I am on Day 27 of a Cellar Craft Showcase Lodi Zinfandel wine kit (included grape skins). According to the instructions, I am Stage 3 and waiting to degas. I deviated from the instructions by not using a mesh bag for the grape skins and I did not add bentonite. The kit did not come with an enzyme pouch. The primary fermentation went well, SG was 1.00 on Day 9. I racked it into a carboy with little airspace and topped with airlock filled with vodka. According to the instructions, I'm supposed to wait to about Day 20 until the SG is 0.998 or less. If at Day 20, it is not 0.998 or less, it can wait another week. That is today. I have been checking SG periodically during this time and it has been at 0.999 since Day 10. My plan is to check the SG today (last check was last week), rack into a bucket fermenter, degas, and then rack to a new carboy and add potassium metabisulfite. This part has worried me in wondering if that is a long time without sulfites. On Friday, I noticed this white ring on the edge at the wine/air interface. I'm wondering if this is an infection or the protein ring I've seen mentioned elsewhere on the forum. After the degassing stage 3, Stage 4 is clearing 2 days later (originally supposed to be Day 22) and includes adding potassium sorbate, kieselsol and chitosan. My original plan with this kit was to skip all the additives.
Any thoughts? I've seen some of the other threads posted, but people don't seem to follow up and post how the wine turned out and what happened next. I'd appreciate any information or advice people may have. This is only my 2nd kit. My first one did not have grape skins and I added all the additives. It is currently bulking aging.
Also...I did, of course, leave behind most of skins in the racking process. Towards the end, I poured some remaining wine through a mesh strainer into the carboy. There are a few skins that made it into the carboy.
Pic below....View media item 4706
Any thoughts? I've seen some of the other threads posted, but people don't seem to follow up and post how the wine turned out and what happened next. I'd appreciate any information or advice people may have. This is only my 2nd kit. My first one did not have grape skins and I added all the additives. It is currently bulking aging.
Also...I did, of course, leave behind most of skins in the racking process. Towards the end, I poured some remaining wine through a mesh strainer into the carboy. There are a few skins that made it into the carboy.
Pic below....View media item 4706
Last edited: