Packlab Cheap kit to add body to a good kit

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Impiryo

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I generally prefer higher end, full bodied red kits (WE Lodi Ranch Cab, MM Amarone), but I still find them to be a bit thin for my taste. I was going to buy grape packs to add some more body and ABV% to them, and had an idea:

Would it work/be worthwhile to get a kit or two of Paklab, and use some of the concentrate with my primary to bump up the body and ABV, or would the weakness and 'fakeness' (ie sugar added, already thin) of the cheap kit ruin a good kit of similar quality. For under $37/kit (subscribe and save discount + Amazon card rebate), it's hard to pass up.

Otherwise, I'm considering adding a little Alexander's, or just getting grape skin packs. I've tried using store bought raisins and adding a can of welch's concentrate, but those both add a foxxy fake sweet taste to the wine, which I hate.
 
I've added Glycerine to a few kits to add body, but you really have to be careful not to add to much. I found that mixing kits really changes the flavor of your finished wine (and not necessarily in a good way) You could also try adding bananas instead of the raisons.
 
I have taken to mixing my pak lab finished wines with commercial wines. I figured hey if commercial wineries mix wines why not me. I usually will open 2 bottles of my pak lab wine and mix it with a bottle of commercial wine then drink. Since I like to experiment I have been trying different commercial bottles of wine to mix with. I usually use a commercial wine that is on sale and make notes as to body, and flavor.

JC
 
Adding more concentrate is no different than adding less water to a kit... which doesn't work well at all. Especially adding a cheap concentrate to an expensive one is a bad idea.

Adding Alexanders is even worse.

When you drink a nice full-bodied commercial red, you need to consider that in most cases, such a wine was fermented as crushed grapes, not some grape juice with a few pounds of grapes added for body. A massive amount of grape solids is in that must until it is pressed off near the end of alcoholic fermentation.

You are just not going to duplicate that in a kit, even with a nice grape pack (or 10 grape packs!). If the thinness of kit wines is an issue and glycerin or gum arabic wont' give you what you are after, maybe fresh grapes twice each year is your only answer.

I would never destroy a nice premium red kit by adding Alexanders. Some of the tips people like Joeswine recommends really can help, but IMO, just not enough to duplicate a nice commercial red.
 
Impiryo said:
I generally prefer higher end, full bodied red kits (WE Lodi Ranch Cab, MM Amarone), but I still find them to be a bit thin for my taste. I was going to buy grape packs to add some more body and ABV% to them, and had an idea:

Would it work/be worthwhile to get a kit or two of Paklab, and use some of the concentrate with my primary to bump up the body and ABV, or would the weakness and 'fakeness' (ie sugar added, already thin) of the cheap kit ruin a good kit of similar quality. For under $37/kit (subscribe and save discount + Amazon card rebate), it's hard to pass up.

Otherwise, I'm considering adding a little Alexander's, or just getting grape skin packs. I've tried using store bought raisins and adding a can of welch's concentrate, but those both add a foxxy fake sweet taste to the wine, which I hate.

I've just started my 2nd Paklab kit . Everyone loved my white Zinfandel . It was bait lite but very drinkable at an early age. I bumped up the sugar to 1.094.. I did have a question before bottling, called them, and got a quick response..this time it's a Reisling, I added a can of Welches Niagra concentrate, and some white raisins.. It's in the secondary.. Ill check it in a couple weeks
 

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