when good wines gone bad

[sdelli]

I bottled my Amarone yesterday. It spent 4 months in a barrel.... Taste great! But I gota tell ya... A couple glasses of this type of wine will take you for a loop! I can drink a bottle of Cab and not feel much at all... A glass and a half of Amarone... Woo budy...


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making

 

[Boatboy24]

Which one did you make?

 

[sdelli]

WE Selection


Sam

 

[joeswine]

Sangiovese process

Sanginvese processs with rasinis added.

 

[joeswine]

Sangiovese process

Winexpert Sangiovese​

Here is the beginning of the process. We are starting with an inexpensive wine kit from Wine Expert- World Vineyard. It's an Italian Sangiovese. My friend, Katie (Neviawen from the forum here) was here at my house to document the process for us all. I will include pictures throughout the making of this kit, as well as what we are going to do to take an inexpensive kit and make great wine from it.

Step 1: We have acquired our kit, sanitized everything, and laid out all of our tools before we started.

Step2: Added 1/2 gallon of hot water to my fermentation bucket and added bentonite. Stirred until no clumps.

Step 3: Opened up the bag of "grape juice" and dumped into the bucket and stirred.

Step 4; Added 1/2 gal of spring water to the empty bag (where the juice came from, to rinse it out) and swished it around. Added that to the bucket and stirred.

Step 5: Topped the bucket off w/ spring water to the 6 gallon mark and stirred more.

Step 6: Took our specific gravity reading. Posted that on our hanging tag.

Step 7: Added 2 bags of oak chips and pitched the yeast. (sprinkled it on top, do not stir).

Step 8: Cover the top of the bucket with a clean towel. This will prevent anything from falling into it.

Then we wait 5-7 days. We will then move onto the next phase.
Next:
Ok, today is 7 days from when we started this kit. We took our specific gravity reading and it is at 1.028. Slowly it's fermenting dry.
I also put up a picture of what the bucket looks like right now. You can see there are some bubbles and oak chips floating on top. It smells great! Stay tuned- it will be going into the carboy for secondary fermentation soon..
Next:
Sorry this was so late getting posted. I had a few hectic weeks. I did manage to take the pictures to keep up with the process. Here we go- it’s getting interesting!

10 days after we started this kit, we checked the Specific Gravity and it is 1.000- it is almost dry. Now is when we add the raisons and powdered oak (wine tannin powder). We are using 1 pound of black raisons (you can use white raisons for white wines) and we are using 4 tbsp. of the powdered oak.

Here is a picture of the powdered oak and raisons at the bottom of our carboy.

For our demonstration we are using the auto-syphon instead of my wine pump. This is the most basic tool for this job and is what most beginner home winemakers have handy. Transferring the wine from the primary fermentation bucket to the carboy helps to degas the wine.

When you get to the bottom of the bucket when syphoning, you can use wedges to prop up one end of the bucket. This helps you get the most out of your wine.

We now have our wine in the 6 gallon carboy. Let’s stir it up good to get all the raisons and powdered oak mixed well. This also will help degas more.

We are using a 6 gallon carboy but only have a 5 gallon batch of wine. I am filling the remaining 1 gallon of headspace with Nitrogen.Once this is racked again it will go into a 5 gallon carboy.

As always, we write our latest specific gravity reading on our tag and hang it on the carboy.

Cover the carboy up with a towel to keep light out.
Next:
Sangiovese Update: My oh My! It's tasty so far!
Here's our observation:
There was a heavy body to it, medium tanins, nice bite and a zing of acidity. It will be a good wine when aged.
Here's a few pictures. But first, let's explain what were looking at.
There are 3 pictures here. One the side of the glass in the pictures you will notice a "clear smear". This is what we call the wine's "legs". Having these when you tip a glass of wine indicates that the wine has good body and alchohol content.
Next, you will notice the "age line". This is the line that is between the surface of the wine and the distance to the color of the wine. The smaller this line is, the longer your wine has aged. You will see in our pictures that this wine is still very young yet the ring is close. That is the difference in a kit; they are made to age quick so you can drink them faster.

