Recent content by Wicks

I did follow the instructions. In looking at them, it shows the kit includes a packet of sulfite (doesn't say which). I followed the instructions exactly on my first kit and the chemical taste was terrible. On this 2nd kit, I tried 1/4 teaspoon of potassium metabisulfite that I purchased...

Hi All, Update. I completed this first batch and it had a strong chemical taste to it. Not really drinkable as far as I'm concerned. RJS sent me the second batch as a replacement and I made that one. Sat in my basement for a good 5 months I believe. Bottled it a couple weeks ago and it too has...

RJS En Primeur German Riesling Gewurztraminer Previous order was my first kit, the RJS En Primeur Chilean Merlot. Best price by far! Feedback: The kit seemed to have an off putting chemical smell and taste. Contacted RJS Customer Service and they were very responsive and even sent me a...

So over the weekend, I heated the carboy up to 75F, racked to my big mouth bubbler and degassed again. Pic of after degassing is attached. Foamed up a lot more then I expected. Not sure if that was interal gas or whether I aerated it a bit? But lots of foam. Hit it with two 10min sessions of...

Wow, there's a lot of faults to look out for. I emailed RJS last week, no reply yet. Guess we'll see what they say. Thx for the feedback. Lots to think about. Interesting. Guess I can leave out the sorbate next time and compare. Yeah I dont expect the wine to be awesome right after the 6-8...

Yeah I may try some K-meta instead to see if that helps. I emailed the company (RJS) as well to see if they had any ideas. I am a novice so yeah I just followed the directions and added the sorbate. I could try and leave it out next time. Would that affect long term aging? It is young but...

Indeed. I used all tap water. Who knows whats all in it... Next time I'll invest in some spring water to be sure. Interesting. Ok, I can warm it back up and try another degas to see if that helps.

So the instructions say nothing about punching down the cap. I saw in some YouTube videos that everybody was doing it so I started but yeah, it was a few days into fermentation. Strange the instructions don't mention it... I think the kit came with pectinase but I can't remember exactly...

Smell is similar to the sodium meta bisulfate but sweeter, not quite as strong. Maybe sweet and sulfer-like. Hard to describe as I haven't really smelled anything like it but is definitely off-putting. Taste is sour, kind of vinegary. Gets worse as the wine sits in the glass for 10-15mins.

Here's a pic of the carboy. I've extracted out a glass or so for testing so it was slightly higher but this is close. Thx for the feedback so far! ...and my iPhone of course rotated the pic...sorry.

Hi All! First post, first attempt at wine making. I purchased an En Primeur Chilean Merlot kit and dove in last month. Its been 45 days and it appears to have gone bad. The wine has an off smell that I can only liken to the sodium meta bisulfite that I used for sanitation. Its strong and...