I've made several Wine Lovers (ABC Cork) kits. They're fine for the money, but I definitely wouldn't make one without some tweaks (see @joeswine excellent thread).
Wine kits on sale
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VinesnBines
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Are the Wine Lovers kits produced by ABC Cork? Fontana kits are the same as the ABC Cork. I've been buying the Fontana off Amazon and now some directly from ABC Cork.
With any of these cheap kits (Wine Lovers, Fontana or ABC Cork) they deficiently need tweaking and amending. With the tweaks they can be nice table wines.
Adding body can be a challenge. I bought this Liqui-Gum | MoreWine liquigum to add mouthfeel to thin wines. It does help.
With any of these cheap kits (Wine Lovers, Fontana or ABC Cork) they deficiently need tweaking and amending. With the tweaks they can be nice table wines.
Adding body can be a challenge. I bought this Liqui-Gum | MoreWine liquigum to add mouthfeel to thin wines. It does help.
fwdevoe
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Best way r
Best way I know of to add body is add grape skins during fermentation.
Yes, same kits AFAIK.
I add shredded oak or oak chips during fermentation, and glycerin at bottling. Since I make liqueurs, I buy glycerin by the gallon, which is less than 1/4 the price of the little bottle from the LHBS.
Also add fermentation enzymes if using skin packs. I added ScottZyme ColorPro to my FWK's in November, and the color is amazing and the body is surprisingly good for a young wine.
Label Peelers has Finer Wine Kits, all of which are affordable compared to other kits. I have only done the Forte series but they taste fabulous and I think I'll only make their kits from now on. They have two fruit wine kits, and a bunch of reds, and they're working on the whites. I like that the Forte series comes with all your chems, a yeast starter, double skins, and a seed pack for $127-135 + shipping.
https://labelpeelers.com/finer-wine-kits/Here are videos about them: Forte Bordeaux Style Finer Wine Kit
https://labelpeelers.com/finer-wine-kits/Here are videos about them: Forte Bordeaux Style Finer Wine Kit
She’sgonnakillme
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At those prices (same as the WE Classics), not sure why anyone would want to buy anything but a FWK, (if your looking for a medium to lower end kit,) what a value!
got that message and immediately pulled the trigger on another Petite Sirah kit. The first one was used to blend with my cab franc and I have fewer bottles on the rack… it’s only a year or so old and tastes fantastic.
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Does adding the skins to them make a big difference on the tavola kits?
She’sgonnakillme
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IMO, Tavola beats all other kits right of the gate, but when you start adding skins it takes it up a notch. But the more skins you add the longer you should wait to experience the wines full potential
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I saw the abv is different between the tavola and the higher end. Is that a concentration factor?
She’sgonnakillme
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Yes, the Forte has a bit more concentrate volume, therefore has a higher starting gravity
All one would have to do is add some simple syrup and kick up the ISG to match the potential ABV.
I was wondering what the difference would be if one bought the Tavola series (say Zinfandel) and added two grape skin packs to the order. The Forte Zinfandel (which comes with two grape skin packs) is $127.49, and the Tavola Zinfandel on sale would be $106.28. A little bit of simple syrup to increase the ISG would be negligible in cost, so it appears to save one about $20.
I suspect there's more to it than simple sugar -- the Forte must has more body, not just higher Brix.
You may be right Paul, but I remember everyone was very pleased with the Tavola series before the Forte series was available. Anyway, I am going to make a wine we made at home (75% Zinfandel and 25% Muscat) using the Tavola series. I have a Forte Zinfandel going now so I will be able to compare before blending the two wines.
I'm strongly considering purchasing 2 kits, a Sauvignon Blanc and a Bordeaux (no skin packs). I'm VERY pleased with the Barbera I made last summer, it's a quicker drinker, and I've got 6 other FWK Forte kits in production, so I don't need long agers.
I have done three or four of the Tavola kits (all with double skins) and a couple of the Forte kits so far. I haven't noticed any increase in SG in any of them.