Winexpert Sangiovese​

Here is the beginning of the process. We are starting with an inexpensive wine kit from Wine Expert- World Vineyard. It's an Italian Sangiovese. My friend, Katie (Neviawen from the forum here) was here at my house to document the process for us all. I will include pictures throughout the making of this kit, as well as what we are going to do to take an inexpensive kit and make great wine from it.

Step 1: We have acquired our kit, sanitized everything, and laid out all of our tools before we started.

Step2: Added 1/2 gallon of hot water to my fermentation bucket and added bentonite. Stirred until no clumps.

Step 3: Opened up the bag of "grape juice" and dumped into the bucket and stirred.

Step 4; Added 1/2 gal of spring water to the empty bag (where the juice came from, to rinse it out) and swished it around. Added that to the bucket and stirred.

Step 5: Topped the bucket off w/ spring water to the 6 gallon mark and stirred more.

Step 6: Took our specific gravity reading. Posted that on our hanging tag.

Step 7: Added 2 bags of oak chips and pitched the yeast. (sprinkled it on top, do not stir).

Step 8: Cover the top of the bucket with a clean towel. This will prevent anything from falling into it.

Then we wait 5-7 days. We will then move onto the next phase.
Next:
Ok, today is 7 days from when we started this kit. We took our specific gravity reading and it is at 1.028. Slowly it's fermenting dry.
I also put up a picture of what the bucket looks like right now. You can see there are some bubbles and oak chips floating on top. It smells great! Stay tuned- it will be going into the carboy for secondary fermentation soon..
Next:
Sorry this was so late getting posted. I had a few hectic weeks. I did manage to take the pictures to keep up with the process. Here we go- it’s getting interesting!

10 days after we started this kit, we checked the Specific Gravity and it is 1.000- it is almost dry. Now is when we add the raisons and powdered oak (wine tannin powder). We are using 1 pound of black raisons (you can use white raisons for white wines) and we are using 4 tbsp. of the powdered oak.

Here is a picture of the powdered oak and raisons at the bottom of our carboy.

For our demonstration we are using the auto-syphon instead of my wine pump. This is the most basic tool for this job and is what most beginner home winemakers have handy. Transferring the wine from the primary fermentation bucket to the carboy helps to degas the wine.

When you get to the bottom of the bucket when syphoning, you can use wedges to prop up one end of the bucket. This helps you get the most out of your wine.

We now have our wine in the 6 gallon carboy. Let’s stir it up good to get all the raisons and powdered oak mixed well. This also will help degas more.

We are using a 6 gallon carboy but only have a 5 gallon batch of wine. I am filling the remaining 1 gallon of headspace with Nitrogen.Once this is racked again it will go into a 5 gallon carboy.

As always, we write our latest specific gravity reading on our tag and hang it on the carboy.

Cover the carboy up with a towel to keep light out.
Next:
Sangiovese Update: My oh My! It's tasty so far!
Here's our observation:
There was a heavy body to it, medium tanins, nice bite and a zing of acidity. It will be a good wine when aged.
Here's a few pictures. But first, let's explain what were looking at.
There are 3 pictures here. One the side of the glass in the pictures you will notice a "clear smear". This is what we call the wine's "legs". Having these when you tip a glass of wine indicates that the wine has good body and alchohol content.
Next, you will notice the "age line". This is the line that is between the surface of the wine and the distance to the color of the wine. The smaller this line is, the longer your wine has aged. You will see in our pictures that this wine is still very young yet the ring is close. That is the difference in a kit; they are made to age quick so you can drink them faster.
Final step to our Sangiovese kit: Bottling!



Before we started, we got all the tools out of our toolbox that we would need. We also sanitized all our bottles and had them ready.
What we had ready before we started:
Sanitized Bottles
Funnel
Ferrari Bottle Filler
Long Stirring wand
seals
corks
Packets of Sorbate and K-Met that came with the kit
my bottle sealing tool (don't know what it's called but it holds the seal on top the bottle while I dip it into boiling water), notice we didn't filter, that's because we racked down to clear.

Next, we dumped the 2 packets of ingredients into the carboy and gave it a stir w/ the wand (I didn't take a picture of this, you all know how to just give it a stir.)

