I was just curious if anyone has tried tinkering with the residual sugar of red wine kits? I have done some reading on wine making in general, not just kits, and came across some interesting info. It seems that winemakers use RS as a way to give a smoother mouthfeel or bigger wine than if you let it go all the way to dry. From what I understand its not by much, less than .5% or so but I didn't know if this is something we could try with the kits as well.
residual sugar
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This comes up quite often as a topic. Stopping an active fermentation in a carboy can be very tricky to do sucessfully. Generally it is safer to let it go dry, stabilize and then sweeten under controlled conditions to get back where you want it.
I know that's something you would want to do with whites but my question isn't for sweetening. I would be worried that just adding a sweetener after fermentation to a red would throw off the whole taste. I'm more interested in making a full-bodied wine, something I have not been able to do with even the high end kits. Is there no way to stop the fermentation?
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What is the difference between leaving residual sugar in the wine and adding a bit of sweetness back in later? You could also keep a bit of juice outand add after fermentation instead of adding sugar. Full bodied wines are higher in alcohol and if you stop fermentation early, you will be compounding the problem.
That said, you may stop the fermentation by shocking the wine and yeast. When it is almost as dry as you want it, throw it in a refrigerator and add your k-meta as a double dose. The combination is enough to stop most fermentations that have slowed way down since they are almost dry. You will likely have a bit too much sulfite, but you need it to help keep the yeast at bay.
Another way, which would help body, would be to add everkleer or brandy to boost the alcohol level and kill the yeast left. This is more along the lines of a port style wine.
Good luck. I hope you can get the results you are after.
That said, you may stop the fermentation by shocking the wine and yeast. When it is almost as dry as you want it, throw it in a refrigerator and add your k-meta as a double dose. The combination is enough to stop most fermentations that have slowed way down since they are almost dry. You will likely have a bit too much sulfite, but you need it to help keep the yeast at bay.
Another way, which would help body, would be to add everkleer or brandy to boost the alcohol level and kill the yeast left. This is more along the lines of a port style wine.
Good luck. I hope you can get the results you are after.
Dean
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Ty, are you refering to the taste of commercial wine that "has a full body mouthfeel" and "tastes somewhat sweet" like a commercial Shiraz?
If so, might I ask what age your kits wines were when you tasted them, and which high end kits they were? Brand and kit name would help here.
If so, might I ask what age your kits wines were when you tasted them, and which high end kits they were? Brand and kit name would help here.
Yes, I am referring to more of the mouthfeel, weight, or viscosity of the wine. Not just the sweetness of a big wine. One of my favorite commercial wines is pretty big and chewy on the mouthfeel and is not sweet at all and only 13% abv. Kits I have done personally include Mosti AJ Amorone, still very young at 9months. CC Showcase Rosso Fortissimo. 1yr. Mosti Reserva Caberlot 1yr+ and Ive got a WE Selection Estate South Australian Shiraz that has only 6mos in the carboy. I have also done quite a few of the smaller kits and all have great flavor but seem watery to me. I don't know if there is a kit that can produce what I am after.
Dean
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That's what I thought. Flavor is going to improve on the kits you are doing within a year or two, as will the nose on them. That improves drastically after 18+ months. However, you are looking for the concentration effect that only comes from barrel aging wine.
Start to research using barrels, and you can produce wine like that. Nothing made in glass is going to do it for you. You'll also want to stick with kits that have grape packs or skins to increase the TDS and mouthfeel for you.
Start to research using barrels, and you can produce wine like that. Nothing made in glass is going to do it for you. You'll also want to stick with kits that have grape packs or skins to increase the TDS and mouthfeel for you.
intoxicating
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You might also try adding a little glycerin. It improves mouth feel, and just the tiniest bit of sweetness. Not more than about a teaspoon per gallon, I think. Anyone who uses it chime in and correct me if I am wrong on amount. I have put it in port styles to make them a bit more "chewy" and was quite happy, but then they were already almost syrupy.
