Stabilizing/fining question

[Travisty]

Hey everyone. My family and I are making an MM Chilean Malbec right now. We just completed the first carboy to carboy racking tonight and started degassing. No wine volcano so far! Woohoo!

Though I did manage to spill a few ounces on my parents kitchen floor during the racking process when I over estimated the reach of the tubing while I pumped the auto-syphon! Good thing my parents are very understanding, patient people.

Anyways, we are planning to bulk age this kit for about 6 months. In my first post here I was reminded to make sure and add an extra 1/4tsp K-Meta before letting it age, which I will plan on doing. I'm curious about the fining agents though. This kit comes with two plastic ampule things containing siligel and liquigel. The instructions say to add these after degassing and allowing the wine to clear before racking once more and then let it sit in this carboy for another 6-9 weeks, then bottle. Should we still add the fining agents as per instructions even though we're going to bulk age or would it be better to bulk age before adding the fining agents?

 

[Wade E]

i would add them now but you dont have to use them at all if you dont want to. It will just take more time to clear on its own. Some people dont use them but most do. i would add them now if you are going to use them as you will be able to rack off the sediment into a clean carboy and not have to rack again.

 

[Travisty]

Excellent! Thanks Wade!

 

[smurfe]

What I do is proceed like I am going to bottle. When the wine is clear and ready to bottle I rack the wine again, add an extra 1/4 tsp of K-meta or Na-Meta and rack to a carboy and then let it age. Many times I will even filter the wine to a carboy and then just let it bulk age.


As Wade stated though, you don't have to though. For me, it just seems to save time in the future when you do decide to bottle. You simply pull the carboy out and transfer it to the bottles.

 

[joeswine]

FOR the best results do as instructed,the kit manufactures expect their product to do something at a point in time according to there process,thats what your supposted to do at that point in time,when in kitville do as they do

then there is no going astrasy and the product is correct or should be "ENJOY

 

[Travisty]

smurfe, I like that idea of proceeding like you are going to bottle. It sounds like it makes the bottling process smoother.


joeswine, so you don't think we should bulk age? I was under the impression that the instructions were just saying when we could bottle, but not really when we had to bottle.

 

[grapeman]

Generally the kit makers say it will be ready to bottle at that point and don't say you have to bottle then. I vote to bulk age whenever the opportunity presents itself. I feel I get a better finished product because of it. Being in the carboy helps protect it to wide temperature swings while getting some aging on it.

 

[joeswine]

I think ,temp/swings will effect no matter what container ,in this case glass,but one 6 gal. unit verses 25- 750mi bottles in the same environment doesn't matter,at least in the bottle stage you can sample as the product matures along and thats the point and fun about bottle ageing,you figure on an average a kit is in the carboy for at least 3 to6 mos. before you really think about were you are with it,bottle it thats my thoughts,enjoy as you go along, different from fresh juice ,their early riasers thats what makes them a kits//

Edited by: joeswine

 

[myway22]

Question, you top up and wait for your wine to clear, lets say during the clearing process you get some more sediment at the bottom of the carboy. Now going by smurfes process, you proceed as if you were going to bottle. Rack to a clean carboy, add the K-meta, filter it to another carboy to bulk age. With that sediment being left behind, no matter how little it is, do you need to top up again?

 

[grapeman]

If it is just a dusting it won't amount to much. So if you add a bit of k-meta to just a touch of water or wine, it will be topped up when done.

 

[joeswine]

myway22//you used the term filter,if the wine is a white than filter through a mech.device, its good polish thats if you want to,if a red no need for that,you figure with a kit you will rack at least 3/4 times that should be enough for most kits to clear,because your putting a finding agent in the beginning and at the end if your not its a great habit to get into

I do this with all my wines xcept fresh fruit//

Edited by: joeswine

 

[myway22]

But if you do bulk age, it needs to be topped up, right?

 

[Wade E]

Definitely!

 

[joeswine]

YES<YES>YES<YES<