No, not at all. See Brian55's comment. He said it well.
Finer Wine Kit Finer Wine Kits
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You're referring to this quote?
Can someone point out where I "tried to shame or slander someone"? Quote me directly please.
I've literally said that we should stop attacking people for choosing what (or not) to buy!
I've stated my opinions reasonably without resorting to personal attacks, and I was rewarded with 1) a post calling me anti service member, 2) a diatribe about how my generation is terrible, and 3) a bunch of implication that I can't think for myself. All of this must have been intended to help me "feel free to voice an opinion," right?
My opinion is that using "caricatures of scantily clad women" (bstnh1's phrase, not mine) to promote and sell wine kits is not okay and that FWK should change the artwork to something fruit or wine related. I shared that opinion on a public forum (as is everyone's right), and apparently a lot of people don't like that opinion. That's fine with me - I realize that not everyone has to agree with me. If you like the product, buy the product!
This, however, is trying to shame someone for how they choose to make purchases. Not cool!
Hi @kilendra Glad you found the forum. Hope you'll find the information that's been posted here helpful to your winemaking experience. I'd love to hear about your latest wine-making experiences, things you may have learned that might help me (I'm only a year into this hobby). and perhaps some of your wine-making plans for the future. Again, welcome to the forum!
Yes, would love to talk about wine!
The first thing that I made in the wine family was a Skeeter Pee variant using fresh lemons about a year ago. Hadn't tried to make anything beyond ~7% ABV before that. That went okay but didn't spark an interest in wine, so I kept tinkering with making cider, hard seltzer, hard kombucha, and makgeolli. Got inspired after going wine tasting this spring for the first time in forever, and thought it would be fun to make some grape wine so I ordered a kit. Sourced carboys + basic equipment off of Craigslist and asked my extended family to start saving wine bottles for me.
My first kit was a Master Vintner Sangiovese - started that in May and have been drinking bottles over time starting immediately after bottling. It's been really interesting tasting how the wine changes - it's getting less acidic with more body as it ages.
My second kit (FWK Syrah) is ready to rack for bulk aging - used a single skin pack. It's been 2 weeks since the first racking, degassing, and adding the finishing packet + kieselsol/chitosan. The wine has dropped a lot of sediment (~1/2" thick layer) and is now looking pretty clear. This kit feels like it's going a lot smoother than my first one - I get to enjoy the process instead of stressing about messing up the wine. Planning to rack tonight - pretty excited.
I just ordered the various non-fruit ingredients for my first dragon's blood, and I'm in the market for my third wine kit. I'm comparing the various petite sirah kits available - planning to order one soon. Definitely a wine beginner and having fun figuring things out.
Sounds like you're well on your way. Believe it or not, after a year in, I still haven't done a Skeeter Pee or Dragon's Blood!
My first kit was a Master Vintner Weekday (inexpensive) wine and I never really enjoyed it. Since then I've followed the "Tweaking Cheap Kits" on this site. Really have made some good tasting inexpensive wines that drink well young. They compare very well to some of the high end kits I've done.
When I do some blind taste tests with some of my wines still in carboy, my wife tends to be drawn to the Finer Wines samples, but her all-time favorite is the RJS Coffee Desert Wine using @joeswine suggestions from the "Tweaking" site. Tastes like chocolate!
Anyway, again welcome, and if you ever have a question as you're planning or in the process of making wines, feel free to ask. I'm always amazed at how quickly and eager people are to help me. A great resource!
Khristyjeff and kilendra - thanks for getting this back to the subject of making wine!
Especially since they're drawn and not photographs.
I am planning on making the FWK Barbera double skin. I am wondering what yeast recommendations are out there? My current plan is to use BM 4x4 but wondering for those that have made this kit, what worked for you and what characteristics did you get from your yeast selection?
I made the Barbera with a double skin and used the yeast that came with the kit (RC212). It fermented pretty quickly (4 days from 1.100 - 1.010) and I also step fed once fermentation started. I used Fermaid O and K at 24, 48, 72 hours and was supposed to at 1/3 break but flew right by it. I also did an EM for 4 additional weeks. It smells and tastes pretty good even though it’s young.
I also used the included RC212 yeast on my Barbera, and my fermentation went really quickly, as well. I assume that's because of the robust yeast starter pack and process that they developed. No skin packs or step feeding for mine. So far, so good! I plan to bulk age it for about 6 months but I may end up bottling sooner if I need the carboy space.
I also did a Barbera, and though BM4x4 is my normal go to yeast, I decided to go with the RC212 this time. I did not have a FWK skin pack as I wanted this one to be a quicker drinker than others (so less oak and less skins) but I could not resist salvaging 1 skin pack from an Amarone I'd just moved to bulk aging after a long EM (so not much left to add) and adding a cup of 2/3 dried Montgomery cherries, 1/3 dried blueberries, based on the descriptors I read: "In the New World, Barbera is often juicier and fruitier, with notes of cherry, raspberry, blueberry, and blackberry, with just hints of the baking spice." Barbera: Grape Variety Characteristics, Taste Profile & Food Pairings
Otherwise followed the FWK protocol except for no fining agents and no sorbate, and moved to bulk aging after just 15 days. Fermented at ambient indoor temps (mid 60s) in western San Francisco, the wine temp peaked on day its third day on yeast at 77F. Tastes great already so I won't bulk age it for too long but still want it to clear naturally.
