RJ Spagnols Squeezing skins and tannin detection?

[rolsen99]

My primary fermentation just completed on my RJ Woodbridge Cab. Couple questions for the pros.

1. Is there a final conclusion on whether or not to squeeze the skins?

2. That leads to my next question. Are experienced vinters able to detect the amount of tannins in the must? With that experience, are they able to determine if they need more tannins in order to create a wine that will be better apt for aging?

 

[wineh]

I squeeze the skins. My reason though, is to get the sugars out of the bag so I can get a better before SG reading. As far as tannins (and other wine goodies) go, I would make a batch straight up, let it age appropriately and drink some before making any tinkering decisions. Remember, you will be making more! Others will disagree with me.

 

[rolsen99]

As far as tannins (and other wine goodies) go, I would make a batch straight up, let it age appropriately and drink some before making any tinkering decisions. Remember, you will be making more! Others will disagree with me.

I am going to make it per the instructions, I am just curious how the big guys do it. Wondering if they make decisions based on tannin taste and can detect / modify tannins accordingly.

 

[SouthernChemist]

Keep in mind that the grape skins included in kits are, from what I understand, a processed product. They're designed to add a certain amount of things (sugar, color, tannins, etc.). I don't think it would be possible to overextract them under normal conditions. Supposedly, this also prevents you from really reusing the skins in another fermentation like you could with unprocessed grape skins. I'm not sure if that is actually the case (never tried it), but I can see how it would be in the kit manufacturer's interest.

I squeeze the grapes every day myself.

 

[tonyt]

My primary fermentation just completed on my RJ Woodbridge Cab. Couple questions for the pros.

1. Is there a final conclusion on whether or not to squeeze the skins?

2. That leads to my next question. Are experienced vinters able to detect the amount of tannins in the must? With that experience, are they able to determine if they need more tannins in order to create a wine that will be better apt for aging?

1. There is NO final conclusion on ANY aspect of winemaking.
2. I find that most if not all red wine kits are designed slightly light on tannin and oak. I know that my family and I prefer dryer, oakier wine with long "chewy" tannins. So going in I know I will add fermentation tannin and oak powder to set color and I will be adding aging oak and finishing tannin to taste.

The suggestion above by Wineh suggesting you make the first kit exactly by instructions is excellent advice.

 

[Broge5]

I squeeze the stuffings out of the grape pack. But then again, I have nothing over 9 mo old


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[vabeachbear]

I squeeze the bag every day that I can all through the fermentation process. On the last squeezing, I put the skins in strainer funnel and smash like hell.

If you are asking what the big guys do during this process, I can only tell you that the bladder press we use at the winery I volunteer at, when we press the must, the end result is skins that are so dry, you'd think they were pressed a week ago.

So in my opinion, squeeze all you want, you can't squeeze more than a press normally does.

Tannin detection, I'd say good winemakers can detect, though some comes from the barrel aging also. I drink nothing under two years old, and I have no complaints with the tannin level, very good on all 9 big red kits I've made (the EP woodridge cab being one of them).

 

[rolsen99]

Thank you all for the replies!