Packlab My First Kit: Tropical Reisling

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FABulousWines

Le Vigneron Heureux
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My First Kit: Tropical Riesling

I just received delivery of my starter equipment and juice kit. I am probably going to start this tonight. I need to stop by the LHBS on the way home and pick up a few items like a spoon, some brushes and a hydrometer jar as they were not included.

A question about these kits: I didn't see any K-meta included. Everything I've read says to be adding that throughout the process. Should I do that or just follow the instructions? Is the K-meta included in the juice already? I will be picking some up as well for sanitation, just wanted to know if and/or when I should be adding it in a kit.

The instructions indicate that the initial SG should be between 1.045 and 1.055. That's a PA of only about 6-7%. I am thinking about adding about 4# sugar to get the starting SG up to around 1.080. I've also read many posts on here that suggest putting half the F pak in the primary as well, as the final product ends up too fruity and sweet. What do you all think of this?

My plan would be to mix up the juice, primary additives, and half F pak and test the SG before adding yeast. Then use a few liters of the must to dissolve and add the appropriate amount of sugar. Then inoculate with yeast, rIght?

Here's the kit as delivered. I also have an acid test kit. Please let me know if you see anything missing that I should pick up. I will get a couple of jugs for cleaning/sanitizing solutions. Other than that?

kits.jpg
 
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I've done a couple of these Cornucopia kits and I've been pleased with the results so far. My previous kits have been the Coconut Frascati & Green Apple Pinot Bianco, but I actually just ordered the Tropical Riesling last night.

The first one of these I did was the Coconut Frascati. I added granulated sugar to the primary to reach 1.090. It finished at 0.996, but by my calculations after adding the rather large f-pack my ABV is around 11.5%. It's sweet, but it's a family favorite. I actually bought my dad a kit of his own a couple months ago because he and my mother like it so much. They do like sweet wines. I anticipate it will be perfect as a chilled sipper on the deck this summer... like a wine version of a piña colada. But not really something to pair with dinner. I bottled when clear with no bulk aging. Really smoothed out after a couple months in the bottle.

The second one (Green Apple Pinot Bianco) I followed the instructions without adding any sugar. Starting SG of 1.056 & finishing at 0.996, ABV 4% after f-pack. I purposely left it low alcohol. I bottled it in 12oz beer bottles to have as "wine coolers" this summer. Very easy drinkers. I don't really find it to be incredibly sweet or overly apple-y. I've been enjoying them in the hot tub and on the patio with a sandwich & chips. I plan to do the same thing with the Tropical Riesling.

I can't speak to adding a portion of the f-pack upfront, as I haven't tried that (though I've seen many people mention it). But I have made one per directions & also one boosting the ABV up to a more "wine-like" range. If you're wanting something that tastes like a wine you would have with a nice dinner, most likely none of the Cornucopia kits will fill that need. But for a pleasant drink, the 2 I've made have been very good. Although, I wouldn't expect someone who enjoys dry wines to be thrilled with this.

As far as the kmeta... I'm not sure, but I've assumed it was part of the packet that's just marked "stabilizer." I don't think I would worry about adding additional kmeta, as these wines aren't intended to age very long or be cellared for extended periods of time. I read somewhere that after 8 months or so (if I remember correctly) the fruit flavors kinda start to disappear leaving a rather cheap & flat tasting wine. I think adding additional kmeta to preserve this wine probably wouldn't do much good, since it's not really designed to stick around for very long. It would be like buying a case of Arbor Mist to cellar for a while, waiting for it to improve with age =)

All in all, I've got these on subscription and will probably keep them coming. They're inexpensive, quick/easy to make, and tasty to enjoy!

Good luck with your first kit!!! It's gonna be fun & it's gonna be addicting =D
 
Thanks for that nice detailed reply. We like sweet too; I live in muscadine/scuppernong country so you pretty much have to like sweet. But our tastes are starting to gravitate more towards dry or semi sweet, so I may try to temper this just a bit and see how I do. I know this is my first gig, but I do like to tinker and learn. I decided to start with the Tropical Reisling because of the low entry price and we do like Reislings anyway. Wifey is just as excited as I am to be doing this. This is probably the first hobby I ever started where she has been so involved. Good thing I didn't start with beer; she's not really a fan.

