How to brew a California Connoisseur Merlot Red Wine Kit | Brewbitz Homebrew Shop
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- Опубліковано 27 сер 2024
- This Merlot by California Connoisseur is a stunning red wine that's smooth and very fruity. An excellent top quality wine that you'll love.
Watch as Davin shows you how to get the very best from your home brew kit!
The California Connoisseur wine kits have now beer superseded and replaced with the new brand On The House Wine Kits - www.brewbitz.c.... These are made in a very similar way, but the method the grape juice is concentrated has been improved and this has resulted in a better finished wine.
When I'm syphoning I usually suck it while it's still above the water level till the pipes full and then turn the valve off. You get more control as you're not priming the tube while the Syphon effect is playing it's part
Bentonite best sprinkled in while stirring so won't clump
Why do you make 24 litres when the instructions say add water to make total volume of 22.5 litres?
when you initially start brewing why do leave the sides of the wine bucket lid up? would it not be more apt to get one of those lids with the bung in it so you can fit an airlock. Leaving the sides up surely allows bacteria in?
Hi!
During fermentation a layer of CO2 is produced. This acts as a barrier and does not let air in. Leaving two of the sides slightly open allows the CO2 to escape like it would in an airlock. Most starter packages these days don't come with airlocks but require this method instead.
We have been using this method for a very long time with absolutely no problems. So, it's safe to do! The only downside is you don't hear the airlock bubbling!
Happy brewing :)
I have the Sauvignon blanc one. The instructions say that this kit doesn’t come with wood chips, however there is a bag of wood chips in the kit. So should I add these?
Hello there. First of all, great videos! I’ve got a CC Merlot on the go but a little confused. The instructions don’t mention racking into secondary and leave until day 14. I racked into a 23l carboy when the SG was 1012. It’s now been in the secondary for about 4 days with an airlock. There is no more bubbles in the airlock but little fizzy type bubbles around the edges. I’m on day 10 in total and the SG is 996. Would you recommend waiting until the 14th day as per the instructions? Also the kit didn’t come with potassium meta bisulphate. Your video says not to add the sorbate but to add the sulphate when de gassing. I have campden tablets so will crush 5 of those when de gassing. Long winded comment but just need to know when to rack out of the carboy? Cheers
Follow the instructions, so day 14. Yeast dont just eat sugar. There are other compounds in the grape juice that they need to munch on to give you the desired flavours. So although the SG is right, they yeast are still working hard.
Brewbitz Homebrew Shop Thanks for that. There are so many conflicting instructions which plays with your mind. This is my first kit so I’m sure I will learn by my mistakes and try again if it turns out to be ‘cooking wine’
Don't the bacteria on your lips get into the wine and spoil it when you siphon? Do you need to sterilize the tubes that come with the Harris filter even if it's brand new?
Hi. The bacteria in your mouth wont affect the wine. They’ll be killed by the alcohol.
And yes, you need to sterilise the filter and the tubes.
@@Brewbitz I can't imagine the bacteria from your mouth will even touch the wine since your mouth touches the outside of the tube and the wine only touches the inside of the tube
Hi Mate, Thanks for the vid. Im 4 days into my Merlot right now. Can i ask is there a reason for the plastic Carboy for the secondary or can i just siphon into my other sterilized bucket? Basically i have 2 buckets and no Carboy. I cant see there being a difference but thought id ask :)
Hi Stephen. During the initial part of the fermentation a lot of CO2 is created. This creates a barrier against unwanted bacteria getting in to the brewing wine. After a few days, the fermentation starts to slow, less CO2 is created and this can potentially weaken the CO2 barrier, so we normally transfer the wine into a narrow necked vessel. This has less of a head space and with the airlock helps to create a good barrier to nasties. On a lesser not, it also allws you to see what is happening with your brew, clearing, etc. Hope this helps. Davin
Ah ok that makes sense. Thanks for the reply. I have a carboy on order which should arrive just in time for transfer :)
Cheers,
Stephen
Hi, can I ask why you move on to step 2 at day 7 when my instructions on the same kit say day 14 is when step 2 should be started? Also I got sulphates / sorbates in one pack - I don’t want chemicals either so I can toss them both yes? Thanks again.
Hi. The instructions gave changed slightly. But either will give great results.
No, do not throw away the packets. They are an essential part of the process. The sulphates remove any oxygen that gets into the wine when degassing & siphoning. And the sorbate helps to keep the wine at its best when bottled as well as preventing an infection.
The California Connoisseur kits have now been discontinued and have been superseded with a new product called “On the House” which we will be videoing shortly.
Brewbitz Homebrew Shop - thanks for the reply! I’m slightly confused now as you yourself put the packet back in the box. I didn’t tell you that I too will not be keeping the wine for for longer than 3-4 months so I assume it’s fine to have not added it to the wine?