RJ Spagnols Orchard Breezin Strawberry/Riesling

[Waldo]

A wine I had tried at Winestock 2007 ( Patricks Award WinningStrawberry/Zin ) led me to try this kit but alas I picked the wrong one. I got the Reisling blend instead of the Zin and didn't realize it until I got ready to do this post. Anyway, if it turns out nearly as good as Patrick's it will be a great one. This will be my first experience with doing total fermentation in the primary so a little anxious about it but I am sure RJ's knows what they are doing so I will follow their instructions.
My first observation on their kits was the ease in which the Bentonite dissolved and did not try to clump up .
I did notice that in the ingrediants pack there were 2 pakets of Sorbate. The instructions do not allude to their being two and wondering if they just inadvertently put in an extra packet. Perhaps someone can answer this for me.
Following the directions provided,( Did not tweak this one )I pitched the yeast to my must this morning at an SG of 1.060 and a must temp of 75 degrees. I now keep a record on my wines by adding text info to the pictures...works for me !!!

Also, this will be my first use of one the glass airlocks I recently acquired. Anxious to see it bubbling away.

Stay tuned for day 14 progressEdited by: Waldo

 

[masta]

Two packs of sorbate is not a mistake and you should use both. Not sure why your printed instructions do not mention this as it is in the instructions on the RJS website:

Package 2B: Potassium Sorbate (may contain 2 packages) Oak Chips (optional)<?amespace prefix = o />

and

5. Add Pkg. #2B Potassium Sorbate (if your kit contains 2 packages add both) to the wine and stir vigorously.

 

[Dean]

Yup, it needs both as there is a LOT of sugar to eat in that f-pack. If I can offer some wisdom on this, and all of the Orchard Breezin kits, is that they REALLY benefit from extending out the instructions after day 14. So after day 14, you degas, stabilize, sweeten, and add the fining agents, instead of waiting until day 28 to bottle, if you could rack at day 28 and wait until day 42, you will have a much better wine, that will not throw sediment in the bottles.

The main problem is that they use EC-1118 yeast on a low alcohol wine. By the time you add the F-pack, there is still a very high amount of yeast still left in suspension, and even though you've prevented them from replicating with the sorbate, the ones that are still there can eat! And eat they do, until they fall out. That usually takes more than 2 weeks, and 4 weeks works much better to ensure you will have a clear wine.

Even filtering doesn't seem to help, unless you first start with a #2 then go to a #3 to get the bulk of the yeast out.

 

[Waldo]

Thanks Masta and Dean.

A question Dean. What if after day 14, I rack to a carboy, cold stabilize a couple of days to kill the yeast, then add the sorbate and Kmeta, degass and then add the F-pack

 

[grapeman]

I know when I made the Orchard Breezin Cherry Pinot Noir this summer in June(I added 5 pounds of sugar to this one), it took 3 weeks to slow down fermenting and I gave it 4 weeks before racking, degassing, stabilizing, etc. I started the IM Blueberry Pinot Noir and a Mosti All Juice the same day. The IM(also 5 pounds sugar) was racked to secondary after a week and was done fermenting a few days later. The Pinot Noir was done about the same time as the Orchard Breezin Kit. I bottled the Blueberry Pinot Noir in September and it is very good. I bottled the Orchard Breezin Cherry Pinot Noir and it is Extremely Good. I feel the extended times for the Orchard Breezin really made a difference. It's like it has been been in the bottle 6 months. I did add 1/4 tsp K-Meta at bottling since it had been bulk aging for a few months.
The Mosti Pinot Noir is due to be bottled when I get around to it, but I'm not rushing it. I figure I have these other two Pinot variations ready to drink.


I would do as Dean said Waldo and give it a little longer times. It's really worth it Waldo.

 

[Dean]

Cold stabilization to kill the yeast would need to bring it down to about -4C for 2 weeks anyways, and that's a lot of energy required in Arkansas to bring 6 gallons down to 25F. It certainly would help drop all things out of suspension, BUT, it would not allow for degassing at all. You'd have to bring it back up to 75+ to degas effectively. At that point, you'd almost want to not use the clarifiers they pack in there, as they do require some residual solids to grab onto.

That's the main problem with super-kleer. It needs SOMETHING in there to work on, otherwise it just gives off tastes to the wine.

 

[Waldo]

The wine is happily "chugging" away. Want to see the or hear the glass airlock . When the fermentation first began it was soforceful it blew about half or better of the kmeta solution clear out the top of the airlock
http://s35.photobucket.com/albums/d186/wjjames26011/?action=view&amp;current=MVI_0873.flv

Edited by: Waldo

 

[Wade E]

Looks, ummmmm, sounds good!

 

[JWMINNESOTA]

As I think Joan would say, it bubbles with an accent!

 

[Waldo]

Racked the Strawberry/Riesling this morning, degassed and stabilized. Prior to adding the F pack it was a honey colored wine and I was assuming the contents of the F pack would add the strawberry color to the wine but this was not the case as it was about the same color as the wine. It is clearing now and is still a light colored honey color.
I would really like this to be a strawberry color.....could I add some food coloring to it? Anyone ever done this?

 

[NorthernWinos]

You could add a very small amount of WinExpert Red Grape Concnentrate...It can give a lovely color to drab wines...It doesn't take much.

 

[Waldo]

Super idea NW...Thanks...Going to go and try it right now.

 

[JWMINNESOTA]

It wouldn't take many strawberry's to change the color also, without imparting much of there flavor to the wine, OK even if they did I would think.

 

[OldWino1]

I like to add part of the f pack at first ferment and get acl to 10 to11 %. also make it to a 5 gal carboy. This after aging is pretty good for the ones that dont like fully bodied dry reds and whites. Hey they supply me with bottles I have to give them something they like.I have found the more wine like this you give them the easier it is to break them in to the Dry reds and whites.

 

[PeterZ]

I do the same with the IM kits. [Attention: what I do voids the warranty!!] With my next one I plan to add the entire F-pack to the primary, plus enough sugar to get to a PA or 9.5%. When it comes time to bottle I am going to experiment (bench test) on the "right" amount of Splenda to add (one packet/bottle? two?)


By the time the experiment is over my QC manager (SWMBO) will be snockered.

 

[Waldo]

Bottled my Strawberry Riesling tonight and NW's tip on adding the red grape concentrate worked beautifully on adding some color to it.

Has a very nice Strawberry nose and the strawberry flavor comes through nicely on the pallete too.

I believe it will be a keeper. I plan on ordering another one soon andtweak it a bit likepeter said he was going to do. Edited by: Waldo

 

[myway22]

Looks like a keeper Waldo. Also, if you are going to add sugar to an orchard or IM kit do you have to add it during primary? If not, at what other point would you add it?

 

[Waldo]

You needto add it during primary if you are wanting to up the finished ABV myway. If this is not the case then no additional sugar would be needed at all on these kits as they finish off pretty sweet