Other Cheap kit tweaks

[Maverick13]

Hello everyone, this is my first post but I have been scoping out the forum for a couple months. Thanks to everyone that has helped me without knowing it.

I am starting this thread in hopes of finding some different, possibly off the wall, ideas for doctoring up cheap kits - I buy vino italiano kits from amazon, 2 reds, 3 whites, and a white merlot (packlab makes them from what I have read here). Since I can not afford anything better and grew up with Franzia (okay maybe a tad better, but not by much) , I enjoy what i have made, for the moment. However there is always room for improvement.

So far to enhance these kits I have added bananas, raisins, fruits, tannin, and oak. Also tried cutting down to 5.25gal. I have read a lot here about the things I have already added and was hoping for some more ideas, unconventional or even something overlooked. For example, I was currious if anyone ever tried boiling peppercorns and then adding the water to the primary as a way to add spice to a shiraz or something.
Thanks for the time and help!

 

[DoctorCAD]

How about instead of buying 5 cheap kits, you buy 3 really good ones?

The quality is really in the starting juice mix.

 

[harleydmn]

Get a barrel, you would not believe the difference it will make. To get my barrel broke in I got a couple Vino Italiano kits. It made these kits very enjoyable.

 

[Rocky]

Amazing, I was going to post a reply with the same advice given in the two posts above, i.e. buy fewer more high quality kits and get a barrel to take advantage of micro-oxygenation.

 

[Dodie]

Cheap Tweaks

I also am trying some tweaks for Vino Italiano kits. Just working on the Moscato. Added oranges, some extra sugar on day one, now on bottling day, I am adding sparkling, non-alcohol peach grape juice, stirring it in quickly and bottling.

Dodie

 

[Matt723]

get a barrel to take advantage of micro-oxygenation.

Very interesting! Does anyone have a link to some articles regarding this? I would like to learn more about it.

Thanks!

 

[novalou]

Very interesting! Does anyone have a link to some articles regarding this? I would like to learn more about it.

Thanks!

There is a section on this forum dedicated to oaking and barrels.

 

[Maverick13]

Thanks for the advice. I will look into the oak barrel and read up on everyone's favorite red kits. For the time being, my wife and all our friends love the whites I have done, so as long as they are dumb and happy so am I. Just looking to make a bigger red than I can with the cheap kits.

 

[DoctorCAD]

Thanks for the advice. I will look into the oak barrel and read up on everyone's favorite red kits. For the time being, my wife and all our friends love the whites I have done, so as long as they are dumb and happy so am I. Just looking to make a bigger red than I can with the cheap kits.

HAPPY WIFE...HAPPY LIFE

Words to live by.

 

[novalou]

Thanks for the advice. I will look into the oak barrel and read up on everyone's favorite red kits. For the time being, my wife and all our friends love the whites I have done, so as long as they are dumb and happy so am I. Just looking to make a bigger red than I can with the cheap kits.

You won't find a good full body red in a cheap kit. Move up to the better more expensive kits or ferment on grape skins. I guess you can always use raisins in the cheap kits to improve them.

 

[kevinlfifer]

Try using Alexander concentrate instead of sugar to bring your brix and SG up. That way you get the full 6 gal as well.

I added 8 oz dried cherries to a red zin. Really good.

I've tweaked 15 or so paklab kits, part of the fun is the experimentation.

This fall I'm going to get 100 lbs or so of local Marquette grapes and freeze them for kit tweaking.

 

[WI_Wino]

Try using Alexander concentrate instead of sugar to bring your brix and SG up. That way you get the full 6 gal as well.

I added 8 oz dried cherries to a red zin. Really good.

I've tweaked 15 or so paklab kits, part of the fun is the experimentation.

This fall I'm going to get 100 lbs or so of local Marquette grapes and freeze them for kit tweaking.

Funny I was thinking a similar thought recently. But is there a concern with balancing PH/acid/etc. when dumping a bunch of grapes into a kit? Part of me thinks it might not be any different than tweaking a kit with raisins/concentrate though.