Finer Wine Kit Finer Wine Kits

[wineview]

But would everyone agree the skins do add to the overall production of the wine? Definitely worth having skins vs not having skins in either the Forte or Tavola?

My Tavola Syrah and Forte Pinot Noir arrived yesterday and I started the PN Forte with double skins & seeds mainly because I have never used either of them.

You are going to love the results.

 

[Brant]

My experiences so far with FWK have been a little mixed. I've made the following kits...

Forte Petite Sirah w/ 2 skins- made to directions. At 15 months it is still a little rough and bitter. Not as smooth as I would like.

Tavola Cab Sauv w/ 1 skin- 3 week EM. At 13 months it's OK. Not horrible but a little lack luster and not as big big or bright as I would prefer.

Tavola Cab Sauv w/ 1 skin- made to directions. At 12 months it's very similar to its sibling.

Forte Super Tuscan w/2 skins - 4 week EM. At just under 12 months it is decent but not impressive. I'm hopeful that it improve over the next year.

Tavola Sangiovese- made to directions but added FT Rouge, opti-red, 6 oz dried currants, 2 oz dried cherries, 2 oz dried blueberries. At 9 months this one is surprisingly good. Fruit forward and smooth.

Note that I added Color Pro during ferment to all but the PS. I also started using 1 oz glycerin/gal at bottling and it seems to help smooth edges. Additionally all kits were oaked in secondary with what came with the kits or 1.5 oz medium oak (American oak if I recall correctly).

I also did some blends. My 50/50 blend of the first Cab and Petite S is quite better than the two individual veriatals on their own. I also did a 50/50 blend with the second Cab and the sangiovese and it is very good. I recently shared a bottle of that cab-giovese with some friends and they were very impressed. We followed my bottle up with a commercial wine and mine was far, far better.

I'm going to use the mixed fruit and tannin additions again on some other WE reserve kits that will end up blended in my barrel. Im curious to see if I get similar results. I like strong, big bodied wines as long as they have enough flavor to offset the tannin/structure. Big, fruity and smooth is my preferred taste. The Forte kits I've made are decent but kinda rough on the edges and lacking flavor imo.

I have 4 other FWK to still make. A Tavola Merlot, Forte Zinfandel, Forte Southern Rhone and a Forte Sonoma. I'm hopeful a few minor tweaks might squeeze more potential out of them.

I also have a FWK blueberry currently in secondary. I honestly have zero expectations from this other than I hope my wife enjoys it.

 

[Brant]

accidently posted twice - and I'm not even drinking today!

 

[wineview]

My experiences so far with FWK have been a little mixed. I've made the following kits...

Forte Petite Sirah w/ 2 skins- made to directions. At 15 months it is still a little rough and bitter. Not as smooth as I would like.

Tavola Cab Sauv w/ 1 skin- 3 week EM. At 13 months it's OK. Not horrible but a little lack luster and not as big big or bright as I would prefer.

Tavola Cab Sauv w/ 1 skin- made to directions. At 12 months it's very similar to its sibling.

Forte Super Tuscan w/2 skins - 4 week EM. At just under 12 months it is decent but not impressive. I'm hopeful that it improve over the next year.

Tavola Sangiovese- made to directions but added FT Rouge, opti-red, 6 oz dried currants, 2 oz dried cherries, 2 oz dried blueberries. At 9 months this one is surprisingly good. Fruit forward and smooth.

Note that I added Color Pro during ferment to all but the PS. I also started using 1 oz glycerin/gal at bottling and it seems to help smooth edges. Additionally all kits were oaked in secondary with what came with the kits or 1.5 oz medium oak (American oak if I recall correctly).

I also did some blends. My 50/50 blend of the first Cab and Petite S is quite better than the two individual veriatals on their own. I also did a 50/50 blend with the second Cab and the sangiovese and it is very good. I recently shared a bottle of that cab-giovese with some friends and they were very impressed. We followed my bottle up with a commercial wine and mine was far, far better.

I'm going to use the mixed fruit and tannin additions again on some other WE reserve kits that will end up blended in my barrel. Im curious to see if I get similar results. I like strong, big bodied wines as long as they have enough flavor to offset the tannin/structure. Big, fruity and smooth is my preferred taste. The Forte kits I've made are decent but kinda rough on the edges and lacking flavor imo.

