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jgmann67 said:
Agreed. I have a larger Brute that I'll use. Pretty sure it's the 32 gallon. Will check tonight.
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A 24 gallon should be sufficient, if that's what you have.

I purchased 32 gallons a few years back, and this year purchased three 20 gallon. Much easier to use for smaller batches. The unfortunate thing is I can safely put only 3 lugs in a 20 gallon.
 
winemaker81 said:
A 24 gallon should be sufficient, if that's what you have.

I purchased 32 gallons a few years back, and this year purchased three 20 gallon. Much easier to use for smaller batches. The unfortunate thing is I can safely put only 3 lugs in a 20 gallon.
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It was a 32 gallon (that’s funny, too because I also have 3-20 gal Brutes). So, I sanitized the big Brute and put the Petite Sirah Winery Series together tonight. Some observations:

* I poured 12 gallons of water and the SG is at 1.104. So, I’m thinking this will yield about 3 Forte kits worth.

* the juice bags were labeled Tavola… thought that was odd. They also had some solids in there that made the pour into the fermenter interesting (and a little sloppy).

* I ordered 9 bags of skins. Since I only had 6 muslin bags, I doubled up on 4 of them, then did a single for #5. I figure they’ll be easier to punch down that way and I have an extra bag (bonus).

* I usually pour the oak chips and seeds in the bag with the skins. But this time, I just poured them right into the must.

* the kit comes with three bags with goodies. So, I broke the bags down and sorted everything for use. I’m using everything except maybe the clarifiers.

* the only modifications I’ll be doing are some finishing tannins and extra oak (Hungarian medium+ toast).

I still need to do the math. Unfortunately, LP doesn’t have enough Petite Sirah in stock to build 3 Forte kits with extra skins. Since I ordered extra skins and seeds, this was likely more expensive that just getting 3 Forte kits. We’ll see if it’s worth the added expense.
 
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I opened the last bottle of the FWK Chardonnay I started 2 years ago this month. It's cooking wine -- some went into the roasting pan with the turkey, while the remainder is going into the cook.

Overall I'm pleased with this one. At just over 2 years old, it's at its peak, and IMO it's just starting to decline. This is ok and actually expected -- whites don't have the lifespan of reds, so instead of being optimistic, I currently plan to finish batches of whites within 18-24 months of starting. This one did it's job and did it well.

I'll make this one again.

chardonnay.png


For those that celebrate the American Thanksgiving holiday -- happy Thanksgiving!

For everyone else, have a great day!
 
winemaker81 said:
I opened the last bottle of the FWK Chardonnay I started 2 years ago this month. It's cooking wine -- some went into the roasting pan with the turkey, while the remainder is going into the cook.

Overall I'm pleased with this one. At just over 2 years old, it's at its peak, and IMO it's just starting to decline. This is ok and actually expected -- whites don't have the lifespan of reds, so instead of being optimistic, I currently plan to finish batches of whites within 18-24 months of starting. This one did it's job and did it well.

I'll make this one again.

View attachment 107743


For those that celebrate the American Thanksgiving holiday -- happy Thanksgiving!

For everyone else, have a great day!
Click to expand...
Cheers & Happy Thanksgiving! ✌️
 
winemaker81 said:
I opened the last bottle of the FWK Chardonnay I started 2 years ago this month. It's cooking wine -- some went into the roasting pan with the turkey, while the remainder is going into the cook.

Overall I'm pleased with this one. At just over 2 years old, it's at its peak, and IMO it's just starting to decline. This is ok and actually expected -- whites don't have the lifespan of reds, so instead of being optimistic, I currently plan to finish batches of whites within 18-24 months of starting. This one did it's job and did it well.

I'll make this one again.

View attachment 107743


For those that celebrate the American Thanksgiving holiday -- happy Thanksgiving!

For everyone else, have a great day!
Click to expand...
I'm surprised that you feel the FWK Chardonnay is starting to decline after just two years. I make a lot of Chardonnay and the WE kits at four years old are still as good as they were at 18 months. FWK whites haven't been around that long, but I would expect them to be good at least as long as the Winexpert kits.
 
bstnh1 said:
I'm surprised that you feel the FWK Chardonnay is starting to decline after just two years. I make a lot of Chardonnay and the WE kits at four years old are still as good as they were at 18 months. FWK whites haven't been around that long, but I would expect them to be good at least as long as the Winexpert kits.
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A lot of whites don't last much more than 2 years, if that. I made a WE Reserve Australian Chardonnay for my son's wedding reception -- it was great for the reception (13 months) but tanked 6 months later. A 2020 Sauvignon Blanc from CA juice was honestly one of the best whites I've made, and it tanked at 15 months.

I've had a few whites go 4 years, but I avoid optimism in that regard, as it's no fun having a case of wine in decline. Use 'em up and enjoy them while they're good!
 
I want to try one of the new sangiovese kits they have available for ordering. Any suggestions on going with the straight sangiovese or one of the blends? Having trouble deciding.
 
DavesWine said:
I want to try one of the new sangiovese kits they have available for ordering. Any suggestions on going with the straight sangiovese or one of the blends? Having trouble deciding.
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As you probably know, or for those that don’t, Sangiovese is the major component in many Italian wines, Chianti, Montepulciano, Super Tuscans, etc.

So if your goal is to learn why this might be so, or to do your own experimentation/blending, I would get the Sangiovese kit. If you know you love Super Tuscans, then I would get that kit. If you can’t decide, then get both.
 
I made one of the last go around FWK sangios. I have some bottled alone and some blended with Tavola cab and the blend seems slightly better IMO. But my preference has changed a few times as the wine has aged.

Like the PS I made early last year has gotten better also. At 1 year I was very disappointed. Its now at 21 months and has changed a lot. They seem to all change a bit as they age.

I ordered a Forte Chianti FWIW.
 
Ericphotoart said:
Just started preordered Bordeaux FWK with 2 extra skin bags. SG was 1.094 but pH a little high - 4.0. I recalibrate the meter just to make sure and still the same reading.
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You are two weeks ahead of me, pitched the yeast in my Bordeaux today. How’s it going? My initial sg was a scary 1.104, the highest of any wine I’ve started, from grapes, juice or kits.
 
BMarNJ said:
You are two weeks ahead of me, pitched the yeast in my Bordeaux today. How’s it going? My initial sg was a scary 1.104, the highest of any wine I’ve started, from grapes, juice or kits.
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I pre ordered on November 12 and tracking says it’s still pending. Not cool.
 

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