Behind the scenes

sour_grapes · Sep 28, 2015

kkentert said:
Any thoughts on reducing the juice down a bit by simmering it instead of adding sugar?

I do not know if this is a good idea or not, but let me point out that you wouldn't need to "simmer" your juice to concentrate it. The kit described already is a concentrate, and you need to add water to bring it down to normal strength. Thus, if you desired to, you could simply add less water.

wineforfun · Sep 28, 2015

I don't understand some of these kits listed. Their SG range is 1.074-1.100. That is a HUGE difference. The two kits I have done (RJS WS) have listed the SG as 1.090-1.100, much tighter gap.
With the former, it is assumed as long as you obtain 1.074, you are good to go, which would make a very weak and lackluster red wine........in my opinion.
Just something I have noticed.

kkentert · Sep 28, 2015

sour_grapes said:
I do not know if this is a good idea or not, but let me point out that you wouldn't need to "simmer" your juice to concentrate it. The kit described already is a concentrate, and you need to add water to bring it down to normal strength. Thus, if you desired to, you could simply add less water.

Paul,
thanks for the input. Joe posted this in response to a specific question I had private messaged him. I informed him that I was planning to get 6 gallons of JUICE that a local winery imports from Italy, so this is not a kit, but rather a fresh juice.

sour_grapes · Sep 28, 2015

Oh, okay. Sorry 'bout that, I did not realize this. :slp

Carry on!

joeswine · Sep 28, 2015

Amarone the king of italian reds

WHEN using fresh juice I don't recommend cooking it or trying to reduce it down to enhance the concentrated effect. Picture it if you will as a sauce now's the time to add to the mix all the components it takes to make this wine as true an Amarone as we can at home.

primary: bentonite, med. toasted oak chips, if you can get them, yeast(icv-d254) or (bm45) these yeast will help build the structure of the base wine. THE STARTING SG.to 1.13/ 1.14.if not there then capitalize the base and get it there, Amarone is a high alcohol content wine but with good balance ,once this is done let it set until fermentation is underway when it gets down to 1,09 add to the base 1 quart of simple syrup and the raisins and oak powder if you have some this will also be used in the secondary,cover it and walk away you should have fermentation for about 9 day (give or take)..So far so good. :dg

at this point we have entered to some a lot of items but the quantities aren't that much as far as the raisins go 1 full cup will do ,after a day or two take a reading and post where you are. Yours jp and by the way it's a open conversation to all..

kkentert · Sep 28, 2015

Thanks again!!! I think I'm going to do two 6 gallon batches, each slightly different.

joeswine · Oct 13, 2015

Corinthian grapes

OUTSTANDING TO WORK WITH AND A DELETE TO THE SENSES.

Black Corinth Grapes

Black Corinth (aka Zantes Currant, the Champagne grape, etc.). An ancient grape, probably of Greek origin. While the main variety is black, there are red and also white forms of the grape, though they are less common than the black form. One of only a very few parthenocarpic grapes in commerce. Other grapes are seedless because the seeds start to develop, then abort. Parthenocarpic grapes have no seed development at all. Black Corinth has the smallest berries of all seedless grapes and must be sprayed with hormone, or have the vine girdled for the berries to set evenly and have any size to them at all. Without treatment, the berries are mostly pinhead size. Very susceptible to powdery mildew, even for a vinifera grape. The name "Champagne Grape" comes from a pictorial in Sunset magazine. © Lon J. Rombough, B.S., M.S., ATM. · bunchgrapes.com · All Rights Reserved.

JohnT · Oct 14, 2015

joeswine said:
OUTSTANDING TO WORK WITH AND A DELETE TO THE SENSES.

But what if I don't want my senses deleted???

sour_grapes · Oct 14, 2015

JohnT said:
But what if I don't want my senses deleted???

Stop drinking wine!!

joeswine · Oct 14, 2015

Oversight

Just wanted to see if you are paying attention,.,.,

Rocky · Oct 14, 2015

Joe, I understand that you do not recommend "cooking down" juice to concentrate it and I agree with that. I would like to know your view on cooking down crushed grapes when making a grape pack to concentrate the sugars and solids. Thank you.

joeswine · Oct 14, 2015

Fpacs

MY THOUGHTS ,take any basic wine grape about 1 to 2 lbs. and let them simmer down just enough to start releasing natural sugars and enzyme's in to the mix. Unlike the grape packs we get in the kits even the high end kits the contentedness is dehydrated and dense with stems, seeds and yes grape skins and sugars.
when your talking about 6 gallon batches my way works out and if you can get a hand full of grapes with talent then all the better,simmering brings out the best in what you can make on your own and can be there anytime you require it.Making your own concentrate can work but you have to be on top of it and be able to do the chemistry or all you end up with is colored liquid.I've tried it.Making your own fpac adds a touch of ME to my wine. :hug

