WineXpert Eclipse Washington Columbia Valley Riesling

[dcbrown73]

I couldn't figure out which kit to start next, the Eclipse Merlot, Cab, or the Riesling. I finally decided on the Riesling. I figured I've already got two reds going and a single white. I will make it even and have two whites then I will do the two other reds I have sitting in the closet.

Anyone who has made this kit, what is your opinion of it? I'm hoping it pairs well with Cajun food as I usually pair my Gumbo and Jambalaya with a Riesling. (usually, a Ravines Dry Riesling) Though the last one I had, didn't pair so well with my Gumbo, (Selbach-Oster Feinherb) though the wine was still very good. It just didn't pair right.

Temp: 78F, gravity, 1.080.

Obligatory pic!

 

[ibglowin]

IIRC this guy came with an f-pack. I added half up front, did a yeast swap. It needed some tartaric as it was a little flat to my taste buds, more zing on the tongue. Is will go great with spicy foods as long as it is off dry, off dry is the secret ingredient there.

The Eclipse whites were just so so for me and the only one I would and did make again was the NZ Sauv Blanc.

 

[ibglowin]

And I would bump that to 1.09 with some simple syrup.

 

[dcbrown73]

Well dang. I suppose I should have asked before I started it.

I don't even have any tartaric acid on hand. I already pitched the yeast. They say don't stir it afterwards and well if I added syrup I would need too. I'm not even sure how much I would need to add to get it close to that number.

The F-Pack is to back sweeten it right? I was under the impression that sweeter Rieslings generally had less ABV and dryer ones had more. (like 9% for sweet and 11+ for dry)

 

[ibglowin]

Your in control here dude. You have a hygrometer? Make some simple syrup post haste and add it until you reach 1.09. You are also doing things different than with fresh grapes picked at lower Brix and fermentation stopped before completion possibly.. You cad add the Tartaric later, get it from your LHBS or order it from morewine etc. Just get it for your tool box. If you add 1/2 the f-pack up from the extra sugar get converted to Ethanol........

 

[dcbrown73]

After thinking on this overnight. I think I'm just going to let it be for now. I want to learn the art of making better wine and I figure if I tweak it before I even know what it tastes like, then I'm not going to learn anything by tweaking it. Therefore I would never become a master tweaker like @joeswine.

If I'm not liking it as it gets closer to being done, I can try and tweak there. So, I'm going to practice patience for now.

I do have a question though. What exactly is the F-Pack for? I figured it was for either back sweetening or adding more flavor to the must. (or both!) So, please help me understand and also why adding half before fermentation changes vs adding it afterward. Especially if you also plan to chapitalize with simple syrup.

Since you're chapitalizing, I would think you wouldn't need to add the f-pack early unless it changes the flavor and then for that cause. What's the difference between before and after fermentation? Does the yeast alter the flavor? I know it can by the alcohol it produces (difference types of yeast), though I wasn't aware if could alter the actual taste of the fruit itself.

 

[geek]

I think that's the one I made over a year ago, don't have my notes now but I know I added fpack at the end.

I don't think I'd make it again.

BTW- I may quickly stop by White Silo winery later this afternoon before I go to Danbury mall, just to buy a rhubarb bottle and try.

 

[ibglowin]

F-pack= fruit or flavor pack that comes with some kits. Its made usually from the same juice so if you like a really sweet white wine you add the whole thing at the stabilization phase. If you don't like it really sweet (like me) you add 1/2 up front and the other half at the stabilization phase. Adding up front boost ABV as it has sugar. That 1.08 starting ABV makes an ~11% ABV wine which is a little low IMHO. So a little bump at that level is easy to do with some simple syrup and some of the f-pack. The f-pack does add flavor as it is juice and not just sugar so you don't want to toss it. Use it all in one way or another.

 

[dcbrown73]

I think that's the one I made over a year ago, don't have my notes now but I know I added fpack at the end.

I don't think I'd make it again.

BTW- I may quickly stop by White Silo winery later this afternoon before I go to Danbury mall, just to buy a rhubarb bottle and try.

I just returned from White Silo. I had a good time. I've got to say, the Rhubarb dry was much more pleasing than the semi-sweet one. Actually, I couldn't drink the semi-sweet one.

The dry and both the dry and semi-sweet blackberry wine was good. I would say their sangria mix (blackberry and rhubarb wines mixed) was easily the best one IMO.

 

[dcbrown73]

F-pack= fruit or flavor pack that comes with some kits. Its made usually from the same juice so if you like a really sweet white wine you add the whole thing at the stabilization phase. If you don't like it really sweet (like me) you add 1/2 up front and the other half at the stabilization phase. Adding up front boost ABV as it has sugar. That 1.08 starting ABV makes an ~11% ABV wine which is a little low IMHO. So a little bump at that level is easy to do with some simple syrup and some of the f-pack. The f-pack does add flavor as it is juice and not just sugar so you don't want to toss it. Use it all in one way or another.

If that's the case, then maybe I will use the half the f-pack early. My favorite Riesling so far is the Ravines Dry Riesling followed by the AJ Adam Riesling.

