RJ Spagnols Malbec kit question

[greyday]

This probably falls under the "Huh, I guess there ARE dumb questions" category, but:

I have a 6.5 gallon jug of malbec from an RJS kit in the basement. Thing is, the instructions say to bottle after 14 days; it's been down there a month and I keep forgetting to do it. Logically I know that, with the airlock, it really doesn't make much of a difference, but it's my first kit and I have no idea what was in the numbered packets I added, and without thorough knowledge of each stage I wanted to make sure I hadn't just ruined it (it was a freebie, given away on craigslist, so I'm not OVERLY concerned, but I don't want to have wasted 6 gallons of wine...). Any thoughts?

 

[cpfan]

6.5 gallons topped up? Then you're OK. Might be a bit weak since the kit is only designed to make 6.0 gallons.

6.5 NOT topped up. Bottle as soon as possible (ie this weekend). You're probably fine.

FREE kit from craigslist. Do you know the daye from the box? This would be my biggest concern.

Steve

 

[greyday]

Daye? Like date packaged or expiration? I don't, I think the batch was 2010 maybe; I definitely remember thinking "Huh, not THAT fresh, but it's not that old either"...

EDIT: and yes, topped up. I thought it was a little odd to be adding more water at the end, but I usually work with fruit wines in 1, 3, and 5 gallon batches, so I didn't really know what to think (and hadn't gotten to the "use other wine to top up" stage yet)...

 

[cpfan]

Daye? Like date packaged or expiration? I don't, I think the batch was 2010 maybe; I definitely remember thinking "Huh, not THAT fresh, but it's not that old either"...

EDIT: and yes, topped up. I thought it was a little odd to be adding more water at the end, but I usually work with fruit wines in 1, 3, and 5 gallon batches, so I didn't really know what to think (and hadn't gotten to the "use other wine to top up" stage yet)...

Yep..date. Sorry, I don't type too good before 6am. (or at any other time for that matter.)

Steve

 

[PCharles]

Topping Up

Daye? Like date packaged or expiration? I don't, I think the batch was 2010 maybe; I definitely remember thinking "Huh, not THAT fresh, but it's not that old either"...

EDIT: and yes, topped up. I thought it was a little odd to be adding more water at the end, but I usually work with fruit wines in 1, 3, and 5 gallon batches, so I didn't really know what to think (and hadn't gotten to the "use other wine to top up" stage yet)...

I topped off my first kit with water. It diluted the flavor and I've not done that again. Next time, top off with a similar wine.

Degassing was another problem I had with my first few kits. Do you have a vacume pump? They really work wonders with kits. CO2 does have a taste that you want to avoid. You might want to check out degassing before bottling.

Best of luck,
Paul

 

[robie]

Yep, red kits are already a little thin, compared to wine fermented on a full compliment of skins. Topping off with water just makes it even more so.

If you don't have a like wine, top off with Merlot. Merlot is more of a neutral taste profile and will blend well with any red.

 

[Wade E]

Im guessing this is like a 10 liter or c lose kit so yes if this is a 6.5 gallon carboy your wine will be very thin, but anyways, if you added the package of sulfite that came with this kit your fine for a few months as long as its topped up like you say and bottling at the stage they tell you to is not a good idea anyways as almost every wine will continue to drop out sediment despite using the fining agent they supply so leaving it down there for the time you have plus a little bit more is the better way anyway!!!! We usually bulk age our wine in the carboy this way for around 6 months or more.

 

[greyday]

Thanks all! Yes, I did degas using a drill bit degassing rod, but not to the extent that I have since. I ordered the pump thingy that gets advertised on here (after reading the reviews, sounded very worth the money) so when that comes I may degas with it first. Then perhaps add some cab or zin that I have that I don't need if it tastes thin (or even just pick up some malbec syrup from my local shop). I'm not too concerned with it tasting purely Malbec, I just want it to taste good enough to drink, it was a zero cost project but that doesn't mean I want to pour it down the drain!

Maybe I'll pull two bottles worth and replace it with my "top up" portion of my plum/syrah port; it would probably end up a bit odd flavored, but CERTAINLY not thin.

RE the water, I really wasn't thinking, as like I said I usually just make wine from the fruit that (over)grows in my yard.

And thanks especially Wade, as I don't have time to bottle this weekend, I'm glad to know I can leave it for a while. The kit instructions were weird in the timeframes (fermentation happened fast, two weeks for bulk storage seemed WAY under, etc.)...

 

[Wade E]

Typically fermentation happens faster then stated in the instructions but they state it that way so if it takes a little longer everyone doesnt panic but it usually kind of backfires as we get posts here all the time with people asking if their wine is ok as it fermented days faster. Temps can play a big role in a fast fermentation but sometimes its just a very healthy yeast strain.