WineXpert the Island Mist exotic fruits

[Tess]

I just wracked mine today and it looks like I just wracked 6 gallons of dragons blood. Its red..I mean real red..does it lighten up as it clears?
I realize its not a high end Zin kit but if its stay this red I don't even want to call it Zen. Id rather just call it exotic berry. Anyone else ever make this Island Mist kit?

 

[JoyofWine]

I bottled that one a few months ago, and now it's a dark pink color in the bottle. When I first opened the kit, the juice was such a dark purplish color, I called the company to make sure I had a good batch. And I know there's a lot of people who love this one, but there is something a little off with the Exotic Fruits flavoring. JMO

 

[vernsgal]

For an Island Mist it definitely doesn't quite taste right. I aged it for 6 months but it's the flavor that's off. Green Apple so far has my vote for a sweet wine

 

[Tess]

Well we shall see. Making it for the family they like the sweeter lighter wines. It had good reviews. Its looks like a batch of dragons blood in the carboy right now

 

[Tess]

I already bottled the green apple. I dont care for it but they do

 

[JoyofWine]

For an Island Mist it definitely doesn't quite taste right. I aged it for 6 months but it's the flavor that's off. Green Apple so far has my vote for a sweet wine

I'm so glad it's not just me! Lol It's really put me off of doing anymore IM kits. I've done about 5 of the OB kits and have liked them all. I like sweet wines. I'm thinking about dumping the rest out so I'll have more bottles for bottling. I don't even want to give it away....I hate to waste it but.

 

[Tess]

Give it some time. Cook with it but dont toss it. I sure hope I like it better then you guys lol or at least my family does.

 

[Tess]

If I really don't like the taste maybe I will let it set in the carboy and make the Blackberry kit and mix it. I don't know Sighhhh.
I have a different taste though. Im not a fan of the green apple and I dont like Dragons Blood either so maybe this one will be the thing for me lol I do add more sugar to boost the ABV and add half the fruit pack up front and at the end. As long as my family likes it

 

[JoyofWine]

Tess I have a friend who makes wine, and she likes it. I added some simple syrup up front to this one also, and a couple other kits too. I really think it's the flavor of the Fpack that is just weird/off.

 

[Sammyk]

We have not made it yet but it is next up. Maybe I should see about returning it?

 

[robie]

I bottle (bag) most of each batch of OB in the wine-on-tap plastic bags. The wine is supposed to last about six months in the bag. What I understand happens is the oxygen barrier starts to break down. That being the case, close to that six month mark, the wine should start receiving a little larger daily dose of oxygen. That should actually help the wine... at least for awhile.

I always bottle at least a couple of 1.5L bottles of each OB batch. I made a batch of OB black cherry Merlot about 14 months ago and bottled one 1.5L bottle. Back when I first bottled it, I really didn't care much for it. The sweetness was overwhelming and the sorbate (bubblegum) taste was too much for me.

A couple nights ago I opened that 14-month old bottle and was pleasantly surprised. The sweetness had mellowed considerably and the sorbate taste was gone. The wine was much smoother; even the wife enjoyed it (she has single handedly drank 3/4 of the bottle).

I am now of the mind that even though the sweet summer wines from kit are ready to drink soon after they clear, they really do get much better with a little age on them.

That said, consider letting your marginal mist wines age another year; you just might end up being pleasantly surprised.

 

[GaDawg]

I made an OB Peach Chardonnay in January, one of my 1st and put the entire F pack in at the end. I have a OB Cherry Pinot Noir that I need to make. Will one of you came over and hold a gun on me so I'll make it

 

[JoyofWine]

LOL GaDawg if you're willing to share a few bottles....

 

[GaDawg]

LOL GaDawg if you're willing to share a few bottles....

Absolutely, part of the fun of winemaking is sharing!

 

[Tess]

wine-on-tap plastic bags? never heard of them. Are they like the wine in a box things?

 

[robie]

wine-on-tap plastic bags? never heard of them. Are they like the wine in a box things?

Yep, the Wine-On-Tap dispenser comes with 3 bags, which is what is takes for a 6-gallon batch. Extra bags can be purchased separately. The idea is that a summer wine is intended to be drank "over the summer". The bags will keep the wine easily for 6 months, which should be long enough.

I make my summer/mist kit wines in May. We start drinking them in June at various parties and get-togethers. It is gone by late September.

That being the case, it saves the trouble of cleaning, sanitizing, and corking 30 bottles for something that won't generally last more than 3 or 4 months, anyway.

 

[Tess]

OK my wild berry is clearing and I have to agree with you guys. This is the nastiest kit I have made thus far. I cant believe the rave reviews its getting over at Midwest. YUK!!
I had to do something. I went to Walmart and bought one of those little crystal light things. You know, the one in the small bottle you can just add a squeeze to your bottle of water.
Its in the kool-aid isle. I got the Mango passion fruit and squeezed the whole thing into the carboy and mixed it in. Its taste better. Im still going to squeeze another one in the bottling bucket when I bottle. I will never get this one again!!

 

[vernsgal]

Lol. What I've done , is I got a bunch of these kits for $15.00 a piece, I'm making them up without using their F-pak at all. I raise the sugar to an SG of 1.080-1.090, oak it and add my own fpak before bottling. My problem is I just don't know what to do with these syrup(fpaks) that come with the kits

 

[JoyofWine]

Tess~I just LOL for real!

It's an odd taste! That's for sure!

 

[Sammyk]

We will be racking off secondary the Exotic Fruits in an hour or so. Hope it is a good one!
If you are talking about the Wildberry Shiraz we did not much care for it.