I then placed the Ferrari bottling tool on top of an empty bottle, put the larger hose into the carboy and applied suction to the smaller hose to start the syphon. Once the wine starts to flow I place this smaller hose into an empty bottle just so it's out of the way.

What is great about this tool is that once a bottle is full it automatically stops the wine flow so that it doesn't overflow. You will see that it gets to a certain level in the little chamber and then it stops filling. When this happens you put the Ferrari tool into the next bottle and proceed.

When you have all bottles filled, you cork them. Once they are corked you seal them.

Fit the seal over the bottle, I use a tool that holds the seal on top the bottle for me as I dip them into boiling water. I dip it in, give it one twist real quick and pull it out. (Literally takes 2 seconds and it's sealed.)

 

[joeswine]

blabkberry pino noir

a great base wine with a beautiful full body finish.

Winexpert Pinot Noir​

　
Here is a kit that we purchased from one of our local brew shops, Richland Hardware. This kit is a Wineexpert Selection Series Cabernet. This kit has the following included:

The box includes the following:
 Large bag of juice
 1 packs of Lavin 1118 Yeast
 Package of Bentonite
 Package of Metabisulphite
 Package of Sorbate
 Package of Chitosan-(Fining Agent)
 1 package of medium-blend toasted Oak
　
As always, I make additions to any wine kit that I receive to personalize it. The following items do not come with the kit- they are out of my "toolbox":
 Powdered Oak
 1 qt. mason jar of simple syrup (depending on the SG at the beginning of the kit, we may or may not need this, I always have in handy just in case.)
 4 fresh black berries Just for reference, I’m sure everyone knows by now if they have been following the posts, that you will need certain equipment to make this kit. For the newbies, I’m going to put it below so you know what you need:
 Primary Fermenter (minimum 30 Litres/7.9 US gallons capacity)
 Long stirring spoon (Plastic or stainless steel)
 Measuring cup
 Hydrometer and test jar
 Thermometer
 Wine thief
 Siphon rod and hose
 Carboy (6 US gallon capacity)
 Bung and Air lock
 Solid Bung (if you are bulk aging)
 Unscented winemaking detergent for cleaning (we recommend Onestep or any other oxygenating cleaner, including Kmet....JUST NOT BLEACH!)
 Metabisulphite Powder for sanitizing
 30 wine bottles, thirty corks , thirty seals
 Corking machine (there are various types, we use an Italian floor corker.)
The Process:
 As always, sanitize anything that comes in contact with the wine. Yip, including yourself!
 Add half gallon of warm water to the primary fermenting bucket with the bentonite packet and stir until dissolved.
 Add the large juice package. (Be careful, it’s heavy!) Rinse this out with a little bit of spring water to make sure you get it all.
 Now, we take the SG reading. We’re at 1.10.
 Now, here comes all that oak! We are adding the 1 packet of toasted oak chips PLUS 2 TBSP of the powdered oak tannin (AWESOME!).
 Next is the YEAST! 1 packet of 1118 yeast. Cover with a towel and wait 5-7 days.
　
Secondary Fermentation:

Now that we fermented dry (SG reading is 1.010), now it’s time to rack it.

Notice the aroma? I personally like the smell of fermenting wine. <SNIFF!> Ahh…
Ok. 
We racked this down to a carboy. I but it is pretty gassy. I’m going to let this settle out for a few days and let it degas some on its own. Over the weekend, I will force-gas it (If I have to) by giving it a good old-fashioned stir. Once I feel that it’s de-gassed enough, I will stabilize it with the potassium sorbate packet, K-Met Packet, and packet of Chitosan (clearing agent).

UPDATE:​

We finished bottling our super-awesome, Winexpert Selection Pinot Noir Kit. We are quite happy with the results. Our end result is a dark, inky-color, rich, full bodied, wine. It has a spicy-earthy, sour cherry aroma, dried fruit, bitter almond, from the huge volume of tannins.

For a kit wine that started just 2 1/2 months ago, the results are quite impressive. (We started this kit on August 22, 2013. We bottled tonight, 10/24/2013. After doing this kit, we would def. recommend this one for any true Italian red-wine drinker.

