Wine From Kit To Sweet

[asterof]

I made a Merlot Mist from a Kit
All went well but we feel it is a little to sweet.
Before It goes to long term aging, what can I do to knock down
the sweetness a bit
Thanks

 

[DoctorCAD]

Mist kits are supposed to be sweet' I suggest making a true merlot kit and blending. Once you added the f pack, the sorbate will render it almost un fermentable to dry it out.

 

[cpfan]

asterof:

Unfortunately lots of people make mist wines and then find out that it is too sweet for their tastes. When I ran a store, it was sometimes difficult to convince customers that the wine would be sweet. There are a couple of solutions.

1 - as DoctorCAD suggested that you make a dry red kit and blend the two batches together. I don't like this approach because what happens if the wine is still too sweet. Plus you don't get to drink the dry red, which may be more to your liking.

2 - make that same dry red kit, and blend by the carafe or even glass. This allows you to determine how much dry red to add to the sweet red to reach your personal preference. It also allows you to drink the dry red. It also allows your friends & family to drink the sweet mist wine as is. Believe me, some of your visitors will like the mist wine as is.

Another point...long term aging of a Mist wine? Not necessary. Sure, wait a month or two to allow bottle shock to die down, but most people start drinking these mist kits right away. You haven't made a MERLOT, but rather a BLACKBERRY merlot (or whatever kit you made).

BTW, for many questions it is best if you mention the EXACT kit name up front. The answers to some questions will vary depending on the kit. For example, in this case, I have assumed that it is a red wine based mist kit, but it could be a blush based kit, eg a strawberry white merlot.

Steve

 

[ReefKeeper]

Like CPfan said, I would not age a mist kit. You can blend it with another wine as mentioned above or add tartaric acid to try to bring it into balance a bit more. Perform bench trials though. Do not make acid additions into the carboy without testing a small sample first. Warning: this may make the wine unstable and cause tartrate crystals to precipitate in the bottle. They are harmless (it's potassium bitartrate, aka cream of tartar) but the unknowing sometimes think they are little bits of glass in the wine.

 

[asterof]

I Understand

Like CPfan said, I would not age a mist kit. You can blend it with another wine as mentioned above or add tartaric acid to try to bring it into balance a bit more. Perform bench trials though. Do not make acid additions into the carboy without testing a small sample first. Warning: this may make the wine unstable and cause tartrate crystals to precipitate in the bottle. They are harmless (it's potassium bitartrate, aka cream of tartar) but the unknowing sometimes think they are little bits of glass in the wine.

it was a red Merlot mist.
Orchard Breezin Mist Blackberry Merlot Wine Kit
I am thinking make another same kit do not add the flavor pack
then blend them to taste.
Thanks

 

[cpfan]

it was a red Merlot mist.
Orchard Breezin Mist Blackberry Merlot Wine Kit
I am thinking make another same kit do not add the flavor pack
then blend them to taste.
Thanks

Make a REAL merlot kit, even if it is an inexpensive one. The merlot base of the mist kit is not a great wine, and makes a low alcohol wine.

BTW that Blackberry Merlot makes a really nice wine jelly. Also it is really good over ice with some soda in the summer. I'll pretty much guarantee that you have some friends & family who will love this wine (even if you don't).

Steve

 

[heatherd]

You can get a vintner's reserve California Merlot kit for $65, be sure to ferment it to dry. Then do some "bench trials" or tests on a glass at a time to see what proportion of sweet to dry mixture you want - 50/50 may not taste good.

Or you may just want to drink the dry merlot rather than trying to make the sweet into dry. Both have their place in your wine cellar.

I agree with the posts that the sweet one is a great summer wine over ice or just chilled. You can also make great berry sangria with the mist kit and add some vodka to it.


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Makin

 

[joeswine]

Island mist kits

THIS IS JUST MY WAY AND MAY NOT BE YOURS,THESE KITS ARE A SWEET WINE KIT DESIGNED FOR THAT MARKET TO ACHIEVE BETTER BALANCE, BETWEEN THE FINISH AND THE BODY YOU HAVE TO START IN THE BEGINNING ,AT THE PRIMARY. THE SG SHOULD BE 1.10 THIS THEN WILL BALANCE OUT THE FPACS SWEETNESS IN THE END,ALSO THE INTRODUCTION OF WINE TANNINS A SMALL AMOUNT IN THE SECONDARY FOR THE DARKER STYLES KELPS TO CONSTRUCT THE FINAL TEXTURE WHICH THESE WINES DO NOT HAVE ,MAKING A EFFORT NOT TO REINVENT THE WINE BUT RATHER TO RECONSTRUCT IT WILL PAY OFF IN THE LONG RUN,I HAVE PERSONNEL MADE A LOT OF THESE OVER THE YEARS....AND NOT ADDING THE FPAC IN STRENGTH DEFEATS THE END TASTE PROFILE,ACHOLO IS WHAT IS NEEDED.....................IMOP...........

 

[bkisel]

Would spiking it with Vodka help?

 

[joeswine]

Island mist kits

NO IT TAKES THE ENTIRE TASTE PROFILE IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION,GOOD FOR CELLO'S NOT FOR WINE.UNDERSTAND?