So I’m most of the way thru my first batch of kit wine and it’s going well. Doing a Gewurztraminer. Looks like fermentation is done (down to .992 and about 13%abv).
Question is, in the directions it says to go thru the degassing and clarification now, then rack and immediately bottle. I’m wondering if it wouldn’t make more sense to rack it, then de-gas and go thru the clarification in a new carboy? Let it sit for another couple of weeks before bottling?
I’m not in a huge hurry to get this bottled. In fact what I’ve tasted so far has turned out pretty well. Just wondering if the extra step I am considering is worth it.
You didn’t say what brand of a kit it was. You’re pretty much right about the order you have laid out. Rack, degass, stabilize, clarify wait about two to four weeks then bottle. I’ve had some trouble with directions myself and I’ve done literally hundreds of these kits. One wanted me to rack at SG150 then add yeast energizer. Needless to say it foamed like vinegar and soda and I lost about a quarter of the batch. Now I just don’t bother with the directions. Wine expert and Spagnols are dead on but some of the others, especially foreign, not so much. The thing to bear in mind is that once it has fermented it is wine. Didn’t you have a additional pack of sweetener to add to the Gerwurtz? :cheers:
Sorry mate, I didn’t notice your subject line. I’m not sure where the vino italiano kit is from but if they want you to degas before racking I would sure as he@# ignore them. You’d end up with a cloudy mess in your bottles. Rack, Degas, add any extras then add sulfite and sorbate. Clarify and set aside for at least two weeks to a month. Make sure you don’t have too much head space and it can sit for quite some time without any ill effects. Enjoy your wine. 
Thanks man, I’m glad I was right. What they were telling me didn’t quite seem right based on what I had read.
I couldn’t figure out where the Vino Italiano kit came from. It’s funny because I got kits from two “different” companies, but they had identical instructions.
At first taste test it tastes good though! They didn’t give me anything to backsweeten, but I intend to a little as I don’t like my Gewurz too dry personally.
I know this is a very late reply and you have already gone through with your process, but here it goes anyway. Like most commercial wine kits, vino Italiano are Canadian made, in this case in Montreal by Paklabs international. These kits are specifically sold through Costco and Amazon.
In the case of degassing and racking etc, most kit products want you to rack into a secondary after about a week. Then degass (after another week) and stabilize ON the sediment in the secondary before racking again. There are a few wines on grape skin kits that want you to rack again right before degassing but they would say if they do.
Not sure if you had already racked from the primary - in which case you would never degass in your primary bucket.
Did not degass in the primary. THanks for checking though. Turned out OK. I’ll be bottling this week I think. May backsweeten a little.
