Newest Threads

LooyvilleLarry · 04-12-2009, 04:09 PM

I started a Shiraz wine kit on 4/1. The directions are to wait ~ a week and rack it off.

It is still quite actively fermenting (every 30 secs or so a bubble).

Do I rack it off now? My intuition from beer says to let it slow down a bunch before moving it off.

EoinMag · 04-12-2009, 08:45 PM

Leave it up to a month before you touch it.

***Yooper*** · 04-12-2009, 08:58 PM

I disagree, The wine kits are designed to have you move the wine when a certain SG is reached. There are reasons for this- not just to get it off of the lees, but because they also have you degas, and adding finings.

When the SG that the kit gives you is reached, rack and go onto the next step. Airlock activity is not a sign of fermentation- you could just be having warmer weather, and the airlock will bubble. Check the SG and see how close you are to the kit's instructions.

EoinMag · 04-12-2009, 09:33 PM

Ok yooper, bow to your superior knowledge, I've only done one kit and reckoned the longer the better after that one.

***Yooper*** · 04-12-2009, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EoinMag

Ok yooper, bow to your superior knowledge, I've only done one kit and reckoned the longer the better after that one.

Oh, no! It's not superior knowledge at all! I've just made a few wine kits, and had some experiences with them. My best friend also does wine kits, so I am familiar with many brands and types.

I make far more "country" wines, so I feel more comfortable with them. But I know from experience that the wine kits are designed to do certain things at certain times. For example, in my country wines, I never use bentonite. I never degas. Both of those are required, and at certain times, in kits. The kits make good wines, and so I almost always suggest following the instructions with them.

EoinMag · 04-12-2009, 10:59 PM

Yeah I've been doing wines directly from musts and stuff, better fun than the kits I think, the results are more satisfactory too when it's all ones own work.

***Yooper*** · 04-12-2009, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EoinMag

Yeah I've been doing wines directly from musts and stuff, better fun than the kits I think, the results are more satisfactory too when it's all ones own work.

Well, sometimes that's true for me. I mean, I love my homemade wines. But I also like a good shiraz, malbec, or cabernet and you can't just easily make those wines unless you own a vineyard. So, the kits fill that void. I've made many of them, and all of them have been good. Some have been very, very good, but none have been poor. The higher end kits tend to give you a very nice wine, while the cheaper kits give a decent "jug wine" quality. I think there is room for both.

Even the cheaper kits have excellent instructions, so you're pretty safe following them.