5 years ago, I used my darkroom all the time but with digital photography, now I sit behind my computer and play with pixels.

I am so glad I discovered wine making. My wife was starting to have plans for my darkroom.

Tomorrow, I will start my CC 5 week Global Cuvée Barbera kit. I already have 2 RJ Spagnois 4-5 kits (Chardonnay &amp; Merlot) getting ready for bulk aging.

Robert

 

[Rocky_Top]

Your skill shows. Quick save on the new wine room.I would hate to loseit to a sewing room.
I like your fermenter. I see that you have not got that shipping label off yet either.

 

[Wade E]

Is that the instructions for the Cellar Craft to add the bentonite then, usually it is added first to just the water and must, dont think it really matters, just curious. Dont foget that all those grapes are going to boost that sg up a bit. I would not let that drill lean on the side like in the pictures with all that pressure on the plastic sirrer, they are pretty strong but dont want it to snap on you and after some use they will develope week spots.

 

[RJMehr]

With the RJ Spagnois kits I have made, the directions called for the bentonite to be added to the container before adding the grape juice.

Since this was my first CC kit, I followed the Cellar Craft directions as they were written. It called for the bentonite to be added after the juice, grape pack, and oak chips were added. I thought it was kind of odd and read the directions 3 times before I started.

Robert

 

[uavwmn]

rj, great pictures of the winemaking process. And nice wine room also!!

 

[K&GB]

RJMehr,


Great job. Very nice pics! I recently did the CC Cabernet-Merlot kit. My SG was around 1.084 initially, but jumped to 1.096 after mixing in the grape pack really well. Good luck with the waiting.


Ken

 

[Waldo]

Great pictures, thanks for sharing them

 

[PeterZ]

RJ, is that an Omega D5? I used to have one of those, but gave it up when I moved. Just don't use film any more.

 

[RJMehr]

Peter,

The enlarger is a Omega D2v, a model older then the D5. I purchased this enlarger in 1968 when I was in college. I used the Omega D5 enlargers in the 1970-80's.

I have lugged the enlarger from Montana, California and now Virginia. It still works great, but I have not made any prints in my darkroom since 2003.

I am 100% digital with my photography. I now have a Epson 4800 professional inkjet printer that will print up to 17 inch wide. I use the Epson for almost all my printing needs now.

Since, I have found my new hobby/obsession is wine making, the darkroom with a sink and lots of cabinets and countertop space is perfect as a wine production room.

I have a RJS Grand Cru Chardonnay that is undergoing the Battonage treatment, in Primary fermentation stage- RJS Grand Cru Merlot (added 1 pound of Currants), CC Downunder Trio, and CC 5 week Barbera.

My wife said yesterday that the house was starting to smell like a brewery. I replied, "we do have a brewery in the house."

 

[Dean]

I didn't even try to look at the tags on the photos, but what do you shoot with? Are you in the Canon camp or Nikon camp? I'm just an amateur myself, and mostly do action and sports photography. I shoot with a Canon 40D and various lenses of mostly L series glass.

 

[RJMehr]

I am a Nikon man. Bought my first Nikon in 1963 when I was in high school. A lot of photographers have switched to Canon in the digital world. Canon does make some nice cameras.

I now use a Nikon D700 (great camera) and a D300 as backup.

 

[TyTheGuy]

Nice pics. Two hobbys I love. Wine making and photography. Wish I could afford to do both at the same time. Good luck!

 

[Jack on Rainy]

Enjoyed your picts, Robert! Is that a timer you have the brew belt pugged into?

 

[RJMehr]

Hi Jack,

Yes, I have my brew belt plugged into a timer that is normally used to turn a lamp on/off in the evening. My brewing room is in my basement which is normally about 63-65 degrees. I found that if I just plugged the brew belt into the outlet, it warms the must up to 74-76 degrees (F). Then, when I pitched the yeast and fermentation started, the temperature zoomed to 79-81 degrees.

I have the timer set to turn on for 15 minutes every 45 minutes. Now, the temperature is maintained at about 70 degrees, when the fermentation is very active, the temperature raises to 74 degrees. I am trying to hold the temperature during most of the fermentation at about 70-71 degrees (F).

I do this for my red wines, for whites, I have read that the temps should be slightly lower.

Robert