WineXpert Not adding H20 2 top up, change taste?

[rshosted]

I have just filtered a couple of my kit wines. I have always tried to make a point to not add water to top up my kit wines (only add water at the begining prior to fermentation).

One wine, I made a mistake and spilled about 1/2-3/4 a gallon of it and had to add water to top up. Tonight the wine seemed to have a better smell and didn't seem as green as other wines that were older than it.

Any idea if, by adding water, you can make the wine better?

I wondered if it's too strong, they may taste the same or the flavor is too intense....??? Just some thoughts.

-Ryan

 

[smurfe]

Well, I dunno about that much water. The kits are a concentrated juice and it does take into account water will be added and is expected to get a proper balance. I had a primary leak from the bottling spout once and lost about a half gallon as well. I bought a few bottles of cheap same wine and topped with that. Then after the racking I topped with water as directions say. It came out great.


By adding the water you reduced the solids which makes it mature at a faster rate. This is one reason a Vintners Reserve kit matures faster than a Selection kit. Less solids makes a less complex wine. More solids make a more complex wine which will take more time to evolve into what we are accustomed to in a wine but these solids will enable the wine to survive much longer in the bottle hence the VR kits should be drank up within a year or so and the Selection kits are rated to last longer in your cellar.


My last few kits though, I did all of my topping up with wine and added no water over the initial add when mixing the kit up. Haven't tasted any yet though. I wouldn't recommend pouring out a half gallon of must every kit and adding water though. Just follow the directions as indicated and use water to top with instead of a like wine to top with if the blend suits your taste.


Smurfe

 

[peterCooper]

I topped up my first wine (a VR Chianti) with water. I was disappointed with
the results. All the rest I topped up wth wine and have been much happier.

Topping up with water a) thins out the taste and b) reduces the alcohol.
Now I suppose, depending on what you want to achieve, both of those might
be good or bad.

 

[OilnH2O]

As long as we're on this subject, how important is it to have the "exact" wine to top up when the advice is a "similar" wine? In other words, for a burgeron kit, should you go out and get a burgandy? Or with a Pinot Noir, will a merlot do? Or, in turn, if you have a chardonnay kit, and a box of chablis in the cooler, can you just add that?

I'm just curious...

 

[Angell Wine]

My Thinking is if it's red top off with red. If it's white top off with white. I'm probably wrong in this area but I've tasted to many Chardonnay that tasted so different you wouldn't put them in the same class,Cabernet Sauvigon same thing.

 

[smurfe]

That the way I do it, Red for a red, white for a white. I have a read and a white VR kits that I use to top up with. I do not add an oaked wine to a non-oaked kit though.


Smurfe

 

[djcoop]

I too top up red w/ red, white w/ white (or I have for my last 3 kits

).