Rocky · Oct 14, 2015

Joe, the grape packs I have are Cabernet Sauvignon. I purchased three lugs, stripped and crushed them and put them in freezer bags. I note that there is quite a bit of liquid (wich is mostly water) in the bags and I am about to use a bag on a Malbec experiment. I was thinking about reducing the water in the grape pack by simmering it on the range until the volume is reduced by 1/3 or so and putting that in primary with a Malbec concentrate and oak chips. In secondary, I was going to follow your lead on the raisins, tannin and oak and use medium toast American Oak cubes. The concentrate is from Williams Brewing in California and did not set me back a bunch (about $70 for 5 gallons of wine) and I am just experimenting. I have a big WinExpert kit of Argentine Malbec going and the taste is really great, a lot like Zinfandel.

joeswine · Oct 15, 2015

In the mix

HERE'S WHAT I WOULD DO PRESS OUT THE WATER NOT GOOD FOR THE MIX WHEN YOUR READY TO MOVE FORWARD PLACE THE CRUSHED GRAPES AND SOME RED WINE IN A POT THAT WILL HOLD YOUR VOLUME- OF- NOW CRUSHED GRAPE PAC.( ABOUT 2CUPS WINE) SIMMER ON LOW UNTIL HEATED THOROUGH THEN HERES THE TRICK ADD 1 TABLESPOON OF SUGAR TO THE MIX ,STIR IT IN WELL,BRING THE MIX UP TO A SMOOTH WARM TEMP AND THEN LET COOL.NOW YOU HAVE RE HYDRATED THE PACK IN A SEMI ORIGINAL NATURAL STATE . THAT'S WHAT I WOULD DO . :dg

NEVER WORK WITH THE CAN STUFF ,KEEP ME INFORMED,YOURS JP (REMEMBER YOU DON'T NEED A LOT TO BE EFFECTIVE)

joeswine · Oct 26, 2015

Blackberry /zinfandel

this is another one of kate's cheap kits done in a 6 gallon fashion,with tweaks..

joeswine · Oct 26, 2015

Blackberry /zinfandel

Vino Italiano Blackberry Zinfandel Kit

This kit we purchased off Amazon for ~$45.00 shipped. This kit is contained the Zinfandel juice, a blackberry F-pak, labels, corks, caps, packets of yeast, sorbate, bentonite, k-met, and chitosan. This kit contains the essentials for any new winemaker (minus the basic equipment that is needed.)
What we added:
• 2 ball jars of simple syrup (each ball jar will bring the SG up .01%)
• Spring Water
• **Oak Tannin** Note: We will add this in the secondary, not primary
The steps:
• First, we added the bentonite and ½ gal. warm water and stirred until dissolved.
• Next, we added the packet of Zinfandel juice and then topped up to 6 gallon mark on our primary fermenter.
• Then, we took an SG reading. The kit as is, came to 1.070. We wanted our SG reading to be at 1.10, so we added the ball jars of simple syrup, one at a time (and took readings in between). We ended up using both jars and this brought us up to our desired SG reading: 1.09. We wanted this specific SG reading because 1. We like nice alcohol in our wine and 2. We wanted it to be well balanced. This kit contains an F-pak so the higher alch. Will balance it out- it won’t be too sweet .
• Next, we gave the bucket a good stir and added the yeast.
• The last step: We document the contents on our tag, hang it on the bucket, and drape a towel over the top. Now we wait.
Update!!
We checked the SG tonight (6/20/14) and it is at 0.98. This is dry and ready to rack to the secondary carboy. We racked it to our secondary, marked the SG reading and the date on our tag and hung it on the carboy.
Our wine is coming along!
Stay tuned...

**Update**
Hello Everyone!
We haven't posted the all-anticipated posts of this economically pleasing wine kit.

So tonight is the night! For those who are catching the back end of this tutorial, this is a Blackberry-Zinfandel Kit from Vino Italiano. This kit’s average price is ~$45.00.
On 7/3/2014 we added the Blackberry F-pak, the clearing agent that came with the kit, the K-Met (Metabisulphate), Sorbate, stirred it up, and let it sit.
Tonight we checked-in on this wine and gave it our winemakers check-up.
Appearance: Nice dark purple color
Aroma: Berries, oak, and a slight tar smell (which is indicative of a drinkable dark, red wine)
Taste: Definitely taste the blackberry. It's right on the money. Has a light oak taste. This wine finishes sweet but not overly sickening, which is nice. The higher alcohol content (from adding the extra sugar/simple syrup in the beginning) really balances it out like we thought going into this kit.
Although this wine is definitely drinkable to the average wine drinker, I would let this one sit another month to really let the flavors come together. However, if I was invited last minute to a BBQ, this I wouldn't be ashamed of grabbing a few bottle of this to share.
This was a good purchase. It's a "filler" wine that I can share or drink while the other stuff I have is aging.
Oh, and for the count- we got 27 bottles (plus one that was not quite full- we drank that).
The total cost per bottle: $1.66. Can’t Beat that!

Cheers!
Joe and Kate

joeswine · Nov 20, 2015

kates blackberry cheap kit

from vino Italiano.... :HB

joeswine · Dec 1, 2015

Gift idea

i would have normally never had bought this one gallon kit but i thought what a great gift to give to someone who wanted to start making wine but wasn't sure,and that you could help them along the way, in your cellar....or if you thought about it thinking outside the box style,you now have a 1 gallon pinot grigio concentrate to add shall we say to a chardenay or a chenin blanc,get the idea,very cool.