I have 4 other FWK to still make. A Tavola Merlot, Forte Zinfandel, Forte Southern Rhone and a Forte Sonoma. I'm hopeful a few minor tweaks might squeeze more potential out of them.

I also have a FWK blueberry currently in secondary. I honestly have zero expectations from this other than I hope my wife enjoys it.

I don’t know what to say. When you buy a bottle of wine, what is your price range.

 

[Brant]

I don’t know what to say. When you buy a bottle of wine, what is your price range.

I'm just sharing my opinion- not looking for advice. I typically purchase in the $10 to $15 range, rarely going up to or above $20 unless we are in a restaurant. My drive for making wine is partly cost savings with the remainder being the enjoyment in the process and end results. If I get to the point where I cannot justify the cost based on end result (quality), I'll stop. I'm relatively practical.

 

[ratflinger]

Odd, as I've found the FWK kits to be surprisingly good, but tastes vary. Have you tried other kits that you prefer better?

 

[Brant]

Odd, as I've found the FWK kits to be surprisingly good, but tastes vary. Have you tried other kits that you prefer better?

No. I notice kit taste with everything else- which i dont enjoy and neither does my wife. I have not made high end RJS or WE PR yet but the cost on those kits turns me off. I'm hopeful that I'll be able to tweak the FWK to eek out what's missing. I'm not necessarily disappointed as much as not as impressed as much as I assumed I would be. The sangio and sangio blend are the exceptions to this, so I'm hopeful.

 

[winemaker81]

I think that statement is what I would call opinion, not fact. I'm almost certain that every wine kit comes with Merlot skins. That's one of those things I read somewhere, sometime. If it absolutely mattered the manufacturer wouldn't do that.

I seem to recall reading the same thing, that most kits with skins include Merlot skins. However, IIRC, Matt P said FWK contain Cabernet Sauvignon skins.

Regardless of which is which, generally speaking, kits do not match concentrate varietal to skin varietal.

But would everyone agree the skins do add to the overall production of the wine? Definitely worth having skins vs not having skins in either the Forte or Tavola?

Skins provide color, body, grape tannin, and aroma.

Folks that make red juice buckets get a much lighter bodied wine in all of the above categories. This is not a problem IF it's what is desired. Red kits have some extraction in the concentrate, so will generally make a slightly heavier bodied wine of the same varietal. Kits with skin packs make a much meatier wine, the FWK Forte kits I made with Color Pro and barrel aged are as meaty as the grapes I made with Color Pro and barrel aged.

When your Forte PN is 6 months old, do a blind taste test against your Tavola PN. You will know which is which immediately.

I love the Tavola PN I made, as it came out exactly as I wanted it to. Another time I'll make a Forte PN, to produce a totally different wine.

 

[Brant]

I have a line on a local winery where I believe I'll be able to source juice this fall. A buddy is good friends with the head winemaker. I think they bring in most of their grapes and blend with their local grown stuff.

 

[Brant]

I made the comment that the Forte kits I made lacked flavor. I don't know that this is an accurate comment. Thinking more about it, I would rather say that I believe their flavors are more one dimensional and not as complex as I would've liked. I had big hopes for the super tuscan but it is missing something. Maybe it will come around with some more time in the bottle. Time will tell. I'm definitely not hating on FWK. I guess I just expected a little more. Considering I'm buying most at a decent discount from full price since LP runs decent sales, I'm definitely happy enough. If I was paying full price though, I think I would be more disappointed.

 

[wineview]

I made the comment that the Forte kits I made lacked flavor. I don't know that this is an accurate comment. Thinking more about it, I would rather say that I believe their flavors are more one dimensional and not as complex as I would've liked. I had big hopes for the super tuscan but it is missing something. Maybe it will come around with some more time in the bottle. Time will tell. I'm definitely not hating on FWK. I guess I just expected a little more. Considering I'm buying most at a decent discount from full price since LP runs decent sales, I'm definitely happy enough. If I was paying full price though, I think I would be more disappointed.

Just throwing this out there. Do you think full price kits would be fresher?

 

[winemaker81]

Just throwing this out there. Do you think full price kits would be fresher?