Otherwise followed the FWK protocol except for no fining agents and no sorbate, and moved to bulk aging after just 15 days. Fermented at ambient indoor temps (mid 60s) in western San Francisco, the wine temp peaked on day its third day on yeast at 77F. Tastes great already so I won't bulk age it for too long but still want it to clear naturally.
I have yet to move in that direction but it sounds like another whole realm of possibilities. You add them right up front during primary?
joeswine
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Try reading tweaking cheap wine kits on this forum for ideas 
. Make yourself a Blackberries FPAC, out of fresh berries, see making an FPAC on this forum, add it to the primary along with oak tannins and what ever comes with the kit, easy to do and creative as well as adding balance to the structure about 16 ozs.
. Make yourself a Blackberries FPAC, out of fresh berries, see making an FPAC on this forum, add it to the primary along with oak tannins and what ever comes with the kit, easy to do and creative as well as adding balance to the structure about 16 ozs.Attachments
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Testing - started a Cab & a Bordeaux in July, both had a skin kit and were EM'd for 1 month. In Sept I started another set of Cab & Bordeaux, but w/o a skin kit. These also EM'd for 1 month but mainly awaiting free carboys. Tasted today, 1st set has been sitting for 3 months, second set right out of the fermenter. I realize the 2nd set will have a much harsher profile. From what I remember the 1st set really had body and depth right out of the fermenter and that impression has only increased by the short bulk ageing. The 2nd (newer) set lacks depth and while it should be good wine, I'm deeming it will be inferior. All of my table wines age for at least 6 months before drinking, but the indications are that the wines with 1 skin kit will make a truly superior table wine. Now, the second set may really come on with some aging, but right now I'm suggesting that a skin kit is necessary, unless you just really like 2 buck chuck. I like a little depth, even in my table wine. I plan to make some with 2 skins kits for 2-3 year aging. So far, all the kits (9 so far) are far ahead of the usual kit makers product.
joeswine
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Id like to remind you that TWO BUCK CHUCK, won one of the most prestigious wine contest in California. ( blind tasting).
your talking about building structure with Skins, they aren't the only way to go, background flavor or tasting notes when actually describing a wine and by taking that background flavor and enhancing the wine either in the primary or secondary that change can be made with very little cost, just remember to each their own .
one of the problems with skins is you really don't know what type skins they are ?do you ? or do they have to many sticks or seeds , thick or wet? or will they even compliment the wine there going in? do we?? and what is there purpose to enhance and build the wines structure and complexity.
your talking about building structure with Skins, they aren't the only way to go, background flavor or tasting notes when actually describing a wine and by taking that background flavor and enhancing the wine either in the primary or secondary that change can be made with very little cost, just remember to each their own .
one of the problems with skins is you really don't know what type skins they are ?do you ? or do they have to many sticks or seeds , thick or wet? or will they even compliment the wine there going in? do we?? and what is there purpose to enhance and build the wines structure and complexity.
joeswine. please don't think that I disdain 2BC, my wife especially likes their Pinot Grigio in the summer, but I prefer to make something a little better, otherwise I'd be better off just buying 2BC and forget the effort. And I do play with them, I usually add extra oak to the reds and if the mouth feel is a little thin I'll add 1/4C of glycerin to 6 gal. I use no preservative cherry juice and/or flash frozen cherries, as well as raisins to some kits. Finally - I appreciate your efforts to push out-of-the-box thinking. 
Yeah, added the dried fruit to the primary, after giving it a quick rinse and adding it to a muslin sack for easier removal. Squeeze out at the end of primary or any EM, just like with any skin pack. Post fermentation/EM, I usually taste any fruit or skins I added just to confirm all their sugars and flavors have pretty much left (they taste like wine not the fruit any longer). In addition to boosting the flavor of that fruit which is characteristic of the wine, I think that they also add structure (color, tannins, total dissolved solids) from their own skins, just as grape skins do.
And the tweaking cheap wine kits thread is a great read if you are considering this. I know some prefer to only tweak the cheaper kits, and not the better and more expensive ones. And that is certainly fine. But I feel like most of us tweak all of our kit wines in some fashion, changing yeast, doing EM, bulk aging, adding tannins, oak, yeast nutrients, skipping sorbate or even the fining agents. This is just another little tweak, to my mind.
That's one of the things I have wondered about - if you have the juice of one kind of red grape but the skins of another, wouldn't that really be a blend? Don't different grape varietals have different flavors and amounts of tannin in their skins?
Jovimaple - you are correct. I'd like to know if the FWK uses skins & stems from the varietals or some generic.
Thank you~ I think I’m going to try this with one of my next kits / fermentations. I’ll check out that thread also~
