WineXpert Lodi Ranch Cab. Sauv. ABV

[Tuesdayafternoon]

Hi, I am about 9 mos. into my bulk aging of this cabernet. When computing the S.G. I'm coming up with an approx. finished wine of about 12.23%. I was wondering if this is normal for those of you who have made this one. Was also curious what the procedure is (at this stage) for bumping up the alcohol content by say 1-1/2%, or would this be inadvisable at this point? Any suggestions, comments really appreciated. Thanks!

 

[AZMDTed]

I've made three batches of it this year and my ABV is pretty consistent at about 13.5%. I can't help you on how to bump it up this late in the game, but do you have your starting and ending SG readings? Mine generally ended at about .988 to .99, pretty dry. Did you take the initial SG after giving the grape skin pack about 12 hours to soak into the juice? If not you might have a higher alcohol ABV than you think.

 

[jgmann67]

If you're 9 months in to bulk aging, there's really nothing left to do but bottle and enjoy. Ted is right, depending on when you did your OG, you may have a higher ABV than you think (something around 13.5 or 14%).

Good for you, btw, being able to bulk age for 9 months. I get antsy after 4 and am unbearable after 6. I'm interested to know what you think of this kit.

 

[wineh]

I concur with the above. When I make a kit with a grapeskin pack, I will get it in the primary for an hour or two, then squeeze the heck out of it several times. I find my SG goes from about 1.08 to 1.098 with the Eclipse kits. After fermentation, they get down close to .990, giving me an apparent ABV of around 14%. Consuming bottle of said wine seems to confirm that.

 

[Tuesdayafternoon]

Howdy, What you all have told me makes perfect sense. I believe I took the O.G. reading just after adding the pack of skins to the primary. It was 1.082 at that time. After secondary and clearing, it was sitting at .992. So, I probably didn't give the skins time to get mixed in and up the O.G. reading. I've done all high end kits, so guess I'll have to take your words of wisdom and do it correctly next time.
So, far I've been really happy with the wines I've made, but I'm wondering if my Eclipse Stag's Leap Merlot might have a bit of gas in it? Does this mellow out a bit after say a year in the bottle? I bulk aged that one a year also, and it's been in the bottle for 6 mos. Related question: should I be degassing my wine after bulk aging and just prior to bottling or is that unnecessary?

 

[Tuesdayafternoon]

Also want to add that I have no intention of trying to bump up the alcohol
content. Any addition of Dextrose or sugar would probably start up a mini-fermentation again and open a whole new can of worms for me I would think. Judging by responses I've gotten, my wine is probably sitting at about 13.5% now anyway. Life is good.

 

[Rocky]

You sent me back to my records because I am making the same kit. My initial SG reading was 1.091 but this was after a night of fermenting. I am not sure what the OSG was but it had to be close to that number. At worst, I am looking at an ABV of around 13%. We will see how it turns out.

 

[jgmann67]

So, far I've been really happy with the wines I've made, but I'm wondering if my Eclipse Stag's Leap Merlot might have a bit of gas in it? Does this mellow out a bit after say a year in the bottle? I bulk aged that one a year also, and it's been in the bottle for 6 mos. Related question: should I be degassing my wine after bulk aging and just prior to bottling or is that unnecessary?

Some may, but unless you're up for pouring the wine back and doing a degas, you may only have the option of degassing as you go.

I'm not the expert. But, I've learned that degassing wine in bulk aging is really a function of time and temperature. For the right amount of time and at the right temp, your wine will degas on its own.

A year in a Carboy should have been enough. But, CO2 won't release when the wine is below a certain temp (somewhere around 70*). Have you given you wine the "poof" test to see if you have an issue?

I degas my wine by putting it under a vacuum each time I transfer it between carboys and it seems to be working pretty well.