Making Winexpert Reserve Argentina Malbec

Recipies / / By / Adam Campbell, Campbell’s Recipes, How-To, Salt Lake City, Scottish Recipes, Step-by-Step Winemaking, The Beer Nut, Utah, Wine Kit, Winemaking Kit, Winexpert Reserve Argentina Malbec
Making Winexpert Reserve Argentina Malbec | Campbell’s Recipes

Enjoy this Campbell’s Recipe episode where we make Malbec red wine from the Winexpert Reserve Argentina Malbec 10L Wine Kit. You can pick up a kit here: https://www.beernut.com/res-malbec-reserve-arg-malbec.html and learn more here https://winexpert.com/product/malbec-argentina/ 

Instructions: 4-8 Week Wine Kits

Wine Kit Includes:

  • Wine Base – unlabeled large bag consisting of grape juice concentrate
  • Oak – 2, 45g Chips Med/Hvy Blend
  • Yeast Pack – 1, 5g Lalvin EC-1118
  • Bentonite – 1, 30g pack
  • Sulphite/Sorbate – 1, 9.5g
  • Chitosan – 1, 150ml
  • Kieselsol – 1, 12.5ml

Equipment Needed:

  • Primary Fermenter – 1, 30L
  • Carboy, 1 23L
  • Racking Tube & Tubing
  • Fermentation Lock & Stopper
  • Mixing Spoon
  • Solid Bung
  • Hydrometer
  • Wine Thief
  • Bottle Filler
  • Bottles – 28-30, 750ml 
  • Corks – 28-30

Steps:

  1. Day 1 – Primary Fermentation
    1. Clean and Sanitize equipment
    2. Pour 2L hot water into primary and stir in Bentonite
    3. Pour juice into primary, rinse bag
    4. Top off primary to 6 gallons with water
    5. Add oak chips, and stir in
    6. Test liquid with hydrometer and mark down specific gravity
    7. Sprinkle dry yeast on surface
    8. Place lid and airlock on primary
  2. Day 14 – Stabilizing / Degassing
    1. Check specific gravity, should be <0.996
    2. Rack wine into clean/sanitized carboy, leaving sediment behind
    3. Add Sulphite/Sorbate
    4. Agitate with drill to degas wine for 2-4 min at medium speed, reversing speed every 30 seconds
    5. Stil in Kieselsol
    6. Attach airlock and leave for 24 hours
  3. Day 15 – Clearing
    1. Stir in Chitosan
    2. Replace airlock
  4. Day 54 – Polishing Rack / Aging
    1. Rack off sediment into clean/sanitized carboy
    2. Let sit for 2 days
  5. Bottling Day
    1. Siphon into clean/sanitized bottles
    2. Cork bottles and leave upright for 3-5 days
    3. Store on side to keep cork moist
  6. After a couple of months, it’s ready to drink

Transcript

Cold Open

Let’s make Malbec from a wine kit.

Discussion

I am a wine enthusiast. I have six Cabernet Sauvignon and three Gewurztraminer grape vines in my backyard. But sometimes, I like to make different styles of wine. This is when I head to my local brewing supply, The Beer Nut in Salt Lake City, and pick up a Winexpert Wine Kit. I have been doing this for years, and while it’s not the best wine out there, it is certainly less expensive and better quality than box wines you will buy at the liquor store. Not to mention the satisfaction of having made it yourself. That always makes it taste better!

I picked up the Argentina Malbec kit and unpacked it to see what ingredients we are working with. We have the wine base in a massive bag. This is filled with the Malbec grape juice concentrate. One package of Chitosan, two packages of oak chips, instructions, a package of bentonite, a package of sulphite/sorbate, one package of yeast, and one package of Kieselsol. I start by cleaning and sanitizing the equipment. For this first step we will need a primary fermenter, with a lid and airlock, a stirring spoon, and a hydrometer. I pour eight cups of hot water into the bottom of the primary fermenter, and mix in the bentonite. This helps the yeast activity and removes unwanted proteans. Then I pour in the grape juice concentrate, rinsing the bag with water to get it all out. Then I top off the primary fermenter to the six gallon mark with water. I mix in the two packs of oak chips and take my initial hydrometer reading. It reads 1.070 specific gravity as expected. Then I sprinkle the dry yeast over top and seal the container with the lid and airlock.

After two weeks fermenting, and some interesting yeast smells invading our home in the first week, it’s time to degas the wine. I begin by checking my specific gravity again to ensure it is finished fermenting. It’s right around 0.996 as expected. I then siphon the wine into a new cleaned and sanitized container, leaving as much of the sediment behind as possible. I did this myself, as my wife was not at home, and made a massive mess. When it was finished, I added the sulphite/sorbate, which is used to prevent oxidization and inhibits yeast growth. Then, I hooked up my drill extension and agitated the wine for four minutes, switching directions every thirty seconds as noted. Finally I added the Kieselsol which removes suspended particles for a clear, stable wine. I added a new lid with an airlock and waited till the next day. On day 15, I added the Chitosan which aids the wine like the Kieselsol does.

I let it continue clearing until day fifty-four, when the wine should be perfectly clear. I cleaned and sanitized the equipment and racked the wine into a new container, and two days later, I cleaned and sanitized my bottles, corks, and bottle filler. I used different size bottles so my math was completely off, but I think I should be okay, as I am just going to be waiting for a couple of months before drinking. It should be the same time my homemade Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 wine is finally ready to drink as well. So expect that video to come out in a couple of months. I corked the fill bottles, and I’ll wait for a few days before storing them on their sides. 

And That is it! Making wine is incredibly simple, but very rewarding, and when you cook a meal for your loved ones and pour a glass of wine that you made, it makes for a truly special experience.

Outro

Thank you for watching this Campbell’s Recipe episode. Please subscribe to the channel and click the bell to get notified about future videos. Don’t forget to click the like button and leave a comment to let others learn about this recipe and this channel. Have a great day and until next time, Slàinte mhath (slan-ge-var).

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