WineXpert Disappointing Inital SG

[Old Submariner]

I recently started two Wine Expert kits, An Austrialian Shiraz and a Chianti.
Both kits when rehydrated to 23 Ltr had low SG. The Shiraz was 1.056, The Chianti was 1.045. I checked this with two hydrometers to be sure.
I have made many kit wines over the years from all the manufacturers and this is the lowest SGI have ever had with any kit and two in a row.
I added sugar to bring both into the 1.090 range.


Has anyone else seen this problem from WE

 

[v1rotate]

Wow, that is low! I've done about 15 WE kits and never had any below 1.070. Did you mix the must well after hydrating? If it wasn't quite uniformly mixed up it could lead to a low reading, but if you have done lots of kits I doubt that is the case. You can see what the experts on the forum suggest but I think you will probably need to contact your retailer and/or WE. Good luck!

 

[grapeman]

Definitely contact the suppliers as Jim said. They shouldn't be that low. Be sure to have the Batch/Lot number handy.

 

[Wade E]

Make sure you have stirred it up really well as the water added can sit right on top, I have never seen Sg's that low except on Mist Kits and to have 2 different kits come out that low makes me wonder if too much water was added.

 

[smurfe]

I have never seen one off any at all as long as they were stirred good and I mean really good. I use my drill stir devise to stir them when I mix one up. Then again, I haven't made a WE kit for a long time. I don't think I made one since George got the All Juice line.

 

[Old Submariner]

I have probably made 50 kits over the last few years and have occasionally found some to be what I thought had a low initial SG but never this low. I started these just like all the others added water to the mark on my primary which yeilds about 24 ltr so I will have a small volume to top up, stirred well and take a SG. At first I thought something happened to my hydrometer, so I tested in tap water it read near 1.000 thenI used a second hydrometer to verify the reading.
These are the first WE kits that I have done in2-3 years. I have really gotten hooked on the Grape pack kits lately but I was in Houston recently and stopped byDefalcos Home Brewing, Everyone knows how hard it is to visit a winemaking supply and not buy anything so I told myself how much I was saving on shipping. Guess I will stick to the big kits and pay shipping from now on.
As for contacting WE, I added sugar to both of them so I probably voided any warrenty. I feel they will make an acceptable wine but wonder about others making these kitswho donot take an inital SG and wine up with a very low alcohol wine

 

[grapeman]

I would worry about more than just a low SG. If it was indeed that low, then the amount of concentrate was too low. That would mean that when water was added like you did, then other things besides just sugars would be too low. The acid levels can be off as well as the wine ending up with a watered down character. I would still contact WE and let them know what happened.