WineXpert Stretch that dollar: creshendo kits?

[rshosted]

Ok, Hopefully this is the right forum for this idea/question.

I recently did a crushendo kit and haven't tried it, other than when I bottled it... but it was*very* good, with a complex flavor I have never had in a kit wine before. Since these kits run about 50% more than 'regular' kits, here's my idea.

Buy a Creshendo kit and do it like normal. Upon racking from the primary fermenter, reuse the skins/yeast with another non-creshendo kit.

I am thinking of doing a Crushendo Montagnac Vieux Chateau d’Oc kit, and after racking from the primary, putting a Selection Luna Rossa in with the skins.

My thought is, the Luna Rossa is supposed to have the 'most' body of the Selection kits and would only be better with a few more complexities. Since most the sugar would be out of the skins, it would strip the last bit of tannins from the Montagnac skins. and improve the Luna Rossa...?

Has anyone put a different grap skin in for a different juice?

I appreciate anyone's input or thoughts on this.
-Ryan

 

[smurfe]

I have seen this idea posted many times in various forums and guess it has been tried before. The consensus from everyone was don't waste your time. Every bit of good has been taken from the skins with the first batch.


I haven't done a Crushendo yet but have done a couple Cellar Craft kits with the grape packs and with these kits, as others have stated, there was not much of anything left to recycle after there kits were finished. It looks like there is but it is basically a blob of nothing left over.


Guess you could try it to see how it works. I myself would wonder if there might not be any sanitary issues with the grape pack unless it was submerged 100% of the time. I would hate to transfer anything to a fresh Must. Remember, as the alcohol levels rise, this fights off any bacterial issues but you won't have that protection in a fresh Must. Soaking in a sanitizing solution would basically be out of the question and rinse away any left materials plus add an after taste.


I am sure if I am wrong, others will chime in and correct me but like I said, I have seen this asked before and never seen a "go for it" answer.


Smurfe

 

[rshosted]

I think the sanitation issue would be combated, as long as the hour you first racked, you started the new batch...

You may be right about already 'sucking' the life out of the old skins...

How about this. I'm growing Cab Sav grapes, but they are very young. What do you think if I took a regular cab kit and added the skins of my cabs to them. (since the juice will lack sugar for the first couple of years anyway).

I'm not just being cheap (though it sounds like it) I'm just trying to break (slowly) into making my own wine from the ground up. Figured I couldn't go too wrong if I took baby steps.

 

[masta]

Smurfe is correct in saying to try and reuse the skins from a Crushendo isn't worth the effort and Winexpert actually doesn't want you to transfer the skins into the secondary so using them in another kit would be a mistake.


Quote from Tim Vandergrift of WE:
<DIV =quotetop>Question:
<DIV =quotetop>I even read somewhere that you could rack the skins to your secondary for even more time on skins, but they do not include those instructions any more!


Tim's Answer: "That's for Cellar Craft kits--please don't do that with Crushendo--you'll get nothing but very harsh tannins out of them if you rack the material to the secondary."

 

[smurfe]

Smurfe is correct in saying to try and reuse the skins from a Crushendo isn't worth the effort and Winexpert actually doesn't want you to transfer the skins into the secondary so using them in another kit would be a mistake.


Quote from Tim Vandergrift of WE:
<DIV ="quotetop">Question:
<DIV ="quotetop">I even read somewhere that you could rack the skins to your secondary for even more time on skins, but they do not include those instructions any more!


Tim's Answer: "That's for Cellar Craft kits--please don't do that with Crushendo--you'll get nothing but very harsh tannins out of them if you rack the material to the secondary."

The only grape pack kits I have done thus far are the Cellar Craft kits and I didn't transfer the grape skins to the secondary. The directions did not say to either. There wasn't much of anything left to transfer anyways.


Dunno what to tell you about adding your own grapes. If the sugars weren't correct I don't see how they would be of any value and could adversely affect the flavor of the wine.


The kits are pretty well made to be done as is with no modifications. Some will add a little extra oak which I tried with a VR Cabernet Savignon which I doubt I will do again. It is pretty Oaky and I didn't;t leave it in near the time the directions said to. It is starting to mellow a little but still has a "smokey" taste to it.


Smurfe

 

[Joseph1]

Ryan, You had asked about adding the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes you are growing to a wine kit. If the grapes are low-sugar and high-acid, I wouldn’t risk unbalancing and ruining a wine kit. However, if they are ripe, Tim Vandergrift discusses this process in the August-September 2005 issue of the WineMaker magazine. You can either make a wine from the Cabernet and add the kit to the pomace from the pressing or add crushed grapes to the kit. You might check with George to see if he still has this issue available.<?amespace prefix = o ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" />

 

[smurfe]

Tim Vandergrift discusses this process in the August-September 2005 issue of the WineMaker magazine.

You might check with George to see if he still has this issue available.<?amespace prefix = o ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><O></O>

Heck, I am a subscriber, at least they say I am and I show up on their site in subscriber services, I have yetto receive an issue from them after repeated emails. I subscribed in June.I always get a response that says they are sorry and the issues are on the way but they never show up. I can't recommend this publication myself. I sure wish they would get some competition.


Sorry to get off topic, I just wanted to vent

Smurfe

 

[rshosted]

I've subscribed to them too... And I get one religiously... and it was the best one I have read.... Hope i get another one soon...

And just to clarify, I was talking about sqeezing my grapes and *only* adding the 'pomace' or skins. I figure I would do something else with the juice depending on it's sugar content (maybe even save half the skins for it with wine, and use the other half of skins in a kit).

It must be doable if they mentioned it in Winemaker.... I would have to assume it's better than just adding tannin.

 

[geocorn]

Smurfe,


Did you get the subscription through me? Even if you did not, let me know. I have the publisher's email address and I would definitely say something, if you like.

 

[smurfe]

Smurfe,


Did you get the subscription through me? Even if you did not, let me know. I have the publisher's email address and I would definitely say something, if you like.

George, no I didn't get it through you. I have their email address as well and have wrote them 3 times. Each time they have responded back with an apology and said I would have the product within 10 days, it never shows up. I wonder in I have a Spam Box with the U.S. mail and never see the mail form this sender????