WineXpert Wine Expert Australian Mataro-Shiraz

[Waldo]

Has anyone made this kit? I just ordered me one from George and should be starting it this weekend. I was struggling with doing a Lodi Old vine Zinfandel but I liked the Australian Shiraz I did earlier so much I decided to try this one for now and maybe do a Zin later. Edited by: Waldo

 

[masta]

I made this kit and has been bulk aging with French oak cubes for over 8 weeks and I hope to bottle this weekend. I will let you know how it tastes.


Actually have 4 reds and two whites ready to bottle and need to get busy prepping bottles. Cleaning labels off used bottles is the least enjoyable task of wine making in my opinion.

 

[smurfe]

I made this kit and has been bulk aging with French oak cubes for over 8 weeks and I hope to bottle this weekend. I will let you know how it tastes.


Actually have 4 reds and two whites ready to bottle and need to get busy prepping bottles. Cleaning labels off used bottles is the least enjoyable task of wine making in my opinion.

Tell me about it. I have about 50 cases of bottles I need to get busy on. It is such a pain.

Waldo, I am sure your Shiraz will be great.

I to am a Aussie Shiraz fan and it to is on my list. Damn, that list sure is growing

Smurfe

 

[Waldo]

Cant wait to hear back from you Masta and Smurf i think we are hooked

I keep looking for subliminal messages from George in the posts' on the forum" Buy another kit", "Buy another kit", "Buy another kit"

 

[masta]

A bigger problem is when you acquire many carboys like I have and they are empty..... they seem to cry out "fill me", "fill me", "fill me"

 

[Waldo]

Just send a couple of them lonelycarboys down this way masta. I will have them full and happy in no time

Edited by: Waldo

 

[Waldo]

Just finished designing my label for this wine

 

[Waldo]

Got the kit started early this morning. Man did that juice ever smell good.Pitched the yeast ( Red Star Premier Cuvee )at a must temp of 76 degrees and an SG of 1.104 which was just a smidgen higher than the recommended beginning SG but I am not sure how one would adjust this on a kit wine. I was a little surprised too in the fact that this kit had three packets of Oak. Took some stirring to get all that Oak mixed in below the surface.

Edited by: Waldo

 

[Waldo]

I made this kit and has been bulk aging with French oak cubes for over 8 weeks and I hope to bottle this weekend. I will let you know how it tastes.


Actually have 4 reds and two whites ready to bottle and need to get busy prepping bottles. Cleaning labels off used bottles is the least enjoyable task of wine making in my opinion.

Thats a lot of exposure to Oak isn't it Masta giving the fact this kit comes with 3 oak packets?

 

[masta]

I will be drinking some tonight and I was wrong about bottling it now. That what happens when you have many batches going at the same time...they all run together until you check the records.

It was bottled 4 1/2 months ago and I poured a bottle in one of my new wine decantersso it can breath for a while before drinking with dinner! I have found that the red kit wines really need to breath well before drinking.


Tasting report to follow and I too hope the oak is not overpowering!

 

[masta]

Tasting report:


Possibly too much oak with this wine but time will tell. Since it so young the tannins are way over the top and overpower the wine. Body is good and it is very dry and as the Polish princess says "dust will come out of your mouth after drinking"


This wine needs much more aging but certainly has potential to be very good. The decanter really helps the wine breathe before serving and I am glad I bought 4 when I found a sweet deal recently.


I will be using them at next years Valley Brew tasting party!

Edited by: masta

 

[Waldo]

I am going to have to find me a good decanter Masta. Have not tried one to date.

 

[Hippie]

Waldo, are you sure you reconstituted the kit to a full 6 gallons American? If so, I think I would have to ameliorate down to about 1.096. Maybe it is normal for that style, and will help the aging.


Masta, do you have notes stating your beginning SG for that same kit?

 

[masta]

I checked my records and I started with a SG of 1.090 @ 70 degrees with this kit. Did you checked SG after stirring in all the oak?


It is possible this was the reason for a very high reading on a kit and I have had trouble with this in the past so I always check SG before adding oak to a kit.

 

[bilbo-in-maine]

Masta - Why would oak effectively raise the SG? I'm more than curious
because three days ago I added 2 ounces of oak chips to a stabilized Mezza
Luna kit scheduled to be bottled at the earliest in two weeks, and the airlock
started to slowly bubble after being still for two weeks from adding k-
sorbate, k-meta and degassing. The chips expanded quite a bit and I had to
remove a bit of wine from the carboy to acccomodate the rising level over
about 12 hours. There's still pressure in the airlock three days later.

 

[masta]

The oak would not effectively raise the SG since it does dissolve into the must but I think it can effect the ability of the hydrometer to give you a correct reading because of the amount of solids in the sample. The oak tends to stay at the top of the must until it becomes saturated and falls to the bottom before racking to the secondary. When I make a mead and add chopped dried fruits I have had the same problem so I check SG then add the fruit.


Your issue with the chips I can only think that they were very porous and the wine filled the voids in the wood and the bubbles you see are actually the displaced air or other trapped gas.


Any other theory's out there?

 

[Hippie]

I agree. The oak cubes also release alot of air while they soak up wine.


I usually strain my hydrometer samples into the testing jar.


Waldo, you out there?

 

[Waldo]

I checked my records and I started with a SG of 1.090 @ 70 degrees with this kit. Did you checked SG after stirring in all the oak?


It is possible this was the reason for a very high reading on a kit and I have had trouble with this in the past so I always check SG before adding oak to a kit.

That had to be it Masta..I checked the SG after I added the oak. And dammit I read the instructions twice. Just didn't catch that until I read them the 3rd time. Gotta quit testing out my speed reading skills when reading instructrions

Edited by: Waldo

 

[Waldo]

Waldo, are you sure you reconstituted the kit to a full 6 gallons American? If so, I think I would have to ameliorate down to about 1.096. Maybe it is normal for that style, and will help the aging.


Masta, do you have notes stating your beginning SG for that same kit?

It was a full 6 gallon Hippie. I actually need to add me a 7.5 gallon frementer to my wish list. I think Masta jot the nail on the head. I did not check SG until after I had adde the 3 packs of Oak & did not follow your advice of straining the sample before taking the reading. I will repent and sin no more !!!Edited by: Waldo

 

[Waldo]

Fermentation continues strong on day 5 and George will be so proud of me. Since I pitched the yeast and put the lid on it with an airlock I have not opened that lid to look at it, smell of it, stir it, nadda, nothing. Just watching the action on the airlock and making sure it has plenty of meta in it.