 

[geek]

I just returned from White Silo. I had a good time. I've got to say, the Rhubarb dry was much more pleasing than the semi-sweet one. Actually, I couldn't drink the semi-sweet one.



The dry and both the dry and semi-sweet blackberry wine was good. I would say their sangria mix (blackberry and rhubarb wines mixed) was easily the best one IMO.

We just got to Danbury mall from White Silo.
We liked the dry rhubarb better than the semi sweet also, purchased a bottled to being home too.

I should've talked to them about buying some left over rhubarb but didn't...they guy at the bar told me they recently harvested around 1,400 lbs.

Anyway, I think it is a light but refreshing wine and very good.

 

[dcbrown73]

I racked into secondary fermentation last night. It was all the way down to 0.092. That took all of like four an days given that I started on Saturday afternoon. Can you skip secondary if it ferments that quickly?

What's really surprised me was that when I looked this morning. It's starting to clear as if I had put clearing agents in the must. The only one I did put it was the bentonite when I started the kit on on Saturday. When I racked it, a lot of it was in the bottom of the fermentation bucket. The chardonnay definitely didn't do this. As for the reds, they are too dark to notice if they had.

This pic is from this morning. I racked it around 9pm last night.

I ended up deciding to just run this kit without any tweaks. I decided that if I didn't like something once it gets to aging, that is when I will tweak it. Though I understand that if it's too sweet. I will just have to deal with that. The kit says it is a 1/10 on the sweetness scale. If that is all it is, I think it should be fine especially since I like Riesling with my spicy Cajun food which generally tastes better with a light sweetness.

 

[ibglowin]

Must have been pretty warm in your apartment. Thats a fast ferment for sure. Not unusual for a white to start clearing on its own, that also means that its degassing on it s own as well so KMETA will be needed sooner rather than later. I laugh at the 1 out of 10 on the sweetness scale. I added 1/2 of the f-pack up front on mine and it was plenty sweet for my taste and went well with spicy asian etc. I would only add 1/2 of the f-pack and taste to see if thats all you need for your taste. You can always add more but you can't take it out once it's in.

 

[dcbrown73]

Must have been pretty warm in your apartment. Thats a fast ferment for sure. Not unusual for a white to start clearing on its own, that also means that its degassing on it s own as well so KMETA will be needed sooner rather than later. I laugh at the 1 out of 10 on the sweetness scale. I added 1/2 of the f-pack up front on mine and it was plenty sweet for my taste and went well with spicy asian etc. I would only add 1/2 of the f-pack and taste to see if thats all you need for your taste. You can always add more but you can't take it out once it's in.

My apartment sits at 72F, but when the fermentation exploded, the must shot up to 80F from around 74F. This happen and the temperature in my apartment didn't change. (I must have been in error on the first gravity check as it appears to have went up and fermentation started within hours of pitching the yeast. (it was already fizzing within 3-4 hours of the pitch)

Here are my notes:

Date	         Notes	                                                           Temp	  Gravity
6/11/2016	Started batch in 7.9 gallon fermentation bucket.                   78F    1.080   
6/12/2016	Stired measured.  Not sure why, but it went from 1.080 to 1.084.   74F    1.084
6/13/2016	Stired and measured.  	                                           80F	  1.030
6/14/2016	Stired and measured.                                               78F    1.000
6/15/2016	Racked to secondary.	                                           76F	  0.092

That's a great idea about the F-Pack. I will definitely do that. Should I just pour the unused portion of the F-Pack into sanitized mason jars?

As for the degassing. The AIO does a hell of a job even with a single racking. Looking at the airlock from this morning. I probably need to move along to the clearing stage and add the f-pack as I probably should top up soon since it doesn't appear to be releasing much gas since last night.

 

[Boatboy24]

Should I just pour the unused portion of the F-Pack into sanitized mason jars?

I just leave it in the package, recap and refigerate.

 

[ibglowin]

Definitely save the leftover f-pack. Keep in fridge for sure. You could use it on another white perhaps down the road.

Oh and you have a decimal point off. Your final gravity is 0.992 and not 0.092.

 

[dcbrown73]

Given that fermentation is over and it seems pretty degassed. I want to go ahead and k-meta and sorbate it. How long should I wait after adding the sorbate before I add half the f-pack? I don't want fermentation restarting.

 

[geek]

F-pack can be added pretty much right after adding sorbate, degassing and mixing it good.
I do that with my white kits all the times.

 

[dcbrown73]

I added half the f-pack, k-meta, sorbate, and chitosan packet this morning.

The f-pack is only two cups. I can't imagine that could make six gallons of wine very sweet. I added about 4 1/2 cups of sugar to the Dragon's Blood wine and while it's semi-sweet. it's not really sweet and that's over twice as much.

I still only added half the pouch. I tasted the wine and it's still very dry, but I know it takes a bit for the sugars to blend with the flavors. The f-pack almost topped up the wine by itself. I will finish topping it up this evening.

 

[Boatboy24]

Make sure you stir well. Those f-packs are so thick, I think they can sink right to the bottom.