Mosti Mondiale La Bodega started

[Travisty]

Hey all, all the reading I was doing on the port kits got me all excited to try a La Bodega so I ordered one up from George!

Anyhoo, I got it started today. The must just got up to temp so I am rehydrating the yeast as I type and will pitch in about 5 minutes. Te directions say to add the raisins after fermentation has started and then to strain them by squeezing later in cheesecloth after racking to the secondary. Is that how everyone has done it or have you put the raisins in a nylon straining bag during primary fermentation and then just ring them out instead of putting them into the cheesecloth?

 

[Duncan]

I just dumped them in. Then used a spoon to put them in a bag and squeezed. Then racked. The La Bodega has become my favorite since George let us sample it at the winestock last August.

 

[JWMINNESOTA]

Been contemplating doing the La Bodega myself, be interesting to follow along while you make this one!

 

[Wade E]

I also just dumped them in and used a small strainer to remove them and squeeze all the goodness out of them. I even added a little more heavy toasted oak to mine and bottled 2 weeks ago, the oak has to settle in for some time but I love it.

 

[Waldo]

Wade, did you have to keep them punched down during fermentation

 

[Wade E]

I stirred them occasionally but there is not so much that they are out of the must like having a big bag of fruit in there.

 

[Travisty]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I went ahead and dumped the raisins in this morning. The already fermenting must immediately bubbled more rapidly as if to thank me for the gift of delicious raisins!

 

[Wade E]

This is a great kit and will do this 1 again.

 

[Travisty]

Welp, it's day 5 and the SG is 1.019. The instructions said that it would take about 8 days to get to this point, but I had read that this kit is a fast fermenter so I've been checking it the last couple days. Scooped out the raisins and put them in a straining bag and squeezed what I could out of them. It seems like there could have been more juices in those raisins but I did the best I could with my hands. Racked to a 3 gallon carboy and a 750 mL bottle. I like how there was enough extra to save some for topping up later.

 

[Wade E]

Me too travisty, this is a great kit and i like how Mosti seems to have always have extra. Its most likely that there was nothing left.

 

[Travisty]

Yeah, you're probably right wade. I tasted one of the raisins before I tossed them and it was pretty much void of taste.


I'm really looking forward to drinking this port! I'm going to try and make it a 'next winter' port if I can keep my hands off it long enough.

 

[Val M]

Travisty, I made two of the La Bodega Port Kits. I added Christian Bros VSOP to one and E&J VSOP to the other. They are both going to be fantastic! Great choice.

 

[MO-WINEAUX]

Wade, if you see this ,wanted to let you know that i took your advise and called George and had him send me the La Bodega kit. Shipping was fast and so was the fermintation, it took off like a dirty shirt. got it racked to glass now. its bubbling like crazy. didn't realize it was an all juice type kit. OWHN had to woman handle it in off the porch and out of the sun. didn't want to cook it to jelly. She tried to feed the squeezed out rasins to the squirrels, but the rasins turned to pea gravel in the sun. ( thats all I need is a back yard full of tipsy squirrels )

tnx again everybody ( Lord knowsI need the help )
JC

 

[Wade E]

This is an awesome kit and you will be happy with it.