Going to make three wines and would like suggestions

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olusteebus

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I am going to make 3 wines from kits or concentrate and would appreciate you suggestions on tweaks.

Number 1 - Island Mist Peach apricot "Chardonnay" - I plan on making it 5 gallons, using half of flavor pack at ferment and boosting sugar to a point of having about 10% alcohol.

Number 2 - Island Mist Blackberry "merlot - I plan on making 5 gallons, using half of flavor pack at ferment and boosting alcohol to about 10%. Using Medium roast french oak at ferment.

Number 3 - Riesling from Alexanders concentrate - two cans 5 or 6 gallons. Adding five jars of apricot jam.


The tweaks mentioned are the only things I know to do. Do you have suggestions.

Thanks
Buster.
 
On Mist kits, I boost the wine abv and body like most people - with the addition of a pound of corn sugar and a liter of grape juice concentrate. Add them and half your flavor pack to the primary and top the wine to 6 gal. Then add the other half of the pack after the wine has cleared.

Since they’re quick drinking wines, I don’t know that I’d do much else.
 
Agree with Jim on the Mist kits. No need to concentrate to 5 gallons. If buying from Label Peelers, order 1L of white grape concentrate with the kits - add that and 1/2-2/3 of the F-pack up front.
 
on the Merlot wine use the oak post ferment. during ferment the oak nominally used to sustain color. if oak flavor and tannin desired best post ferment once wine is clear.

for the apricot jam make sure use of bentonite during ferment is followed it will help clear the wine post ferment. bentonite will remove protein during fermentation which will help later.
 
I used white grape concentrate with my Australian Chardonnay kit to back sweeten and like the result!
With a Tropical Bliss White Zinfandel kit-I held back one gallon of water to 5 gals,put 1/2 the F-pac in primary with 1/2 a bag of hite grape concentrate, then topped my secondary with old W Zinfandel wine I'd made and the rest of the fpac prior to bottling. It got my alcohol to 9.5%.
 
If you are only looking to go up to 10% ABV, it's not necessary to buy extra stuff to boost the IM chardonnay kit. I did one a couple of months ago: 5.5 gallons starting volume, added half the f-pack, and got an ABV of 9.9% (OG = 1.070, FG = 0.994).
 
My Chardonnay had no fpac, that was the other kit I mentioned...
I was replying to the OP, not to you. :) Note that my reply said nothing extra was needed for the "IM chardonnay kit." The Island Mist Peach Apricot Chardonnay has a huge f-pac...
 
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