Behind the scenes

[barbiek]

joe where did you find those green frosted bottles at?

 

[joeswine]

bottles

I believe a wine known as REMY was in them and I got them through a friend who owns a night club in Camden. have been saving them for a while now.

GO BACK AND REVIEW THE FLOW ON THE PACIFIC QUARTET

 

[barbiek]

would like to get my hands on something like those! Do ya happen to have any for sale? Would appreciate it!
thanks

 

[joeswine]

frosted green

no I had only gotten a handful and they were by chance and yes they are nice, thank you ......go back and follow the flow on the pacific quartet.......

 

[joeswine]

pacific quortec

follow this easy and tasty white wine kit ,it reminds me of a TRIO Blanco I once made,...follow the flow..
Pacific quartet Wine Kit
We used the following yeast: QA23.
Often used in terpenic whites, it enhances the aromatic aspects of a grape. QA23 really brings out the floral and tropical notes, making an elegant, fruit focused, aromatic wine.

 

[joeswine]

Pacific quartet

bottling time, fun with bottles.....notice the change? at the end????/

 

[joeswine]

Chilean pino noir

Winexpert Pinot Noir​

Here is a kit that we purchased from one of our local brew shops, Richland Hardware. This kit is a Wineexpert Selection Series Cabernet. This kit has the following included:

The box includes the following:
· Large bag of juice
· 1 packs of Lavin 1118 Yeast
· Package of Bentonite
· Package of Metabisulphite
· Package of Sorbate
· Package of Chitosan-(Fining Agent)
· 1 package of medium-blend toasted Oak

As always, I make additions to any wine kit that I receive to personalize it. The following items do not come with the kit- they are out of my “toolbox”:

• Powdered Oak
• 1 qt. mason jar of simple syrup (depending on the SG at the beginning of the kit, we may or may not need this, I always have in handy just in case.)
• 3 large plums

Just for reference, I’m sure everyone knows by now if they have been following the posts, that you will need certain equipment to make this kit. For the newbies, I’m going to put it below so you know what you need:
· Primary Fermenter (minimum 30 Litres/7.9 US gallons capacity)
· Long stirring spoon (Plastic or stainless steel)
· Measuring cup
· Hydrometer and test jar
· Thermometer
· Wine thief
· Siphon rod and hose
· Carboy (6 US gallon capacity)
· Bung and Air lock
· Solid Bung (if you are bulk aging)
· Unscented winemaking detergent for cleaning (we recommend Onestep or any other oxygenating cleaner, including Kmet....JUST NOT BLEACH!)
· Metabisulphite Powder for sanitizing
· 30 wine bottles, thirty corks , thirty seals
· Corking machine (there are various types, we use an Italian floor corker.)
The Process:
· As always, sanitize anything that comes in contact with the wine. Yip, including yourself!
· Add half gallon of warm water to the primary fermenting bucket with the bentonite packet and stir until dissolved.
· Add the large juice package. (Be careful, it’s heavy!) Rinse this out with a little bit of spring water to make sure you get it all.
· Now, we take the SG reading. We’re at 1.10.
· Now, here comes all that oak! We are adding the 1 packet of toasted oak chips PLUS 2 TBSP of the powdered oak tannin (AWESOME!).
· Next is the YEAST! 1 packet of 1118 yeast. Cover with a towel and wait 5-7 days.

Secondary Fermentation:

Now that we fermented dry (SG reading is 1.010), now it’s time to rack it.


Notice the aroma? I personally like the smell of fermenting wine. <SNIFF!> Ahh…
Ok. J
We racked this down to a carboy. I but it is pretty gassy. I’m going to let this settle out for a few days and let it degas some on its own. Over the weekend, I will force-gas it (If I have to) by giving it a good old-fashioned stir. Once I feel that it’s de-gassed enough, I will stabilize it with the potassium sorbate packet, K-Met Packet, and packet of Chitosan (clearing agent).

UPDATE:​

We finished bottling our super-awesome, Winexpert Selection Pinot Noir Kit. We are quite happy with the results. Our end result is a dark, inky-color, rich, full bodied, wine. It has a spicy-earthy, sour cherry aroma, dried fruit, bitter almond, from the huge volume of tannins.

