RJ Spagnols Winery Series Rosso Grande Excellente

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Wade E

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Ordered this 1 toady and will get the Super tuscan and this 1 next Sat as with the weather down here the Super Tuscan did not make it in time to pick up today and I work later then they are open during the week.
 
Wade, I looked for these in the online catalogue, but couldn't find them. Which brand are they?
 
Hi Wade,
I did the Rosso Grande last year, bottled in April. This wine is wonderful!! My batch was over 16%alcohol!! You will not be disappointed!!


Francie
 
I did the original one too 2 years ago. Not the "excellente" but the regular one without the skins, and it is very good.

Here's the history on Rosso Grande, in case you want to know. Tim Vandergrift used to work for Spagnols before they became RJ Spagnols. He was designing an over-the-top wine that was BIG everywhere. Big tannins, BIG oak, BIG mouthfeel, BIG Flavor. He designed Rosso Grande (Big Red in Italian), but never really got to finish tweaking it before he left for Winexpert. When he got there he started again with their resources and developed Luna Rossa.

Having had both, I can say hands down, to my taste buds, Rosso Grande is much better!
 
I use RJ Grand Cru kits I luv them. I do sometimes add a little sugar for the big reds. I do use a hydrometer for potental acl. So i dont add to much even to a few whites.
 
I followed the directions to a "T". It probably could use more oak, but I did not venture off. I am thinking of doing another one!!
 
Ohhhhh.....know what???? It was not the one with the grape pack. Sorry!







Francie
smiley24.gif
 
Francie, the one with the grape pack was just released this September, so it couldn't have been that one. Still, Rosso Grande is an excellent wine. I quite enjoy mine.

Wade, I know you are going to want extra oak, so I would go with medium toast hungarian cubes to give it a balance between that american oak taste, and french oak vanilla. I'd probably add 60 grams (2 ounces) during bulk aging for 4 weeks.
 
I have a big bag of Hungarian medium oak chips, not cubes so Ill work with that, I need to get some cubes but will finish this bag 1st. Thanks Dean, I appreciate your knowledge on red wines and the kits that I am or want to make as you it seems you have done most of them.
 
Dean,


How long would you "oak" the wine? I think I would like to try this kit since I liked the Rosso Grande w/o skins!! Imagine the kit with the skins??!!! Yummy!!
 
I have a similar question to Francie since it seems like adding oak during bulk aging would more approximate what wineries do when aging their wines in oak barrels.
 
I would check it after 2 weeks and sample every week there after. Just picked up my 2 kits today. The New Winery series are 18 liter kits.

Edited by: wade
 
I picked my 2 kits yesterday and was depressed as my Super Tuscan was missing the grape pack and it was in a closed box with the plastic wrap that all those kits come in. Lisa(the person who takes care of all problems with RJS) is on vacation till Jan. 2nd so Ill have to use that patience thing again. Im sure she will take care of this though as they stand behind their product like most other companies.
 
Patience is a virtue, of which I have none. I recommend you drink heavily to pass the time.
 
Sorry to hear that Wade! I've never really seen a problem with RJS kits, but they are all handmade, so I guess it's possible that someone forgot to add the grape pack. Living so close to the RJS offices and store makes it really easy to get their kits for me, and I make a LOT of wine as I like variety.

Francie, adding oak is such a personal thing, but I would do as Wade suggests and taste every 2 weeks as you are oaking. Remember to stir first, as the top of the carboy will contain strong oak, while the bottom will not. Oak will also slightly mute over time and integrate deeper into the wine. If using chips/shavings test every 2 weeks, if cubes, then test every 3 to 4 weeks, and as it gets close to what you are going for, every week.
 

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