Nick wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I've just inherited by default (long story)
> about 30 gallons of just
> pressed Sangiovese juice. And this is not a bad
> thing!
>
> I'm wondering if there are any recipe
> suggestions out there? I've made enough wine
> from juice to be okay with the basics, but I'm
> having
> difficulty finding any recipes for these grapes.
> I'm mostly wondering
> if I should add any oak to it. Something tells
> me yes, but wanted to make certain it is the
> right thing to do.

Well, first of all, Sangiovese is a red grape and
is usually fermented on the skins. I know there
are dealers out there that sell the "Juice" but
it was probably not pressed juice from the
crushed, fermented and pressed grape. Therefore,
all bets are off as this is not the normal way to
make a "Chianti" style wine.

I do not know the results you will obtain with or
without Cabernet grapes (or juice) but it would
be good to realize this is not the standard
practice in making a "Super Tuscan" type of
"Chianti".


>
> I'm also wondering if it's worth my while to get
> 5-10 gallons of cabernet crushed and press to
> make a chianti blend.
>
> Thanks,
> Nick