9 replies to this topic

[basshle]

This is actually more of a general question for Tim or anyone else who wants to chime. I have a Selection Gewurztraminer in the fining stage, F-pack already added. SG was at .995 at the time of stabilization, down from 1.085 initial SG. Addition of the F-pack only brought SG up to 1.000.
Since these readings are within the specs on the directions I feel good about that aspect. However I did syphon off a small amount to check clarity and it looks great, but when I tasted it (no sense in pouring it back in disturbing anything) I was surprised to find it still extremely dry in character. I thought the F-pack was supposed to bring the sweetness which is characteristic of the Gewurztraminers back into balance and maybe avoid the addition of conditioner before bottling. So I guess the question is this, am I still going to have to sweeten this wine before bottling? And if so should I sweeten then bulk age , or bulk age and then sweeten? I know that I will have to add sorbate before sweetening to preclude a ferment restart. Or just sweeten and Bottle? ( we got ourselves in a supply bind when we moved last year, and our stocks are dangerously low) Any help on this subject will be greatly appreciated, I have never added sweetener/conditioner to any of my wines before, or made anything sweeter than a nice dry merlot or shiraz. So this is new territory for me. Thanks.

[davdrive]

you might be suprised,once you let it age for 5 or 6 moths,you should find it a little sweeter.

[Tim Vandergrift]

basshle, two things.

1) did you stir really vigorously? I mean by that, did you whip the living stink out of that wine when you put the F-pack in, in full 'wrath of God' stirring action? If not, then your F-pack is lying on the bottom of the carboy, feeling unloved. Stir it in.

2) If you did stir hard enough, maybe your taste is sweeter than we make the kit. Feel free to sweeten it up as much as you like before bottling. I recommend doing a small trial (say one litre) and dosing with a syringe for accurate measurement. Take notes, and when it's perfectly sweet, scale up and dose the whole batch.

[Texican]

Did you stabilize the wine with sorbate and Pot-Meta before adding the F-pack. If not that could start refermentation.

[Hippie]

I agree with daydrive. My last Gewurtz kit seemed alot sweeter after bulk aging. I have 2 cautions, however.

1. I would not bulk age more than 3 months and definitely wouldn't plan on keeping any of it in bottles for more than 3-6 months. It aged really quick and then started to falloff quickly.

2. The ladies will love the stuff and find it no matter where it is hid!!!

[basshle]

Thanks to all who have posted a response here. To Tim, Yes I stirred the snot out of it. I don't yet have a fizzx so hand beating/stirring is my current method, I had it foaming out the top of the carboy I had it so agitated. And yeah, if I would just stop and think I might have reasoned this one out on my own. I have only made dry wines in the past so this was new and just part of my learning curve. Here was a thought that I had though. If I took a bottle of the commercial gewurztraminer that I really like and measured the SG of that, Would it be as simple as adding conditioner to bring my batch up to that level? Just a thought for next time. What I ended up doing here was racking, tasting, and getting opinions from wife and daughter(yes she is of legal age and no she can't keep her glass away from the commercial bottles). In the end we decided to add 8oz's of conditioner to the 6 gal batch and age for a few weeks and then decide if we wanted to sweeten it any further. I appreciate all the reccomendations on aging but I don't think this batch will last that long. We have relatives coming at the end of this month, and our swimming pool is already in use. I can easily see 1/2 of this batch or more being consumed by the time the relatives leave. But thats a good thing, whether you get along with your relatives(and I do) or not , wine always makes those visits go a little easier.

[Hippie]

Amen to that!

[ZinHead]

Thanks for the info Glenvall. I made that same kit back in December and its been in the bottle for its 3rd month now and just beginning to show the typical Gewurz flavors as davdrive mentioned earlier. I'll have to keep tabs on it and make sure it doesn't fall off on me rather quickly........as I still have 20 bottles left!!!!

[P Cuthbert]

Hi all;

In my experience, the Selection Gewertz is not a truly sweet wine. It has enough sweetness to take the bitter edge off of it.

I have also found that the wine matures in about 3 months in bottle (no need to bulk age this wine) and reaches its peak at about 18 months. I bottle in standard bottles. Bigger will slow down the time frame a bit more.

My cellar is a constant 65 degrees F (below ground level with 2 outside walls and insulated inside walls and floor)

It is truly a favorite with the ladies. I have 2 on the go right now, and 2 more to do soon.

Pat

[Hippie]

Pat! You just reminded me of why my Gewurtz aged prematurely. I bulk aged for 3 or 4 months, then bottled in 12 oz. Heineken bottles!