Recent content by cocroach

Thanks for all of the feedback! I will definitely try adding up front and prior to bottling. Which type/brand of tannin are you guys adding up front? I went on Laffort's website to check out Tan' Cor and am confused about which to add during fermentation. There's a lot to choose from. Cheers.

Hi. Are there any modifications I can do to my kits to lengthen their finish, or is this something that comes with age? I've made quite a few now (most all high end - Mosti Mondiale, RJS and Cellar Craft) and I find the flavours sort of just vapourize off the palette after the first sip...

I found that the Cellar Craft Washington Reisling Ice wine was on par with some very expensive commercial ice wines I have tried. Of all the kits I have done to date, I have been most impressed with this kit for that reason. I would probably price this at $60CDN per 375ml bottle.

After following some of the posts on here on the RJS Ports, I added a single coffee bean to a few 375ml bottles, some on their own, some with a few cacao nibs to give it some chocolate flavour. I have yet to taste this on the Caramel port since adding them back in March, but I did try a bottle...

Yes, trying the Cab Franc was definitely an eye-opening experience!

I recall some posts where you have referenced your success with Vadai barrels. You are starting to convince me that this might be worth the investment...

mansvine, thanks for the tip! I will definitely try that.

That's a bit disappointing to hear, especially since I arrived home today to find my 10-pack box of Tan'Cor Grand Cru sitting on my door step. I guess as long as the lengthy finish is there that might be worth it. I've heard a lot of good reviews about adding finishing tannins to wines, so I...

Hmmm...I'm not sure how you would count them, or if you would really want to. I'm pretty sure the Wyeast smack-packs say something like +20 billion yeast cells. In addition to Paul's comment, I would suggest using yeast that has been stored accordingly and before it's expiry date as ways to...

In my opinion, I think the vegetal component in wine has unfortunately gotten a bad reputation, and perhaps under appreciated for its uniqueness. I can say from trying some commercial wines that have had a strong vegetal aroma and taste profiles (broccoli/asparagus and green olive), I found it...

Byathread, did you do anything different to your Red Mountain Cab (bulk/barrel aging, oak additions) that might have been why you didn't detect any KT? How long did you want before bottling? I have this kit on enroute.

I find in most of the kits I've made so far (RJS and CellarCraft) have the same sweet artificial chemical like aroma from initial fermentation. I find the smell to be more off-putting than the taste, but perhaps this goes to Paul's point that I might just be smelling what a young wine smells...

I agree about the labels. You would think since this is for home winemaking they would make ones that were easier to remove. These are the worst.

I waited a few days extra until the S.G. was lower than what was stated on the instructions and I did not have any issues. If my memory serves me correctly, Meglioli instructions say rack after three to five days?? I waited until it was closer to 1.000 which was about 9 days. Adding the oak...

Vabeachbear, good to know, I have four kits on deck that are all RJS.