Recent content by JohnW

Yes, in my opinion I wouldn't go more than one in in the FWK pinot kit. Almost forgot to mention when I racked my Pinot there were a lot of tartrate crystals in the bottom possibly indicating excess tannins.

I'm sure it will be delicious; easy drinking although a little less complex. Without skins it will also be ready to drink earlier. I wish I would have only use half the skins and gone light on the oak in my pinot kit. After a year it still tastes oak and tannin heavy.

Tasting the packs sounds like a good idea. If Vineco Amarone pack is overly sugary I may reconsider or make adjustments. I bought extra skin packs with the FWK kit so I have some options.

I would also have also advised you to only go with one pack of skins. I started the Pinot kit a year ago and believe it will be another year before the tannins mellow.

I am getting ready to start a Vineco signature series Amarone kit with grape skins and Super Tuscan Tavola Finer Wine kit with a packet of their dried skins which includes whatever else they include in there (stems, seeds, etc.). I'm thinking about mixing the packets so that each would get...

We recently attended a 5 course dinner at an Italian restaurant with parings and I especially enjoyed the two Barbera wines they selected. Both the distributer and winemaker were there to discuss their wines. Really good Barbera can be pretty awesome. That is what I typically do. The first...

I made Tavola with one pack of skins. Hopefully it mellows in the next few months. Where it resides is a little cool, typically 65 or less, so it may take a little longer.

Yes, I am telling everybody it is a GSM blend. 😁

One more thing - I bottled my first FWK kit yesterday, Pinot Noir, and there were a lot of tartrate crystals in the bottom. I don't think this is a big deal but this is the first time I have seen this in any of my wines. I started it a year ago but it tastes like it needs at least another year...

I really appreciate all the input! It turns out that by the time I got around to ordering they were out of Meritage. I wanted something a little unique and ultimately decided to go with their Super Tuscan blend. Interesting that they substitute Syrah and Grenache for Sangiovese since it isn't...

In absence of other input I'm going to assume the difference is the ratio of the same grapes used. Maybe I should make both and see which one I like best. I'll report back in a year or two if I actually follow through with my plan😀

Does anybody know the difference between the FWK Bordeaux and Meritage kits since both are made from CA grapes. I'm thinking about making one or the other but am curious what the difference is. It's my understanding that Meritage is made from US-grown grapes that adhere to the Bordeaux rules of...

I'm a cheap vodka guy when all my vented silicone bungs are in use. My carboys are all plastic so when I need to move one I always remove the airlock first. Otherwise the liquid tends to get sucked into the wine.

Frozen rhubarb sounds like a winner unfortunately not seeing it at any of our local Walmarts. Maybe I should taste the concentrate before I go adding things anyway. Why add it after the primary fermentation is complete? I really don't have much experience with this sort of thing. I placed the...

Has anybody made Vintner's Best rhubarb wine? My family is a big fan of rhubarb so I bought a jug of it at the same time I purchased VB pear concentrate. Since I can't find real rhubarb right now I'm thinking about adding strawberries to the mix since VB tends to be lacking in the desired...