For a kit wine that started just 2 1/2 months ago, the results are quite impressive. (We started this kit on August 22, 2013. We bottled tonight, 10/24/2013. After doing this kit, we would def. recommend this one for any true Italian red-wine drinker.

We would like to thank Winexpert for giving us the opportunity to present one of their finest wine kits they have available. We would definitely recommend this kit to the novice and experienced winemakers alike as it truly is exceptional.

We are looking forward to our next tutorial now that this one is complete. Please give us feedback and recommendations of what type of wine you would like to learn how to make.

Winexpert Pinot Noir​

Here is a kit that we purchased from one of our local brew shops, Richland Hardware. This kit is a Winexpert Selection Series Cabernet. This kit has the following included:

The box includes the following:
· Large bag of juice
· 1 packs of Lavin 1118 Yeast
· Package of Bentonite
· Package of Metabisulphite
· Package of Sorbate
· Package of Chitosan-(Fining Agent)
· 1 package of medium-blend toasted Oak

As always, I make additions to any wine kit that I receive to personalize it. The following items do not come with the kit- they are out of my “toolbox”:

• Powdered Oak
• 1 qt. mason jar of simple syrup (depending on the SG at the beginning of the kit, we may or may not need this, I always have in handy just in case.)
• 3 large plums

Just for reference, I’m sure everyone knows by now if they have been following the posts, that you will need certain equipment to make this kit. For the newbies, I’m going to put it below so you know what you need:
· Primary Fermenter (minimum 30 Liters/7.9 US gallons capacity)
· Long stirring spoon (Plastic or stainless steel)
· Measuring cup
· Hydrometer and test jar
· Thermometer
· Wine thief
· Siphon rod and hose
· Carboy (6 US gallon capacity)
· Bung and Air lock
· Solid Bung (if you are bulk aging)
· Unscented winemaking detergent for cleaning (we recommend One step or any other oxygenating cleaner, including Kmet....JUST NOT BLEACH!)
· Metabisulphate Powder for sanitizing
· 30 wine bottles, thirty corks , thirty seals
· Corking machine (there are various types, we use an Italian floor corker.)
The Process:
· As always, sanitize anything that comes in contact with the wine. Yip, including yourself!
· Add half gallon of warm water to the primary fermenting bucket with the bentonite packet and stir until dissolved.
· Add the large juice package. (Be careful, it’s heavy!) Rinse this out with a little bit of spring water to make sure you get it all.
· Now, we take the SG reading. We’re at 1.10.
· Now, here comes all that oak! We are adding the 1 packet of toasted oak chips PLUS 2 TBSP of the powdered oak tannin (AWESOME!).
· Next is the YEAST! 1 packet of 1118 yeast. Cover with a towel and wait 5-7 days.

Secondary Fermentation:

Now that we fermented dry (SG reading is 1.010), now it’s time to rack it.


Notice the aroma? I personally like the smell of fermenting wine. <SNIFF!> Ahh…
Ok. J
We racked this down to a carboy. I but it is pretty gassy. I’m going to let this settle out for a few days and let it degas some on its own. Over the weekend, I will force-gas it (If I have to) by giving it a good old-fashioned stir. Once I feel that it’s de-gassed enough, I will stabilize it with the potassium sorbate packet, K-Met Packet, and packet of Chitosan (clearing agent).

UPDATE:​

We finished bottling our super-awesome, Winexpert Selection Pinot Noir Kit. We are quite happy with the results. Our end result is a dark, inky-color, rich, full bodied, wine. It has a spicy-earthy, sour cherry aroma, dried fruit, bitter almond, from the huge volume of tannins.

For a kit wine that started just 2 1/2 months ago, the results are quite impressive. (We started this kit on August 22, 2013. We bottled tonight, /24/2013. After doing this kit, we would def. recommend this one for any true Italian red-wine drinker.

We would like to thank Winexpert for giving us the opportunity to present one of their finest wine kits they have available. We would definitely recommend this kit to the novice and experienced winemakers alike as it truly is exceptional.