We would like to thank Winexpert for giving us the opportunity to present one of their finest wine kits they have available. We would definitely recommend this kit to the novice and experienced winemakers alike as it truly is exceptional.

We are looking forward to our next tutorial now that this one is complete. Please give us feedback and recommendations of what type of wine you would like to learn how to make.

 

[joeswine]

Making the fpac

Making the fpac, IT'S NOT HARD BUT YOU NEED PATIENTS TO SLOWLY SAUTÉ DOWN THE FRUIT AND THEN STEAM, THEN CONTINUE TO SAUTÉ UNTIL A CONSISTENCE DEVELOPS BETWEEN SAUCE AND SOME WHOLE AND PARTIALLY BROKEN DOWN FRUIT THEN LET IT COOL AND PLACE IT IN A STRAINER BAG(PAINTERS BAG) AND LET NATURE TAKE IT'S TURN. UNDERSTAND THIS :THIS IS JUST MY WAY OF MAKING A FPAC,WHEN CONCERTINAING AT THIS POINT I WANT THE BLACK BERRIES TO BECOME PARTNERS WITH THE PINO NIOR,THAT'S A DIFFERENT SCENARIO FROM PLACING THEN IN THE SECONDARY WHERE THEY WILL ONLY IMPART BACKGROUND TO THE BASE OR SOME OTHER ATTRACTION TO ENHANCE THE OVERALL MIX. CLEAR?

 

[joeswine]

Cabernet in review with black corthinian grapes

BOTTLING MANUAL STYLE..............STILL FUN AND FAST WHEN YOUR PREPARED...............LETS GO......

 

[vernsgal]

a great base wine with a beautiful full body finish.

Winexpert Pinot Noir​

　
Here is a kit that we purchased from one of our local brew shops, Richland Hardware. This kit is a Wineexpert Selection Series Cabernet. This kit has the following included:

The box includes the following:
 Large bag of juice
 1 packs of Lavin 1118 Yeast
 Package of Bentonite
 Package of Metabisulphite
 Package of Sorbate
 Package of Chitosan-(Fining Agent)
 1 package of medium-blend toasted Oak
　
As always, I make additions to any wine kit that I receive to personalize it. The following items do not come with the kit- they are out of my "toolbox":
 Powdered Oak
 1 qt. mason jar of simple syrup (depending on the SG at the beginning of the kit, we may or may not need this, I always have in handy just in case.)
 4 fresh black berries Just for reference, I’m sure everyone knows by now if they have been following the posts, that you will need certain equipment to make this kit. For the newbies, I’m going to put it below so you know what you need:
 Primary Fermenter (minimum 30 Litres/7.9 US gallons capacity)
 Long stirring spoon (Plastic or stainless steel)
 Measuring cup
 Hydrometer and test jar
 Thermometer
 Wine thief
 Siphon rod and hose
 Carboy (6 US gallon capacity)
 Bung and Air lock
 Solid Bung (if you are bulk aging)
 Unscented winemaking detergent for cleaning (we recommend Onestep or any other oxygenating cleaner, including Kmet....JUST NOT BLEACH!)
 Metabisulphite Powder for sanitizing
 30 wine bottles, thirty corks , thirty seals
 Corking machine (there are various types, we use an Italian floor corker.)
The Process:
 As always, sanitize anything that comes in contact with the wine. Yip, including yourself!
 Add half gallon of warm water to the primary fermenting bucket with the bentonite packet and stir until dissolved.
 Add the large juice package. (Be careful, it’s heavy!) Rinse this out with a little bit of spring water to make sure you get it all.
 Now, we take the SG reading. We’re at 1.10.
 Now, here comes all that oak! We are adding the 1 packet of toasted oak chips PLUS 2 TBSP of the powdered oak tannin (AWESOME!).
 Next is the YEAST! 1 packet of 1118 yeast. Cover with a towel and wait 5-7 days.
　
Secondary Fermentation:

Now that we fermented dry (SG reading is 1.010), now it’s time to rack it.

