Hello from Arizona

heatherd said:

Welcome to the hobby and the forum!

What kind of wine are you making?

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Spikedlemon said:

Welcome to the forum!

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thiago said:

I got a Winexpert Selection Amarone as a gift from my girlfriend and I know I should've started with a much "easier" kit but thats what I got. So I did a LOT of research and decide to give it a try.
I have to confess that the instructions on the kit itself are not very good, but luckily there is lots of info online.

Really enjoying this and already thinking about a Chardonnay. Any suggestions on what kit for a good Chardonnay?

Thanks

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Julie said:

Hi thiago, welcome to WineMakingTalk

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heatherd said:

The forum is here if you have any questions about the instructions.

Your Amarone kit will be better with some extra aging. You can decide whether to do it in a carboy or in bottles. If you do it in the carboy, you'll need to put 1/4 teaspoon of potassium metabisulfite every three months. What I typically do is age the wines six months in a carboy and six months in the bottles.

I made the Winexpert Selection California Chardonnay and it is pretty good. The Australian one is tempting but I haven't made it. Same thing for whites, I age them six months in the carboy with kmeta every three months.

I know you are starting out so six months seems like a really long time, but it seems to clear the wine, degas the wine, and gives me less sediment in the bottles.

If you are interested in an early drinker, you could make an Island Mist or Orchard Breezin' kit that is ready in four weeks and doesn't need aging. There's a peach apricot chardonnay that is sweeter but good.

Another early drinker is Dragon's Blood, which is a recipe for a fruit wine on the forum that is ready in a few weeks.

Not to say you can't drink your grape wines early, just that they improve with some aging.

Best of luck!

I made an Amarone last year but haven't opened any bottles yet.

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