Recent content by Elizajean

Very interesting! I made the WE Eclipse Dry Creek Chardonnay, bottled 12/2017 and it is extremely disappointing. I did not oak, as it is an unoaked Chardonnay. Tastings have been harsh and medicinal in flavor. It has an odd aftertaste and while more mellowed now, after two years, it is still...

I went to their website and did not find any wine kits.

I’ve noticed a lot of views, but no additional responses. What did you do? I had a Tempranillo with some odd surface issues. I was advised to siphon, carefully, from the bottom, leaving the surface behind. I then gave it a dose of kmeta, topped off, and let it sit. That took care of the issue...

A little more info on the Rose. Looks interesting. https://www.southernhomebrew.com/rjs2020rq5.html

Joe, did you add the full fpack at the end, therefore ending up with a sweet wine?

I would not think so. However, I find I cannot bring myself to reduce my wine inventory by topping off. I always try to find a similar commercial wine for topping, and not necessarily the cheapest...something I would be willing to drink and enjoy.

I made it and it's a nice kit. The fpack will give it the Rose color, otherwise it's just Pinot Grigio. I usually split fpacks, but saved this one to the end, as it did not taste as sweet as others. The wine tasted a little more sweet than I liked, but after aging several months, it has a soft...

I'm thinking that what makes Mrs Mann very happy, will also make me happy. I won't back sweeten, as I like dry. Going to give this a try. I made the WE Sauvignon Blanc Rose, and while it's ok, I'm not that thrilled.

Yes, this has been the case with the new WE kits, since they've changed their instructions. The bentonite is more course and it takes more effort to get a slurry. I put very hot water, more than they call for, in the fermentor, add the bentonite, and literally beat the carpe diem out of the...

I only make kits, higher end ones and a few moderate quality, and they are all very good! I follow the instructions, except I bulk age once all cleared for as long as I wish, then bottle and age some more. Your wine should be drinkable, but continue to improve after about 6 to 9 months, some are...

I may have misstated, or been misunderstood. There is nothing wrong with topping off with commercial wine, I do it all the time when after racking I end up low (every time, in fact). I guess I was just wondering about the overall benefit of reducing a six gallon kit to five upfront, and then...

First decide if you really should make a 5 gallon from a 6 gallon kit. This is not needed for a good quality kit. It is not an across the board recommendation and only those who are experienced and know how to tweak cheap kits do this. Think about it this way....you reduce a kit meant for 6g to...

This sounds promising, but I have found the off dry whites to be too sweet for me. Does this have an fpak? If so, maybe it could be added upfront? Thoughts?

Lara, I just read the article you included and it's pretty clear he used any cheap white off the shelf. I doubt he used anything special, and most commercial, cheap, wine is probably processed the same. Sounds like you may not have used enough yeast, maybe too much sugar, and if your temperature...

Are you sure that's the reserve, and that there wasn't a leak from the main interior to the exterior section of the juice bag? Does this kit even have a reserve bag, many do not, the videos are kind of generically all encompassing (showing fpak, just incase there is one). Maybe you need to call...