WineXpert Should my White Wine Kit be this color?

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Terry0220

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Just opened my WE Angel Blanco kit poured it into the primary and added the water to bring it up to 6 gals. The only other white wine kit I had done was a Riesling, and it wasn't this color. Do you think there is something wrong with it? Taste was ok,,didn't seem to have an off taste,,just real sweet. Should it be this dark?
 
Terry, it will probably be fine. When you say it is "sweet" what is the SG after adding the water? I have seen whites the color of your second photo (first one looks like tea!) and they came out fine and lighteded considerably as they fermented.
 
Ok,,I think I jumped the gun on this. It sure looks gross in the primary!!! But once I went back down to my winemaking area and pulled some of the wine out to take a sg reading the color was much more the way I thought it should be!!


Rocky, thanks for getting back to me,,I took the sg reading and it was at 1.090! This is the first time with a kit that I had that high of a sg reading!! I was ready to add more sugar to up it like I do on the others I have had!!

I want to add some bananas in mesh bag,,but was wondering if it would be a good idea with the sg being that high? Any thoughts?? Want to add more body, since kits are a little thin.

WhiteWineBrown5.jpg

WhiteWineBrown6.jpg
 
I use well water as well. I haver a funny colored Kit of Sauv Blanc going now. I also questioned the color and was told not to worry. My water is very hard I hope it works. The only kit I've made before was with bottled water.
 
It'll most likely clear up. You'll still see some very cloudy looking wine just after you rack the first time, but about the second racking, you'll start seeing some clearing.
 
looks about right to me, especially if you had already added the included bentonite....that helps to give it that murky look as well....
 
Do you know how old the kit is? White wine kits that have been sitting on the shelf for a long time can darken in colour to the point that they almost look brown. If it does not have off tastes or aromas it should be fine. If its still too dark when finished you can take some of the colour out by using polish filters, but this may strip some of the flavours as well.
 
Thanks all! Funny thing it didn't look dark in the bladder. But once it was in the bucket it was dark, after adding the water didn't help. I paniced! But when I pulled some out to do a sg reading it wasn't as dark as it looks in the bucket. So I went ahead, added the elderflowers and sprinkled the yeast. Today I added only 3 sliced bananas for body,(some ppl around here think they are for their cereal!). Now it is a wait and see. If all else fails,,,I can use it for blending.
 
Terry, I made a kit (bulk aging), German Gewurztraminer with elderflowers, I'm not sure if it is the wine or the Elderflowers, but I cannot tolerate the taste....yeck!
If I could start it over, I wouldn't add the Elderflowers, I believe that they are what is giving the wine the nasty taste....I hope that it improves...
 
Terry, I made a kit (bulk aging), German Gewurztraminer with elderflowers, I'm not sure if it is the wine or the Elderflowers, but I cannot tolerate the taste....yeck!
If I could start it over, I wouldn't add the Elderflowers, I believe that they are what is giving the wine the nasty taste....I hope that it improves...

Oh no!!!! Can't take out whats already added! :slp
 
If it were me...I'd strain them out, mine came in a pouch that you floated in the wine, I thought "what the heck, maybe it is traditional and it'll get better"

It tastes just like the flowers smelled............nasty......maybe it's just not my thing, maybe it's good....
 
Tom,

How old was the wine when you tasted it? When I make elderberry I have found out the wine just doesn't taste that great until at least a year old.
 
If it were me...I'd strain them out, mine came in a pouch that you floated in the wine, I thought "what the heck, maybe it is traditional and it'll get better"

It tastes just like the flowers smelled............nasty......maybe it's just not my thing, maybe it's good....

tom, i think it is just a preference thing....i made a WE gewurtz years ago as well with the elderflowers, and the muscat kit i recently started had them as well, and i don't mind it...it's probably just obe of those things that either you like it or you don't...
 
The color is fine Terry. You just mixed it up so many kits are that color. They are supposed to taste sweet at this point- you need that sugar to create the alcohol. Also you might want to check the fermenter bucket before doing another kit and calibrate it. I see the juice a half inch or so below the ring on the bucket. They are generally made so that ring marks the 6 gallon point. To calibrate it, take a known measure, say a half gallon measuring cup and fill each cup carefully to the 2 quart mark. Dump in an empty fermenter, and keep adding until you have measured out 12 - 2 quart measures. Every one I have tried comes to that line on the bucket.
 
Just opened my WE Angel Blanco kit poured it into the primary and added the water to bring it up to 6 gals. The only other white wine kit I had done was a Riesling, and it wasn't this color. Do you think there is something wrong with it? Taste was ok,,didn't seem to have an off taste,,just real sweet. Should it be this dark?

Few of my kits have been this color, but it goes away later...
 

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