Notice the aroma? I personally like the smell of fermenting wine. <SNIFF!> Ahh…
Ok. 
We racked this down to a carboy. I but it is pretty gassy. I’m going to let this settle out for a few days and let it degas some on its own. Over the weekend, I will force-gas it (If I have to) by giving it a good old-fashioned stir. Once I feel that it’s de-gassed enough, I will stabilize it with the potassium sorbate packet, K-Met Packet, and packet of Chitosan (clearing agent).

UPDATE:​

We finished bottling our super-awesome, Winexpert Selection Pinot Noir Kit. We are quite happy with the results. Our end result is a dark, inky-color, rich, full bodied, wine. It has a spicy-earthy, sour cherry aroma, dried fruit, bitter almond, from the huge volume of tannins.

For a kit wine that started just 2 1/2 months ago, the results are quite impressive. (We started this kit on August 22, 2013. We bottled tonight, 10/24/2013. After doing this kit, we would def. recommend this one for any true Italian red-wine drinker.

We would like to thank Winexpert for giving us the opportunity to present one of their finest wine kits they have available. We would definitely recommend this kit to the novice and experienced winemakers alike as it truly is exceptional.

We are looking forward to our next tutorial now that this one is complete. Please give us feedback and recommendations of what type of wine you would like to learn how to make.

Joe when did you add your blackberry f-pak? Was it after you added the clearing agents etc?

 

[joeswine]

Blackberry fpac

follow this: adding to primary with 3/ 4 quarts of blackberries this then becomes a blended wine.

ADDING A SMALLER PORTION TO THE SECONDARY THIS THEN TAKES ON A BACKGROUND NUANCE,UNDERSTAND?

DEPENDING ON WHAT YOU WANT THE OUTCOME TO BE IS WERE YOU PLACE THE BERRIES OR FPAC,LIKE THE VERBIAGE STATES/ FPAC (FLAVOR PACKAGE),OKAY? IT'S FUN AND CAN BE VERY REWARDING KNOWING THE DIFFERENCS.
FPAC

 

[vernsgal]

Thanks Joe. So if adding to primary should I still cook the berries down?

 

[joeswine]

fpac

yes but don't destroy all the berry, follow the example. Follow it then in stall in the wine bag remember this will take a little longer to complete..as a kit..

 

[joeswine]

Vino Italiano Blackberry Zinfandel Kit​

This kit we purchased off Amazon for ~$45.00 shipped. This kit is contained the Zinfandel juice, a blackberry F-pak, labels, corks, caps, packets of yeast, sorbate, bentonite, k-met, and chitosan. This kit contains the essentials for any new winemaker (minus the basic equipment that is needed.)What we added:
2 ball jars of simple syrup (each ball jar will bring the SG up .01%)
Spring Water
**Oak Tannin** Note: We will add this in the secondary, not primary
The steps:
First, we added the bentonite and ½ gal. warm water and stirred until dissolved.
Next, we added the packet of Zinfandel juice and then topped up to 6 gallon mark on our primary fermenter.
Then, we took an SG reading. The kit as is, came to 1.070. We wanted our SG reading to be at 1.10, so we added the ball jars of simple syrup, one at a time (and took readings in between). We ended up using both jars and this brought us up to our desired SG reading: 1.09. We wanted this specific SG reading because 1. We like nice alcohol in our wine and 2. We wanted it to be well balanced. This kit contains an F-pak so the higher alch. Will balance it out- it won’t be too sweet .
Next, we gave the bucket a good stir and added the yeast.
The last step: We document the contents on our tag, hang it on the bucket, and drape a towel over the top. Now we wait.
*****Update!!*****
We checked the SG tonight (6/20/14) and it is at 0.98. This is dry and ready to rack to the secondary carboy. We racked it to our secondary, marked the SG reading and the date on our tag and hung it on the carboy.
Our wine is coming along!
Stay tuned...

 

[joeswine]

Moving forward

WHILE THIS KIT IS SITTING LETS TAKE A LOOK AT SOMETHING ELSE..................