We are looking forward to our next tutorial now that this one is complete. Please give us feedback and recommendations of what type of wine you would like to learn how to make.

 

[joeswine]

Blackberry pino nior

THIS IS ANOTHER WELL DEVELOPED PARTENERSHIP OF FLAVORS THAT SET EACH OTHER APART YET ARE AT HOME WITH EACH OTHERS COMPANY,A BLACKBERRY PINO NIOR,DELIOUSE IN EVERY ASPECT ,IT TAKES PATIENTS AND CONTROL TO PULL THIS ONE OFF.FOLLOW THE PROCESS..........

 

[joeswine]

Blachberry pino nior

let the flow continue for just a while...NICE CAP ON THE BASE...WARM AND COZY IN THE BUCKET,THE REST AS THEY SAY IS HISTORY...............

 

[joeswine]

Sharaz and corinthian grapes

WELL TODAY I OPENED MY FIRST BOTTLE OF SHARAZ WITH BLACK CORTHINIAN GRAPES,YOUNG YES AND IS MEANT TO BE DRANK AS A YOUNG FRUIT FORWARD WINE BY DESIGN IN CONCERT WITH THE MANUFACTURES DUE DATE AND MY TWEAKS .THE COLOR IS DEEP THE AROMA OH YES I SAID AROMA IS SPOT ON ,NOT EVERY WINE IS MEANT FOR AGING AND THIS ONE IS READY TO PARTY,AND I WOULD DO AGAIN .THE BODY IS EXCELLENT AS FAR AS MOUTHFEEL GOES ,THE STRUCTURE IS WHAT IS EXPECTED,YOU NEED TO TRY THIS KIT IN IT'S INTERMEDIATE PRICE RANGE IS A WINNER...............

 

[joeswine]

Sharaz with black corinthian grapes

END RESULTS AR VERY PLEASING..

Winexpert Shiraz Kit​

Here is our kit that we received from Winexpert. This kit had the bulk of the items listed below included (we added the Corinth grapes, simple syrup, different yeast, and extra tannins).

The box includes the following:
· Large bag of juice
· 1 Lb Corinth Grapes (we crushed them)
· 1 Package of ICV-D254 (this kit came with a red-star premium yeast packet, I choose this packet. More info below.)
· 2 Ball Jars of Simple Syrup (each ball jar equates to 1% abv)
· bentonite
· Metabisulphite
· Sorbate
· Chitosan-(Fining Agent)
· 1 Hungarian Oak
· 1 tbsp wine tannins
The Process:
· As always, sanitize anything that comes in contact with the wine. Including yourself. J
· Add half gallon of warm water to the primary fermenting bucket with the bentonite packet and stir until dissolved.
· Add the large juice package. (Be careful, it’s heavy!) Rinse this out with a little bit of spring water to make sure you get it all.
· Now, we take the SG reading. We’re at 1.080.
· Now, here comes the Hungarian oak!
· Here comes the fun part. YEAST! This kit came with a Red Star Premier yeast. I however choose to use ICV-D254. Cover with a towel and wait 5-7 days, gently punching down the grape skins.



These are the characteristics and the reasons why we choose the yeast we choose:
ICV-D254 (when used with Shiraz) makes wine that has a big mouth feel and rounding of tannins, intense fruit, more dried then fresh along with a nice spicy quality if present in the fruit. Helps with color, stability and its useful for adding body to blends.


(from here on down is still info for amarone, we have to still edit it. We are not yet in the secondary for the shiraz)
Secondary Fermentation:
Now that we fermented dry (SG reading is 1.010), now it’s time to rack it.
Notice the grape skins on top? This is the cap that formed from the grape skin packet that was provided in the Wineexpert Amarone Kit, along with the addition of California Raisins (that I added to add more body).
We racked this down to a carboy but it is pretty gassy. I’m going to let this settle out for a few days and degas some on its own. Over the weekend, I will force-gas it (If I have to) by giving it a good old-fashioned stir. Once I feel that it’s de-gassed enough, I will stabilize it with the potassium sorbate packet, K-Met Packet, and packet of Chitosan (clearing agent).

