# Started a French Rose



## JTS84 (Nov 14, 2019)

Went to the LHBS the other day and picked a rjs French Rose kit. I was asked if this would be my Christmas wine - I said I was hoping for next summer. This is my 3rd kit.

I started the kit 2 days ago per directions only swapping out the yeast for 71B. No other deviations so far, and it's fermenting at 64 degrees. I am thinking later I will want to give the wine a small hint of oak and slightly back sweeten. 

After reading threads from joeswine, I was tempted to try making an fpack and following his tweaks for the kit - then I thought it better to stay with the instructions and learn the base before doing anything crazy. I was hoping to taste when I move to secondary and then decide if I want to do anything more - some questions I have -
If I add grapefruit zest in the secondary how will it change the taste? I keep finding descriptions of brightness, but would this add some citrus notes?
Someone else likes Rose's with a flavors of a "hint of tropical fruit", any way to add some of that?
Any others suggestions? Going for a slightly off dry Rose for summer '20.

I am starting to read again "when good wines gone bad" from the beginning, might not finish before I need to make more decisions with this wine.

Thanks


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## joeswine (Nov 14, 2019)

A strawberry fpac works , outstandingly. 16ozs. Just either fruit for a spot of flavor. No oak, around 12%abv.


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## salcoco (Nov 15, 2019)

any taste test right way post fermentation will be invalid. the wine will contain CO2 that will make it seem harsh. wait at lest two to three months before taste test. I added some grapefruit zest to mine and it did add some citrus notes donot use to much. I think a strawberry or cherry addition would be more compatible.


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## JTS84 (Nov 15, 2019)

I might just go for the strawberries - depending on what I find for fresh quality at the store, I also have the option of the ones in my freezer.

Good to know that the grapefruit would add citrus notes, that helps for future thoughts.

After clearing I will probably move a gallon aside to play with a little oak - I have had oaked rosés that I liked before, and feel the need to try. I might fail, but I'm ok with a gallon of risk.

So- finish in the primary, move to secondary with a fpack, clear, split off a gallon for my own playing, backsweeten the remaining five and bottle - 

Next summer I might need to stock up on cherries as that sounds interesting too. Trying to get something that the wife and I will both enjoy which is its own challenge.


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## ras2018 (Nov 16, 2019)

My 2c worth. Do you like traditional dry rose? Yes? Then just make this to spec. I made this 18 months ago and it’s fantastic with nothing changed except the sorbate not being added.


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## jgmann67 (Nov 16, 2019)

I did this kit for my 2019 summer wine. I added a strawberry fpac and some pectanese to get it to clear, fermented to dry and then backsweetened to taste. 

It was a big hit. 

We still have two bottles left for my daughters at Thanksgiving dinner. Then I’ll have to figure out what next summer’s wine will be. Good planning to start that wine now, btw.


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## joeswine (Nov 16, 2019)

Try a grapefruit zinfendel,very good .


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## joeswine (Nov 16, 2019)

A cheap zin kit ,control the ABV and add the rest of a whole grapefruit,it should come out clean,crisp and pleasent to the taste buds.its a winner.


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## Boatboy24 (Nov 16, 2019)

jgmann67 said:


> I did this kit for my 2019 summer wine. I added a strawberry fpac and some pectanese to get it to clear, fermented to dry and then backsweetened to taste.
> 
> It was a big hit.
> 
> We still have two bottles left for my daughters at Thanksgiving dinner. Then I’ll have to figure out what next summer’s wine will be. Good planning to start that wine now, btw.



I did the same, but haven't really consumed much so far. It is good and fruity - I did not back sweeten.


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## jgmann67 (Nov 16, 2019)

Boatboy24 said:


> I did the same, but haven't really consumed much so far. It is good and fruity - I did not back sweeten.



It was fun. My wife and I did trials until it was just sweet enough for her, but not too sweet for me. I think it only took 350ml of simple syrup in 6 gallons of wine to get us home. I will definitely do another RJS Rose... just not sure if it’s going to be this one or the higher end Pinot Noir Rose.