Cru Coffee Port Kit​

The box includes the following:
·Large bag of juice
·2 packs of Lavin EC-1118
·1 Coffee Port F-Pack
·Package of bentonite
·Package of Metabisulphite
·Package of Potassium Sorbate
·Package of each Chitosan-D2 and kiesesol-D1(Fining Agents)

Our additions:
·Oak Tannin (Tannic Acid)
·Instant Coffee
·Spring Water

Tools you will need:
·Primary Fermenter (minimum 30 Litres/7.9 US gallons capacity)
·Long stirring spoon (Plastic or stainless steel)
·Measuring cup
·Hydrometer and test jar
·Thermometer
·Wine thief
·Siphon rod and hose
·Carboy (3 US gallon capacity)
·Bung and Air lock
·Solid Bung (if you are bulk aging)
·Unscented winemaking detergent for cleaning (we recommend One-step or any other oxygenating cleaner, including Kmet....JUST NOT BLEACH!)
·Metabisulphite Powder for sanitizing
·15 wine bottles, 15 corks , 15 seals
·Corking machine (there are various types, we use an Italian floor corker.)

The Process:
·As always, sanitize anything that comes in contact with the wine. Including yourself.
·Add the large juice package. (Be careful, it’s heavy!) Rinse this out with a little bit of spring water to make sure you get it all.
·We have our bucket measured to 3 gallons. The kit didn’t quite come to 3 gallons so we topped up until we reach 3 gallons.
·Add the bentonite and give it a good stir.
·Then add the oak tannin, stir, and then take your SG reading. It should read 1.10.
·We then took a PH test and it read 4.0. Typically, it should be around 3.5.
·Finally, we pitched the yeast, made up a tag, and covered it up to rest.

After it ferments dry: (Approx. 2 weeks)

• After it fermented dry (SG: 0.98) we racked it into our secondary, 3 gallon fermentation carboy.
• We had to take out approx. 1.5 wine bottles of wine out of the carboy so that we will have room for the coffee F-pack.We set that aside with an air-lock. If when we rack the wine again and we come up short and have extra air-space, we will add it.
• We checked the ph of the wine and it is at 3.5 which is perfect for this type of port.
• We added the sorbate, K-met packet, and gave it a good stir.
• Next, we added packet #1 (of the 2 packet combination) of Kieselsol and set our time for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, we add packet #2 of Kieselsol and stirred again. (Learning tip: The reason for the 5 minute wait time is you are waiting for the molecules from packet #1 to bind to certain molecules in the wine. The second packet will bind to the molecules in the first packet and then the clearing process starts. (Positive and negative particles will attract, become heavy, and fall to the bottom of the carboy, taking the sediment with it.)
• Next, we added the Coffee F-Pak. Note: Not all of the F pack fit into my 3-gallon carboy. I should have taken out possibly 2 bottles of extra wine instead of 1.5. I put the extra F-pak in the refrigerator. When I rack this again to a final mixing bucket I will add everything to the bucket and give it a good stir. uice
  Our additions:
  · Oak Tannin (Tannic Acid)
  · Instant Coffee
  · Spring Water
  
  Tools you will need:
  · Primary Fermenter (minimum 30 Litres/7.9 US gallons capacity)
  · Long stirring spoon (Plastic or stainless steel)
  · Measuring cup
  · Hydrometer and test jar
  · Thermometer
  · Wine thief
  · Siphon rod and hose
  · Carboy (3 US gallon capacity)
  · Bung and Air lock
  · Solid Bung (if you are bulk aging)
  · Unscented winemaking detergent for cleaning (we recommend One-step or any other oxygenating cleaner, including Kmet....JUST NOT BLEACH!)
  · Metabisulphite Powder for sanitizing
  

 

[joeswine]

Black berry kit continued

INEXPENSIVE KITS CONTINUED.........

