WineXpert Vintners Reserve Sangiovese

[SteveL]

So, after a few years of homebrewing I have decided to venture into the world of wine. I just want to start with kits as I want to see if fermenting wine holds my fascination as much as beer does. I am sure it will.

Anyway I have decided that I am going to start off with the VR Sangiovese kit. I searched and didn't see any real posts on this kit but I noticed that a few of you have made it. My questions is, what can I expect? I know it won't be anywhere in the neighborhood of Pedroncelli, but I am sure that it will be decent.

So what have those of you that made it experienced with this one?

 

[Wade E]

Smaller kits with bigger red wines may leave you unhappy as they will have much less body then a bigger kit. If you still have the chance I would buy a biger kit IMO like a 15 liter. They will take longer to ae but in the end worth it 3 fold. Wine unlike beer takes much longer to age despite what the kits says about being a 28 or whatever day kit and I highly advise you to let it sit in the carboy much longer. Whites come around much faster just like a light beer compared to a Porter.

 

[SteveL]

Oh I still have time to order, that is the one that caught my eye though. I think I wil look around some more and see what I can find, I may go with something different, I may not, who knows!

As for the aging, I have no troubles waiting. That is something that I learned very early in my brewing life.

I appreciate your comments, thanks!

 

[Wade E]

Typically the bigger the kit the better wine you get. That doesnt mean the all juice buckets are the best though. This isnt true with all other things in life but does pretty good with wine that the higher the price the better the wine. I find the RJS Winery Series the best bang for the buck with red wines.

 

[Tom]

Just remember .. You get what you pay for.
Now there is only a small difference per bottle w/ bigger kits. If you spend 90-120 that = only 3 to 4 bucks a bottle. Still very cheap investment wise.

 

[SteveL]

Thanks for the info guys, a lot of it seems like common sense. After doing some more reading and talking with with the SWMBO (who allowed me to spend the extra $35) I have decided to step it up one notch and go with a 15L kit.

I appreciate the help, how do I get myself into these "hobbies"

 

[Tom]

Good choice.

 

[rspiegs]

Wade, In your comments above you stated "I highly advise you to let it sit in the carboy much longer." Is this at the final step that you would do this? And how long would you leave it in a carboy before bottling, kits say 14-21 days for the final step?

 

[SteveL]

I am goign to go out on a limb here and interject some brewing knowledge. I know that with a lot of kit beers that have you follow you a 1-2-3 rule, 1 week primary, 2 week secondary, 3 week bottle, drink. I have never followed that rule. Most of my beers, unless that are very big, spend about 3-4 weeks in primary and then get bottled/kegged. I have let a beer bulk age for 9 months.

I am guessing that he was refering to the final stage, letting it sit and bulk age in secondary for much longer than the kist says, 2-3 months or so, even longer for bigger more complex wines.

I could be wrong so someone please correct me if I am.

 

[Wade E]

You are absolutely right Steve. I am referring to once you have finished fermenting and have added the sulfites to protect your wine from oxidation or bacteria spoilage. Its called bulk aging and this also lets additional very fine sediment fall out of suspension in the carboy instead of in your bottle and believe me this happens despite using a fining agent to clear your wine. This also is a very good idea if you dont have great cellaring conditions meaning stable cool temps. unstable temps will make your wine age much faster and although that sounds ok its really not and it will decrease the amount of time before your wine peaks in flavor and starts going south . Bulk aging like this makes it much harder for the wine to change temps as its much harder for the temp to change in bigger volume like 6 gallons vs 750ml.

Steve I also agree with you on not using the 123 method with beer, usually 3 weeks in primary and then right into keg.

 

[rspiegs]

I have one question with the Bulk Aging. Would I need to add any additional chemicals over and above the amounts identified in my Winexpert Kit? I assume that I would follow the directions for wine that will be stored for over 6 months. Lastly, how long would you recommend for bulk aging a red vs. a white wine? I have purchased mostly the Winexpert Sel. International Series kits to date. Thanks again for your assistance.

 

[phermenter]

I have one question with the Bulk Aging. Would I need to add any additional chemicals over and above the amounts identified in my Winexpert Kit? I assume that I would follow the directions for wine that will be stored for over 6 months. Lastly, how long would you recommend for bulk aging a red vs. a white wine? I have purchased mostly the Winexpert Sel. International Series kits to date. Thanks again for your assistance.

I think it depends on how many rackings you do and how long it's going to sit there. One of the advantages in bulk aging is that you can rack to a fresh carboy a couple times, leaving more sediment behind each time. Each of those rackings exposes it to air, though. A lot of people recommend another 1/4 tsp every other racking. I don't know enough to argue with them, so I'd say that sounds about right.

I personally don't see much difference between whites and reds in bulk aging. I think anywhere between 3 and 6 months, you've accomplished everything you need. After you bottle, it actually starts aging faster, so I don't bulk them a year or anything.

Jim