What's in your glass tonight?

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Kingston Estate South Australian Petit Verdot 2014. ($18.99CAD)

My first try of PV, and I really liked it! So did the Hubster, so I'm checking out some kits to see if any might match up.


I had this Australian Petit Verdot on the weekend . Rich berry flavor and nicely oaked . I am working on my Passport LE Petit Verdot and if it will turn out like that i will be very happy . The Passport LE kit is from Yakima Valley and not coming with grape pack .

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Opened a CC Showcase Old Vines Zin. ... It is quite pleasant. A bit tart. Fairly fruit-forward, of course. Noticeable but nice astringency. Still a hint of KT.

Wow, this improved a lot overnight. The hint of KT is gone gone gone. The tartness faded just a tad. Seems quite full bodied and bold. I am calling it the equivalent of a $10 bottle (and remember, booze is fairly cheap here). I call it the equivalent of, say, a Cline Zinfandel, which is my #2 everyday Zin. :try
 
10/2013 CC Amarone. Still not there yet. Nice body but still KT. Two months in barrel, oak has faded but still.... Should start adding tannins to my kits.
 
2013 Carmenere. Man. Way too many raisins (2 lbs) for too long (fermented on them for 21 days). Still. Behind that might be a decent wine. I always have two glasses then toss the rest of the bottle out. Kind of a leather taste to it. Maybe rubber. Another reason I prefer grape skins added to wine kits.

I really need someone to send my wines to to see if I am a horrible wine maker or what.
 
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2013 Carmenere. Man. Way too many raisins (2 lbs) for too long (fermented on them for 21 days). Still. Behind that might be a decent wine. I always have two glasses then toss the rest of the bottle out. Kind of a leather taste to it. Maybe rubber. Another reason I prefer grape skins added to wine kits.

I really need someone to send my wines to to see if I am a horrible wine maker or what.

Try using tannins instead of the raisins. I think you will like the result of the tannins.
 
Daughter called, getting a ride from the track meet. Oldest will be on the activities bus from weight lifting. Wife is taking her math final. Opened a Cline Viognier, hoping I now have enough time to bottle my Selection Viognier tonight after I make dinner. Either that or I'll be in front of the computer finishing the bottle. :d
 
Daughter called, getting a ride from the track meet. Oldest will be on the activities bus from weight lifting. Wife is taking her math final. Opened a Cline Viognier, hoping I now have enough time to bottle my Selection Viognier tonight after I make dinner. Either that or I'll be in front of the computer finishing the bottle. :d

My Brother!!! Cline Viognier is my "standard" summer white. Moreover, I made a batch of Selection Viognier to replace it. I pitched yeast in September, bottled it in November, and started drinking it a week or two ago. I am pleased; it is not quite as good as the Cline, but is close.
 
My Brother!!! Cline Viognier is my "standard" summer white. Moreover, I made a batch of Selection Viognier to replace it. I pitched yeast in September, bottled it in November, and started drinking it a week or two ago. I am pleased; it is not quite as good as the Cline, but is close.

Paul, give your Selection batch a few more months!

After a few months of starting my first batches and reading all the great posts on this forum, I realized there were a ton of varieties that I hadn't tried, or at least I didn't remember them. My main reason for trying more was to find common wines that both my wife and I liked.

We loved the Cline Voignier within 10 seconds of taking a sip, I ordered the Selection kit that night with her blessing. I sampled some (with the Cline as a reference) tonight and realized that I hadn't degassed it as well as I thought (prickly tongue taste). It was in the basement at 64.9*F. So I've moved it upstairs to 72*F and hope to whip it a few times tonight and a few times tomorrow morning and attempt the bottling on Friday evening.

Edit: BTW, what yeast did you use for your Viognier kit? I ended up using QA23 at a pretty low temperature and so far have liked the results. We'll see when it hits 9 months to a year.

I haven't sampled a Cline wine yet that I don't enjoy. I love the modest price also!
 
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My own muscadine, moonshiner'a recipe. A testament to what time and patience will do. Wish I had more than four bottles left. This is the best bottle yet in my short wine making endeavor.
 
Edit: BTW, what yeast did you use for your Viognier kit? I ended up using QA23 at a pretty low temperature and so far have liked the results. We'll see when it hits 9 months to a year.

I used D47.
I haven't sampled a Cline wine yet that I don't enjoy. I love the modest price also!

Ditto! I got into them from selecting their Zinfandel as my everyday quaff (although I moved to drinking 7 Deadly Zins for my Zin fix). I still enjoy the odd bottle of Cline Zin, along with their specialty ones, like Mourvedre.
 
I had their Zin two nights ago and sampled some Malbec tonight (after I failed bottling the Viognier). I do prefer other Zinfandels, just can't remember which ones. I think I like the Kendall Jackson product, but I believe that is a blend not a pure Zin.

I had thought about using D47, just picked the Q23 first. Would the D47 work for a Chilean Pinot Grigio bucket? Still can't figure out what I'm using for that one, using CLOS for my Merlot bucket. Suggestions appreciated.
 
Decided to crack another bottle of my 2013 Petit Sirah. It's the last of my 'extra six' - those six bottles that you get beyond 2 cases when bottling 23 liters. This bottle is delightful, with just a touch too much acid - just barely. I won't be having any more of this until the fall, when it hits its 2nd birthday. Then I'll put 10 bottles on the rack, saving another 10 for 2016/2017 and then I'll have 4 for some longer term experimentation. If I can stay away from them. :D
 
After Karate, I decided on a 2012 Noble Muscadine slightly chilled. The body is outstanding, legs just crawl down the glass. Aroma smells of the vinyard in which they were picked. Flavor, well balanced, not dry, not sweet, tasted like a fresh picked grape minus the thick skin and high acidity. Mouthfeel very smooth over the tongue and lingers just the right amount...

This bottle will last the night...
 
While out at a restaurant, I had a nice Viognier from Macon Villages (not sure of the vintner). It was quite lovely, if just at tetch too off-dry for my liking. But I was not complaining!
 
While out at a restaurant, I had a nice Viognier from Macon Villages (not sure of the vintner). It was quite lovely, if just at tetch too off-dry for my liking. But I was not complaining!

I'm enjoying Viognier tonight. From my 2014 Chilean bucket. Not bad, though I got a little aggressive in adjusting the acid. I had to back sweeten a bit to offset it (couldn't seem to get much to drop out in cold storage). It's pretty nice though - especially for ~$2/bottle.
 
WE LE Trio Blanca left over from racking, very young at close to 2 months but very good potential.
 
Oh never mind......... :)

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I hate to say it, but I was doing the lawn and I had gotten a case of Yuengling Traditional Lager for my wife. I'm on my third one and feeling bloated. Guess I'll go back to the last part of a bottle of Crane Lake Malbec, so I don't fill up anymore and explode. I hate you all, you are ruining a beer gut that took years to develop it's unique roundness.
 
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