Vino Italiano Blackberry Zinfandel Kit​

This kit we purchased off Amazon for ~$45.00 shipped. This kit is contained the Zinfandel juice, a blackberry F-pak, labels, corks, caps, packets of yeast, sorbate, bentonite, k-met, and chitosan. This kit contains the essentials for any new winemaker (minus the basic equipment that is needed.)
What we added:
2 ball jars of simple syrup (each ball jar will bring the SG up .01%)
Spring Water
**Oak Tannin** Note: We will add this in the secondary, not primary
The steps:
First, we added the bentonite and ½ gal. warm water and stirred until dissolved.
Next, we added the packet of Zinfandel juice and then topped up to 6 gallon mark on our primary fermenter.
Then, we took an SG reading. The kit as is, came to 1.070. We wanted our SG reading to be at 1.10, so we added the ball jars of simple syrup, one at a time (and took readings in between). We ended up using both jars and this brought us up to our desired SG reading: 1.09. We wanted this specific SG reading because 1. We like nice alcohol in our wine and 2. We wanted it to be well balanced. This kit contains an F-pak so the higher alch. Will balance it out- it won’t be too sweet .
Next, we gave the bucket a good stir and added the yeast.
The last step: We document the contents on our tag, hang it on the bucket, and drape a towel over the top. Now we wait.
Update!!
We checked the SG tonight (6/20/14) and it is at 0.98. This is dry and ready to rack to the secondary carboy. We racked it to our secondary, marked the SG reading and the date on our tag and hung it on the carboy.
Our wine is coming along!
Stay tuned...
REMEMBER THE REASON WE WANTED TO BOOST THE ACHOLO LEVEL ON THIS KIT???TO MAKE IT MORE OF A WINE.

 

[joeswine]

**Update**
Hello Everyone!
We haven't posted the all-anticipated posts of this economically pleasing wine kit. So tonight is the night! For those who are catching the back end of this tutorial, this is a Blackberry-Zinfandel Kit from Vino Italiano. This kit’s average price is ~$45.00.
On 7/3/2014 we added the Blackberry F-pak, the clearing agent that came with the kit, the K-Met (Metabisulphate), Sorbate, stirred it up, and let it sit.
Tonight we checked-in on this wine and gave it our winemakers check-up.
Appearance: Nice dark purple color
Aroma: Berries, oak, and a slight tar smell (which is indicative of a drinkable dark, red wine)
Taste: Definitely taste the blackberry. It's right on the money. Has a light oak taste. This wine finishes sweet but not overly sickening, which is nice. The higher alcohol content (from adding the extra sugar/simple syrup in the beginning) really balances it out like we thought going into this kit.
Although this wine is definitely drinkable to the average wine drinker, I would let this one sit another month to really let the flavors come together. However, if I was invited last minute to a BBQ, this I wouldn't be ashamed of grabbing a few bottle of this to share.
This was a good purchase. It's a "filler" wine that I can share or drink while the other stuff I have is aging.
Oh, and for the count- we got 27 bottles (plus one that was not quite full- we drank that).
The total cost per bottle: $1.66. Can’t Beat that!

Cheers!
Joe and Kate

 

[joeswine]

Black berry kit continued

go back and review the flow of the blackberry zinfandel

 

[joeswine]

Amarone

amarone the king of the big Italian reds is my favorite I must have 4 vintages sitting .so follow me on this journey and explore the possibilities.
here are the additions that we are adding to enhance and create our amarone
wine tannins, and raisins plus were going to capitalize the wine to boost the abv.so follow the process, not for everyone but I like to think outside the box.
yeast type we chose was 212

 

[geek]

how much time in months do you give the Amarone before you start drinking it?

 

[joeswine]

Amarone

PARTNERS IN THE MIX........... HERE ARE THE PARTNERS IN THE MIX,SIMPLE SYRUP TO BOOST THE ADV. TO AROUND 14%
RAISINS TO ADD THE DEPTH THAT IS AMARONE AND WINE TANNINS FOR STRUCTURE AND SMOOTHNESS, FINALLY A GRAPE FPAC THIS WINE TAKES TIME TO DEVELOP IT MIGHT BE A 8 WEEK KIT BUT BELIEVE ME IT BECOMES A STAR IN ONE TO TWO FULL YEARS AND BEYOND THAT A $65.OO BOTLLE OF WINE .FOLLOW THE PROCESS AS WE TAKE OUR AMARONE TO A DIFFERENT LEVEL.