Finer Wine Kit Cabernet Sauvignon

[silverbullet07]

I received and started two FWK Cabernet Sauvignon kits today. Both kits I added the juice and filled to 6gal line. Stirred and let sit for a couple hours and re-stirred. Tested SG and both are at 1.108 and both PH is 3.59. Amazing how both ended up identical.

I’ll test again tomorrow before pitching yeast just to see if anything changed.

 

[winemaker81]

Since the concentrate most likely came from the same batch, you did a good job of reconstituting to the same final volume.

 

[silverbullet07]

I checked the SG before pitching yeast and one went to 1.110 and the other stayed 1.108. Still not bad. This years cab the brix is a little higher than last years and the ph is a little lower. Should make a good wine.

 

[winemaker81]

Although kits strive for consistency, this is a good reminder that grapes are a natural product, and every year will be different.

Big produces like Gallo make a consistent product, year-to-year, because they make hundreds of thousands of gallons and blend for consistency. Something us small producers can't even fathom.

 

[silverbullet07]

Must is at SG 1.010. Time to snap on lid and air lock.
I’ll check back in around the 4-6 week time line.

 

[Ericphotoart]

My FWK Cabernet Sauvignon was just shipped. I expect to start it this week. I will check both pH nd SG.

 

[ratflinger]

Although kits strive for consistency, this is a good reminder that grapes are a natural product, and every year will be different.

Big produces like Gallo make a consistent product, year-to-year, because they make hundreds of thousands of gallons and blend for consistency. Something us small producers can't even fathom.

That is about all you can say for Gallo, it's consistently something alright.

 

[winemaker81]

That is about all you can say for Gallo, it's consistently something alright.

There is nothing wrong with Gallo wines. There's also nothing exceptional about them.

Many moons ago the AWS chapter I belonged to did a Lambrusco tasting, the cheap, fizzy Italian wine. We got 5 or 6 brands and conducted a normal tasting.

IIRC, in the AWS scoring system ratings of 9 to 12 are "average". About a dozen people scored the wine, we averaged the scores for each wine, and all scores were in the 9.5 to 11.5 range, mostly between 10 and 11.

None of the wines had any significant flaws, and none of them were exceptional in any way. They defined the term "average". This changed my view of wines.

Periodically I buy Carlo Rossi wines by the 4 liter jug. This gets me five-and-a-half bottles of cooking wine at $3.25/bottle, and it comes with a free 4 liter jug for the winery! These wines are like cheap Lambrusco and Gallo -- totally average. Honestly drinkable, but not anything I want on a normal basis.

Food for thought ...

 

[Ericphotoart]

Just started Cabernet Sauvignon Forte today. After adding water to 6 gal mark, OG is 1.100 and pH 3.7 before adding pack A. It dropped to 3.6 after pack A.

 

[joeswine]

Just bottled some fir a customer of mine