There is no difference. The concentrate is frozen -- the LP staff put all the items for a kit into a cooler, seal the box, and ship it. Sales are to empty the warehouse -- this is twice that they've had sales in the April-May time frame that wipes out stock.

 

[Shurt1073]

There is no difference. The concentrate is frozen -- the LP staff put all the items for a kit into a cooler, seal the box, and ship it. Sales are to empty the warehouse -- this is twice that they've had sales in the April-May time frame that wipes out stock.

I took advantage of this type of sale twice now .... in Nov - Dec 2022 they had a sale of 50-60% off. Bought my Blackberry, Grenache Rose, and Tavola Pinot Noir all on sale, in fact, the sale pushed me into trying the FWK. I'm SO GLAD! Its hard to beat the sale price point.

 

[idahorevbob]

Should I worry? I'm worried that I don't worry enough.......and that worries me.

Just received my FWK Forte Petit Sirah kit. It took nine days to get here and it's been warm but not super hot. (IMO FedEx in this area is terrible - I live 65 miles SE of Boise, Idaho). Anyway, what I'm concerned about is that the grape juice was "sludgy". I have made six other FWK kits and the juice would pour out of the bag relatively easily. Yes, you have to rinse the final dregs out of the bag, but this was different. I actually had to work at the "sludge" to get it to dissolve enough to pour out. Smelled fine. Has anyone else seen this from a FWK kit?

On a separate gripe, FWK and Label Peelers need to improve the packaging. Of course, FedEx doesn't help the matter but the package was pretty beat up. I think its just a matter of time before I receive a slimy, wet, grape juice smelling package...... The first three FWK kits I received where packaged in a styrofoam container inside a nice box. Wish they'd go back to that!!!! I know that must costa plenti.....

Alright, I'm done kvetching for the evening. Hey, maybe I should open a bottle of wine. Good Idea. Cheers.

 

[ratflinger]

They are often 'sludgy' due the sugar in the juice, but 9 days is excessive, especially since I get 2-3 day service to South Texas. If the juice bag was not starting to ferment on it's own then you should be okay.

FWK will ship UPS, if that service is faster. Just ask them.

 

[winemaker81]

Just received my FWK Forte Petit Sirah kit. It took nine days to get here and it's been warm but not super hot. (IMO FedEx in this area is terrible - I live 65 miles SE of Boise, Idaho). Anyway, what I'm concerned about is that the grape juice was "sludgy". I have made six other FWK kits and the juice would pour out of the bag relatively easily. Yes, you have to rinse the final dregs out of the bag, but this was different. I actually had to work at the "sludge" to get it to dissolve enough to pour out. Smelled fine. Has anyone else seen this from a FWK kit?

The FWK I've made were all thick, and as @ratflinger said, if it's not fermenting on its own, you're probably ok.

LP does its best to get the kits delivered within a few days. The problem if FedEx, which often has a corporate attitude problem.

 

[bstnh1]

I received a FWK just a few days ago and it was packed in a styrofoam box inside a heavy FWK box. FedEx here is good - usually 2, no more than 3 days.

 

[wineview]

I received a FWK just a few days ago and it was packed in a styrofoam box inside a heavy FWK box. FedEx here is good - usually 2, no more than 3 days.

I received one box as you mentioned. Ever since then my kits were in an insulated bag. One shipment was bloated and smelled bad. I threw it out and Label Peelers sent another kit. Even then, the second kit was sent with the same flimsy packaging. I won’t purchase a kit during the warmer months.

 

[bstnh1]

I received one box as you mentioned. Ever since then my kits were in an insulated bag. One shipment was bloated and smelled bad. I threw it out and Label Peelers sent another kit. Even then, the second kit was sent with the same flimsy packaging. I won’t purchase a kit during the warmer months.

That's interesting. I'm not that far away (NH) and all of mine have been in the styrofoam container except one last year that was in the bag. I'm not sure how they decide which container to use - bag or styrofoam, but I agree that the bag is pretty flimsy.

 

[wineview]

That's interesting. I'm not that far away (NH) and all of mine have been in the styrofoam container except one last year that was in the bag. I'm not sure how they decide which container to use - bag or styrofoam, but I agree that the bag is pretty flimsy.

And I begged them to use a styrofoam box after the bloated incident. They chose not to.