Cellar Craft Showcase Pinot Gris

[RJB]

Hi to all, I am wondering who has done this kit before (I assume Mike has, he gave me the labels

I started this kit on 7/23 at 1.062SG. Put it into secondary on 7/30 at 0.998. On 8/5 I found the SG at 0.984 - I was so surprised I checked it 3 times, and got the same result.

So... I racked it off, added the KC and the other stuff, and sealed it up. If it behaved like my other CC's I would expect it to be clear by now, but it is a translucent grey-greenish-yellow, with some fallout showing up on the bottom. (I guess the grey is the "Gris" part right?)

I am keeping it at around 75degF, and will probably take to stirring it daily, if nothing changes. Can't afford the vacuum pump at this stage, it costs as much as a Showcase kit!

Would be grateful if anyone can shed some light,

thanks

Bob, Maple Vly, WA

 

[ibglowin]

That one was a little bit slow to clear (this was during the Winter) and I had to warm it up and then it cleared nicely. Make sure you have it fully degassed. Try a Vacuvin if you haven't yet. They are easy and cheap and work very well at pulling CO2 out. It will not clear properly if its still loaded with CO2.

BTW, I have opened both my splits now and this is one amazing early drinker. Its ready to go and its only ~6mo old. The CC Showcase Chard is still not ready and it was made a week later.

 

[RJB]

Thanks for the tip. Might just bite the bullet with the pump. I also have the Showcase Chard and it is not ready. OTOH, my 6-month Viognier is wowing 'em at summer BBQ's. So is the Amarone although only 7-months, I hope I still have some left at 12 months.
Bob

 

[ibglowin]

My CC Viognier is ~20 months old now. I still have 15 bottles left and it just keeps getting better and better with each bottle we open. It is flat out amazing when paired with any spicy asian cuisine.

 

[Dugger]

Your starting and finishing SG's are both well on the low side - have you calibrated your hydrometer to make sure it is accurate?

 

[SpoiledRotten]

Your starting and finishing SG's are both well on the low side - have you calibrated your hydrometer to make sure it is accurate?

I noticed that those SGs seemed low, but you've raised a question from me... How do you calibrate a hydrometer, with it being a sealed unit? Just trying to learn everything I can from this forum. Thanks, in advance.

 

[Dugger]

Basically just float it in water and it should read 1.000. Each hydrometer has a temperature adjustment, usually noted on it, that you can factor in, but unless you have big temperature differences, it won't change it much.

 

[RJB]

I need to do that (the calibration). I have always had doubts about my SG readings, as they seem lower than what others have been quoting. That said, I have had NOTHING as low as 0.984 before.

 

[ibglowin]

Make sure and use distilled water for the calibration. Make sure to do it in the AM when its cool. The calibration on most all Hygrometers is at 60 degrees IIRC. You can find plug in formula pages on the web that will auto correct for a warmer temp.

 

[RJB]

Checked my hydrometer's calibration last night. In distilled water at 60degF, it read 1.002 - not quite what I expected. Can anyone explain an SG of 0.984 in my PG??

Maybe I need a new hydrometer.

 

[ibglowin]

Your one heck of a winemaker!

 

[Racer]

Alcohol is lighter then water. So the hydrometer will read lower then 1.000 when a wine is finished fermenting. Hopefully someone who can explain all the chemistry side of things can give a more detailed explanation for us. But there's at least a short answer for you.

 

[Rocky]

Checked my hydrometer's calibration last night. In distilled water at 60degF, it read 1.002 - not quite what I expected. Can anyone explain an SG of 0.984 in my PG??

Maybe I need a new hydrometer.

RJB, that is a really low final SG! From what you say your hydrometer is reading 0.002 high (assuming it was calibrated at 60 degrees F and this should be noted on the hydrometer or in the literature that came with it), indicating that the true SG of the PG is 0.982! You did not state you ISG, but I would assume something in the 1.095 to 1.085 range. Taking the midpoint of this range, 1.090 as a hypothetical, this would indicate an ABV of 14.2% which would be a very strong PG (which I am assuming is Pinot Grigio).

I would try another hydrometer.

EDIT: I JUST READ BACK TO THE BEGINNING AND SAW YOU INITIAL SG WAS REALLY LOW. SOMETHING IS REALLY AMISS HERE BUT AGAIN, I WOULD GET ANOTHER HYDROMETER.

 

[RJB]

I think I figured this out. At the start of this exercise, when I topped up the primary fermenter, after pouring in the juice, I added some extra water, maybe 1 litre. I was hoping to avoid my Viognier experience of having to top up with 2 bottles of store wine after racking to the secondary. Maybe I added too much water. 1 litre in 23 doesnt seem like much, however it is really 1 extra litre on top of 7 litres of water. If i misjudged the 1 litre, the dilution is even more.
So... not much i can do about it now, will move it under the laundry counter and leave it there, checking up occasionally to see if anything has changed.
Meanwhile, need the counter top to start my next Amarone.
thanks to all
Bob

 

[RJB]

Well... life goes on. and so does my Pinot Grigio, but it aint clearing. I am trying the vacu-vin trick, at the suggestion of several helpful folks on this forum. I have the wine (theoretically in the clearing stage) at about 76degF, with a vacu-vin on top of the carboy. Funny thing is, every time I pump the vacu-v the wine boils up like crazy, then slowly settles down. Been doing this for several days now. Anybody out thar have any idea how long I have to work the vacu-v before the CO2 quits?

thanks in advance

Bob

 

[ibglowin]

Maybe try the mix-stir one more time. Then hit it with the Vacuvin again. Let it settle once more and see if it clears any better. If its not any better after another week, hit it with another batch of Super Kleer. Just keep it warm.

I had a Showcase Viognier that was as stubborn as this and the 2nd dose of Super Kleer did the trick.

 

[RJB]

It finally cleared...

Well that did it Mike... thanks for the tip. I connected a vacuvin to the carboy, pumped it about 20 times a day for a week :{ then stirred, and applied another dose of KC. It cleared within about 24 hours. Not sure what it will taste like, this is the batch with the crazy-low SG. At the worst I might wind up with 6USG of cooking wine =:O
regards
Bob

 

[ibglowin]

Excellent! My CC Showcase Viognier that had the same problem turned out just fine and is drinking amazingly well these days!

We opened a bottle of my CC Showcase Pinot Gris with dinner on Thursday for a 6 months old wine its pretty darn good. Can't wait to let this guy get a few more months on it and its going to be even better.

 

[RJB]

Finally got around to bottling this batch on Monday. In spite of the weird SG and the fact that it took forever to clear, it actually tastes like real wine. Almost like a Pinot Gris. Time will tell I guess.

Thanks to all for the help...
Bob

 

[ibglowin]

Excellent news Bob. Just give it a few months to settle down a bit more and get some bottle age. I think you will be pleased with the outcome.