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CPfan - yes I used the bentonite.

I'll definitely be more careful next time tightening it down. I think I did it pretty tight and I didn't see any tears but I did see a pair of wrinkles on the side of the filter so that might have allowed some stuff to go through. I guess i'm basically cold stabilizing now. In my basement...

It was not a torn filter. I added Sparkaloid as mentioned in an earlier post and it looks to be clearing when I checked it last night. What is cold stabilization?

That tear is a distinct possibility. I will look at the filter I tossed in the trash tonight. I added a dose of Sparkaloid the other day and that didn't help either. I read that someone suggesting heating it up to 75 and degassing so I might do that as well. Normally when I filter the wine it...

Hey all, Long time member but haven't posted anything in a few years. Hoping to get some expert opinions on something I started a Wine Expert Aussie Chard a month ago or so, followed the instructions through the clearing stage. Everything looked good and the wine appeared to be clear. I...

My wife likes a very sweet reisling also. I've made the Columbia Valley one from WE and it wasn't sweet enough for her even though it had an f-pack. You can make this but then taste test before you bottle and add more sugar syrup until she likes it. I made a VR We reisling with tons of sugar...

I had a taste of the WE Petit Verdot that came out a few years ago and it was one of the best wine I ever tasted.

I've done a VR red and wasn't happy with it - VR Pinot. I've heard some of the others are better. You should see if you can get a CC Sterling Old Vines Zin. I did that one two years ago and its been the best value for a kit in my opinion. I've made kits that were better but not at this...

I got a feeling like I over oaked it. I did not do splits but will avoid opening for a year or so since i have lots of supply right now. It was a toasted oak spiral - just one for the 6 gallons. I hope it mellows out over time. Thanks all.

Is it normal for this wine to be slightly bitter at bottling? I started this kit in June and just now bottled it. I made this according to instructions but added an oak spiral because I like lots of oak. Do you think the bitter taste is because of the extra oak I added? I just assumed that...

I made some Blueberry wine with wild MN blueberries a few years ago and I did not like the flavor even with sugar added, so I decided to try making some port. I took another batch of blueberries, boiled them to extract the flavor added sugar and about a cup of brandy per gallon. It turned out...

I guess I'm wondering why you are making VR kits if you don't like a thin wine. Those are starter kits and aren't priced to provide a full bodied wine. I would add another $30 to the $60 price and step up to a Selection internation or Selection original. I think you will be happier with your...

I would top up with a lower priced similar wine. you won't notice any change so don't bother getting an expensive wine. You probably won't notice if its a different red either.

I've tasted this NZ Pinot and it is excellent after waiting a year after bottling. Good luck!!

I've done this kit and there is no F pak. I'd suggest adding some simple syrup. I did and it was much better. A totally dry reisling is rare even in wine stores. My kit had an odd scent for the first few months, and wasn't really super tasty until after 9 months or so and then it was great...

Thanks - I will rack, taste and add 1/8 tsp this weekend. I might add some more oak to this kit since I'm a big oak fan.

I can't find any info on this. I started a CC red mnt cab back in June. I followed the instructions until the bottling was supposed to happen and just decided to leave it in the carboy topped up with the hungarian cubes it came with. I have not tested it yet or racked it since then. Can I...

I picked up one of these from Northern and it has tons of oak in it. I bottled and it tasted very nice at bottling. Its only 4 months old so I haven't cracked a bottle yet. There were 5-6 packs of oak as I recall.

I did some blueberry port last year and loved it. I basically racked everything to a bucket and started adding brandy and the flavor pak I made. I added all the flavor pak and kept adding brandy until I liked the flavor and it was balanced. Its a personal thing. You will love the port.

I made this kit as my second kit a few years ago. This kit was excellent after sweetening it. We raised the sugar level very high and my wife loved it. She liked it better than the Columbia Valley Reisling that WE has at 2-3X the price. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. As others say...