Other Tweeking Cheap Kits

[joeswine]

Cheap kits

don't have a file on the Fontana pino Gris,have one on the chardonnay .

 

[Billpizzaiolo]

Started a Fontana Cab Sauv kit yesterday used your method and added dark cherries in syrup to your plan of action. Yeast is in now and lightly bubbling. Should be interesting 23 Brix on Brix meter or 1.100 on SG glass float. Ph was between 3.2 & 3.6 I'm guessing 3.4 or 3.5 hard to tell the color. One thing i did that you don't is sterilize the Must with 1/4 teasp of Kmeta before adding the EC-1118 yeast. I will keep you up dated. Photos to follow soon. Thanks,

 

[joeswine]

Cheap kits

why would you want to sterilize the must? where in the kit instruction did it indicate to you to do so?

 

[Billpizzaiolo]

why would you want to sterilize the must? where in the kit instruction did it indicate to you to do so?

It is a habit I have for everything I am going to ferment, wine or beer. So that the yeast has no competing yeasts or bacteria to alter the flavors. It gives the inoculating yeast the advantage of any that might have been on the grapes, currants, cherries, Air in the cellar or room while mixing. It is one of my TWEAKS along with the ones I borrowed from your posts.It also impacts the TA

 

[mattyc]

mattyc, do you still have the cab ? if you want we can try to make it right,? want to give it a go?

Started a Fontana Cab Sauv kit yesterday

Fontana Cab Sauv is the first kit I EVER did - exactly per the directions - and it's bad! I'd almost pour it down the drain, but I do want to see how it ages - I don't expect it to end up good, but there's something to learn there I'm sure.

I would love to see if I could make a tasty version of it at some point... But right now I'm going to sit back and enjoy watching you guys work on these Cabs.

 

[joeswine]

Cheap kits

this is our cab merlot....now pay attention! this was one of the first kits like this we did when we finished the kit and tasted it that's when we knew that we needed to increase the body as well as the structure of the wine ,from then on we reduced the kits volume from 6 gallons to 5 gallons ,it's a learning process. This as it sat didn't turn out bad but wasn't good either, I had to be understood it for what it was ,then I could adjust it and make it what it needed to become. Remember you are in control of the process for better or worse.

 

[joeswine]

CHEAP KITS continued

now that the base is ready will introduce our blackberry fpac just enough to add a little taste yet it will help out the body even more follow the flow..

Reserve Du Chateau Kit (approx.. $55.00 off Amazon.com)​

Kate’s Chilean Cabernet Merlot​

This is an fairly inexpensive kit we purchased off Amazon. We used Amazon Prime and the shipping was free and arrived in 2 days! (Yes!)
Contents of the kit: All the usual suspects
Our tweeks:
Oak cubes in the primary
Homemade blackberry F-pak
1 ball jar simple syrup (brought our SG up to 1.092 from 1.082)
We will be adding powdered oak tannins to the secondary
Please see the pictures below for the process.
Starting date: January 28, 2015

 

[Billpizzaiolo]

DW bought blood oranges today. Had one after dinner today. Wow! tasted like a good wine. One of my fav fruits. Not sour, not sweet, not tart, great balance. Just say in'.

 

[Billpizzaiolo]

Started a Fontana Cab Sauv kit yesterday used your method and added dark cherries in syrup to your plan of action. Yeast is in now and lightly bubbling. Should be interesting 23 Brix on Brix meter or 1.100 on SG glass float. Ph was between 3.2 & 3.6 I'm guessing 3.4 or 3.5 hard to tell the color. One thing i did that you don't is sterilize the Must with 1/4 teasp of Kmeta before adding the EC-1118 yeast. I will keep you up dated. Photos to follow soon. Thanks,

Four days halfway into the 1st ferment process. PH is now 1.023 and bubbling up a froth. When it goes flat I will rack it into the next vessel, probably on Friday or so. Still a bit sweet to my taste, but at 10%ABV now. Color is great and clear below the froth. Good smell too.

 

[mattyc]

Joe - that cab merlot you're doing - it looks like you're reading the pH as 4.4. Is that right?!? I wouldn't expect a kit to be that high with pre-adjusted juice... I've found the strips really hard to read and I've gone to using a meter almost exclusively. I'll still use strips on whites sometimes.

 

[joeswine]

CHEAP KITS continued

see how the ph drifted downward...look I'm just a cellar dweller these strips get me close enough along with my taste buddies...really. Time can be your partner or you worst enemy depending on your planning and skill set that you've develop along the way and of course a little luck.

 

[joeswine]

cheap malbec

Fontana malbec this ones for wineforfun,a review in the process for all who follow this thread, and by the way how are you doing with your cheap wine adventures...always remember this is the way I do things .

 

[joeswine]

CHEAP KITS continued

malbec follow the flow.....

 

[joeswine]

CHEAP KITS continued

be patient this is the last till we bottle,,,

 

[Spikedlemon]

I see a lot of currants & raisins. Would Craisins or Cranberries work similarly?

 

[wineforfun]

Thanks for posting again Joe, will get this started tonight and keep you/everyone posted. Very curious to see how this turns out.

 

[Tnuscan]

Just got my Malbec, Ups driver thought I was going to attack him, lol.

I'm More excited about this kit, ( "Doin' it like Joe"), than I was with my first wines...

Starting mine tonite too, got to get prepared, read up and start the processes.

 

[joeswine]

In the mix

THINK OF THE RAISINS AND CRASINS AS A SPICE TO THE SAUCE,WITH FRUITY WINES SUCH AS SHIRAZ,AND EVEN MALBECS THEY HAVE THERE PLACE WITHOUT OVERDOING ,JUST THE SAME AS ADDING SOME ZEST TO A PINO GRIS,DONE IN THE CORRECT STEPS THEY ADD TO THE BASE AND WILL NOT TAKE AWAY FROM THE BASE,YOU ARE THE WINE CHEF,THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX.REMEMBER THESE WINES KITS CAN BE MADE INTO A DECENT EVERYDAY FUN WINE,THATS HOW YOU HAVE TO THINK OF THEM. A CRANBERRY MALBEC IS ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING WHEN DO CORRECTLY.

 

[Bauer]

Hi joe... I'm planning on starting a wine expert Viognier today. I have some tweaks plan like simple sugar, tannins, raisins and some zest in secondary. What would you do?

 

[joeswine]

Viognier

Nice choice ,keep it simple keep it clean, tweaks increase the Alcohol level to your taste I'm at1.10,add 1/2 grapefruit zest in the primary the balance in the secondary or all the zest in the secondary your choice, no raisins or tannins, got it!