 

[sour_grapes]

That looks great, Joe. And for a bit over $2 bux a bottle, who can argue!?!?

 

[joeswine]

SHARAZ with black CORTHINIAN grapes

I figure with bottle and labels 3.25 still not bad and I drank it all which is very unusual for me .

 

[joeswine]

pacific quartec

THIS is a great white wine to have in your collection easy to make and even better to drink with or with out a paring...follow the process..

 

[joeswine]

picific quartec

follow the flow.................. Pacific quartet Wine Kit
We used the following yeast: QA23.
Often used in terpenic whites, it enhances the aromatic aspects of a grape. QA23 really brings out the floral and tropical notes, making an elegant, fruit focused, aromatic wine.

 

[joeswine]

My space

THIS IS MY SPACE :

 

[JohnT]

Joe,

It's that last picture that makes it all worth while!!!!

 

[joeswine]

Corinthian grapes

since I have found these little grapes they have been a work horse for me take a look at the linage
A Grape that isn't a Grape but is a Grape

If you've ever had currant buns, or any other baked product with "currants" in them, you, like 99.9% of the public, thought the "currants" were the little red fruits that grow on bushes. Nope.
The dried "currants" used in baking are actually a true raisin, a dried grape. Called "currants" because one of the names of the grape they come FROM is "Zante Currant" also known as Black Corinth, and many other names, THIS is the variety dried INTO "currants" that are used in baking.
Black Corinth is the name you will usually find it under in America, though in recent years it has become known as "the Champagne grape" due to advertising by a produce dealer who specializes in it. Ironically, there is an old American grape called "Champagne" that is a very coarse, rough tasting labrusca grape of low quality, about as far FROM Champagne as you could get.
Black Corinth is a very odd grape in many ways. In it's natural state, the clusters have very few berries and they are hardly bigger than pinheads. In wild grapes, the sexes are in separate vines, male flowers on one, female flowers on another. This is true even in wild Vitis vinifera, the classic grape of commerce. Black Corinth is an "almost male" in that the flowers have well developed anthers, and very tiny ovaries, probably representing a first step towards evolution of a perfect flowered grape. Hence, when it does set fruit, there are only a few per cluster and the berries are tiny and seedless. However, the variety was doubtless kept as a source of pollen so that the female flowered varieties would set full crops.
How did Black Corinth come to be used at all, if the berries are so few and tiny?
It's a very old variety, probably Greek, and the story goes that a donkey was tied to a vine of it and the animal started going around the vine until the halter rope rubbed the bark off. Instead of dying, the vine healed the wound and the grapes, which were minuscule in other years, were large enough to eat after the vine was girdled. There is certainly a grain of truth in the fable as girdling was a standard practice in increasing the set and size of seedless grapes until the discovery of the plant hormone gibberellic acid and it's ability to do the same thing with less labor.
Girdling, or hormone treatment, causes the clusters to set full crops, though the berries are still tiny. Because the stems also remain tiny, the berries can be eaten with the stems on. This makes the variety seem very dainty and rather glamorous (thanks especially to articles showing frosted clusters of them with glasses of champagne - hence the "champagne" grape) and home growers who have seen this decide that Black Corinth would be fun to grow., which is too bad because it's NOT a home grower's grape.
First, of over 200 varieties in my collection, it is the most susceptible to powdery mildew. As pure Vitis vinifera, it is also completely susceptible to all the other diseases of grapes - downy mildew, black rot, etc. And since it comes FROM such a mild country, it can't be counted on as being hardy to much more than 0°F. But more than anything else, unless the vine is treated with hormone at bloom time, or girdled, the berries are minuscule and the clusters are straggly. So while it looked romantic in the magazine, it's NOT worth the work for most homeowners. Buy the fruit in the store, if you must, but don't bother trying to grow it.
Black Corinth - the grape that's a Currant (Zante) that's a grape.
of these helpers.

 

[joeswine]

zinfandel pomegranate wine

okay, the wine is finished and ready for shipping but first lets take a look at how we got here...ISLAND MIST CONTEST.

 

[joeswine]

zinfandel pomegranate wine CONTINUED

Zin/pomagranet continued ,it's a long one.