WineXpert Vinters Reserve Valpolicella

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ffemt128

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Well I found this forum today and decided to make this my first post. After having friends that made wine in the past (mostly fruit) I decided to give it a try this year. I made the decision to try making wine to late in the season to get juice from Consumers Produce so I bought a complete kit, equipment and all from our local brewing supply place.

My wife and I chose the Valpolicella for our first kit. I started the wine Saturday October 25, 2009. Our initial sg was ~1.074. I followed all the directions as they stated and we bottled the wine on November 29 with an ending sg of ~.994. I kept one bottle for initial tasting and then placed the remaning bottles in the basement for storage.

Initial taste at bottleing time was good, seemed to have a tart taste to it which I almost expected after 4 - 4 1/2 weeks. We opened another bottle December 21, 2009 almost a month after bottleing so we could taste it prior to giving away for gifts. The taste was much smoother with minimal tart tasting. I could tell a difference already in the flavor. We advised everyone who recieved abottle to wait a minimum of a month prior to drinking. We opened another bottle December 27 and it tasted even better than the Dec 21 bottle.

We have 12 bottles left in storage, and we are going to try (key word, try) to save it for several months so that it can age to at least 4-6 months before we open another.

My son got me a GC for the brew place, so I'll be there tomorrow evening getting another kit. Just not sure what to get now. May end up with 2 as I have a 2 5 gallon carboys and a 6 gallon one also.

I also have a batch of spiced apple in a carboy that was started November 4 has undergone it's second racking. It has a strong clove tastes initially when it was transferred into the initial carboy from the primary but that has mellowed already.

I think I'm hooked....
 
Valpolicello and Amarone taste much better after 1 + years. That's a tough one being your 1st.
Keep in mind you should ferment in a 7 gal wine fermenting buckets and rack to a 6 gallon carboy. Since you have 2-5 gal ones I suggest you get some 1 gal jugs.
Welcome to your obsession!
In a short time you will be buying much more equipment
Depending on where you live Chilean juices wil be here in April.
 
Yes, I have a larger primary fermenter. First batch (Valpolicella) was in the 6 gallon carboy. If I use the 5 gallon carboys, I need to get a couple gallon jugs for the difference.

I think our next kit may be a Selection series White Merlot (try to age until Dec 2010) and or maybe one of the Island Mist series so that there is something to be enjoyed while sitting on the porch this summer.

Forgot to update my profile, I'm in Pittsburgh.
 
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It really depends on what you like, but all the whites require less aging than reds. The Island Mists reuire the least aging of all.

Welcome to the forum!

Fred
 
Sitting here at work reflecting back on the past year. Where I started and where I am now with wine making. This was my first kit and I actually managed to save 1 bottle of it. May have to open it on the 29th to celebrate it's 1 year birthday.

I do have 3 bottles of my second kit which was started after Christmas last year.

Patience is a hard thing when you are first starting out. I'm slowly learning it.
 
zero to 27 in 12 months? Goodness gracious. we need to call you Ferrari.
 
I made his kit back in july of this year. i let it bulk age for three months before bottling and have started to enjoy this wine. I'm trying to keep some for at least a year, but i don't know any will make it that long.
 

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