Improving Wine Kits?

[pmf2000]

Here's a couple of questions:

1) Do you top up or leave as is?

2) Any recommendations for taking the sweetness of a Riesling from a 2 to a 4? The kits are not quite sweet enough (for me).

3) I have been doing a good job of following the kit instructions but I'm wondering if there is anything else I can do to improve the quality of my wine?

4) Any other resources I should check out?

 

[robie]

Here's a couple of questions:

1) Do you top up or leave as is?

2) Any recommendations for taking the sweetness of a Riesling from a 2 to a 4? The kits are not quite sweet enough (for me).

3) I have been doing a good job of following the kit instructions but I'm wondering if there is anything else I can do to improve the quality of my wine?

4) Any other resources I should check out?

After fermentation is done and clearing starts, you should always top up.

Sweeten a measured test sample a little at a time until it tastes the way you like it. Make sure the sugar is completely stirred in. Once it is where you want it, let it set overnight and try again, just in case. Apply that same percentage of sugar to the whole batch.

For number 3, it depends on the variety and whether white or red. You can add tannins to the reds. You can add Biolees, sugar, and F packs to whites, to name a few. There are lots of things, the above included, that can be done, but probably shouldn't, at least until you become experienced enough to know what to expect.

#4 - Read everything you can get your hands on about home wine making and make a bunch of batches of wines.

 

[cpfan]

1) Do you top up or leave as is?
3) I have been doing a good job of following the kit instructions but I'm wondering if there is anything else I can do to improve the quality of my wine?

1) Depends on where you are in the process and which kit you're making. If an F-pack is included, topping up before adding it is wrong IMO.

3) Make a better kit. Without knowing which kits you are making, I don't know if this is valid advice or not. One of these days I'll make a Ken Ridge Founder's Series German Mosel River Valley Riesling, a very top end riesling. But I would be making it dry.

Steve