Re: K meta; gotcha. There's not a big chance this stuff is gonna hang around long. :)
 
My dad's from Louisiana and grew up around people making homemade muscadine wine and such. His sweet tooth extends to wines. I like sweet wines as well... as "sippers." I'd love to hear how your process turns out and what percentage of the f-pack you add up front. It might be something to try with future Cornucopia kits. Enjoy!! Glad to have you on the forum!
 
I am on my way!

Just finished inoculating the must. I followed the plan I laid out above. I mixed the must per instructions and added 1/2 of the fpack. SG was 1.072! I was surprised because the instructions stated that the starting SG should be between 1.045 and 1.055 (without the fpack of course). That fpack must be loaded with sugar. It only took 4 cups of granulated sugar to bring the SG up to 1.085.

Before adding the yeast I tested the acidity. I hope I am doing something wrong because it came out at only 0.275. Seems kind of low. What do you think? Should I add acid?
 
Before adding the yeast I tested the acidity. I hope I am doing something wrong because it came out at only 0.275. Seems kind of low. What do you think? Should I add acid?
Acidity in wine kits does not work the same way due to the processing. Do not adjust the acidity of a wine kit. Heck don't even bother to test the acidity.

Steve
 
Thanks Steve. I was leaning towards leaving it alone anyway, but I appreciate your confirmation. I was mainly just trying to get familiar with the process for future batches and was a little surprised at the low reading.
 
What does it smell like? Any determinable taste or smell?
 
Smells/tastes kind of fruity... at least until I pitched the yeast; then my wife thought I was baking bread (the yeast smell was very strong initially) :h
 
What kind of fruit? Tropical can be any kind of tropical fruit.
 
Good question, I dunno. I am picking up some pineapple and maybe mango? The kit doesn't really say.
 
Things seem to be moving along well

Last evening I noticed a nice frothy head to the must. After giving it a good stir the hydrometer was still reading 1.085. However, there were visible signs of fermentation. I put the lid on tight and the air lock as well. This morning I am noticing a bubble in the air lock about every 5 seconds. She's a cookin! :D

I expect tonight I should start to see a drop in SG, no? That will be about 72 hours since I pitched.
 
were you to add the fpak in the primary? I've never done that brand before but in all the ones I've done you add it to the secondary otherwise the sweetness and most of the flavor will ferment out. Or were you planning to add the other half to secondary?
 
were you to add the fpak in the primary? I've never done that brand before but in all the ones I've done you add it to the secondary otherwise the sweetness and most of the flavor will ferment out. Or were you planning to add the other half to secondary?

That's right. The reviews I read and threads on here indicated these kits are pretty sweet, so I am trying to tone that down a bit and bring the alcohol up a bit. I am really not sure I will even add all of the second half of the f-pack after fermentation. I'll probably experiment and see if I can get a good taste back sweetening to around 1.010 to 1.015.

Still bubbling about once every three seconds this morning. My guess is I should hit the 1.020 mark around the weekend or early next week at the lastest...then into the secondary.
 
SG is down to 1.022 this morning. I am going to transfer to carboy this afternoon!
She's a cooking good now! Taste is good, perhaps a little bitter, but I am guessing that is the CO2.
 
Sg has been 0.998 for the last 2.5 days. Used the AllInOne to rack off and degas. It worked flawlessly. I did two rackings and there is no evidence of C02 at all. I am very happy.

After adding the Stabilizer (K-meta?), sorbate, and the remaining 1/2 of the f-pack we did a taste test. The ultimate satisfaction came from the very pleased look on my wife's face. I warned her that it may be a little green/harsh, but she was quite pleased. A little on the sweet side for me, but the Riesling does come through and it is not overly fruity. It was more important to the sustenance of this hobby that she be happy with this first batch rather than me. :)

I was shooting for a final SG between 1.010 and 1.015 and it came out at 1.012. The full f-pack would have definitely been too sweet for our tastes.

Added the clearing agents and topped up with a bit of water. All to do now is wait for it to clear and then I will use the AI1 to filter and bottle.
So much fun!
 
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