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## Boatboy24 (Nov 16, 2019)

jgmann67 said:


> It was fun. My wife and I did trials until it was just sweet enough for her, but not too sweet for me. I think it only took 350ml of simple syrup in 6 gallons of wine to get us home. I will definitely do another RJS Rose... just not sure if it’s going to be this one or the higher end Pinot Noir Rose.



At some point soon, I'm going to do a side by side test of yours and mine. For my taste, I would have preferred a bit more acid or tannin in mine. But I wanted to just give it time instead to see if the fruit falls back. I should probably think about starting another one of those so it's ready for next summer.


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## Sailor323 (Nov 17, 2019)

I love a dry rosé. I made this kit this year and was very satisfied. Fermented out to dry, added nothing. Not quite like a good Provence rosé but nice. A bit deeper color that the French wine. I might try an fpac next year, sounds intriguing.


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## JTS84 (Nov 18, 2019)

Seeing the comments and discussions on this have been reassuring. Knowing what the wife and I both liked last year I am going to try the grapefruit.

In the spring my local store will put on a wine tasting, then I can will be able to try more kits made per manufacturer instructions and I plan on taking notes. The thought of being able to push kits in the direction of what we like is what got me to try making them. I have a head full of ideas and am excited about this one. Going to take it slow though and I'm sure I'll have more questions in the future.


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## joeswine (Nov 19, 2019)

If you have questions this is the first place to look


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## JTS84 (Dec 30, 2019)

An update on the results-
I did end up using 1 whole grapefruit in the secondary. Upon backsweetening we hit a magic spot where it started off with a strawberry flavor, followed by a light fruity/citrus, and then with what I can only describe as a "Pop of grapefruit". 

The wife liked it so much she started giving some out as Christmas presents, to which we have received very good reviews. Then instead of complaining that I spent too much on a kit, it was "why don't you have your own labels? There is nothing covering the cork, can you get cover things?"

I did set aside one quart and added 1 med Hungarian oak cube to it. On day two I noted that the wine was much softer and didn't taste any oaky flavor. It was definitely an improvement in my opinion. Then I got a cold and bottled it on day 5 or 6 out of fear over over doing it and not being able to taste things well.

Thanks for the help - we are really happy with the end result! Next will be to plan something for me, but I'll have to wait until March to start.


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## jgmann67 (Mar 15, 2020)

Started my summer wine today. Went back to the French Rose. Going to do this one by the numbers (no fpac) and see what happens.


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## joeswine (Mar 15, 2020)

What brand?


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## joeswine (Mar 15, 2020)

French Rosé'...follow the flow..


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## JTS84 (Mar 15, 2020)

The only concern I have with this kit is how much will be left for summer. It keeps getting better every time we try a bottle. Good thing summer here is that one day between last winter and next winter.

After doing this, I can understand how the strawberry fpack would go good with it.


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## jgmann67 (Mar 15, 2020)

Joe - it’s the RJS, same as last year. Mrs Mann asked for no fpac this year. Since it’s basically her wine, I’m going to give her what she asks.


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## joeswine (Mar 16, 2020)

I understand fully the need for politics in a Marriage .


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## Sailor323 (Mar 17, 2020)

jgmann67 said:


> Started my summer wine today. Went back to the French Rose. Going to do this one by the numbers (no fpac) and see what happens.


I drink a lot of French rose and I love the RJS rose.


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## roddog (Mar 24, 2020)

I picked up 2 of these, one done as stock and the other swapping out the 1118 for 71B, just like the original post. The stock one is fine but the one with 71B stalled @ 1.000. I'm a homebrewer, so it is fermenting in a stainless steel SSBrewBucket with full temperature control. I swirled up the yeast, and raised the temp to 73 (was set at 70). A few points off is not much of a problem, just wondering if 71B has a lower attenuation than the 1118 monster. I suspect I should not worry about it unless someone else thinks there are reasons I should...


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## jgmann67 (Mar 24, 2020)

The basement is a cool 64*. Nine days later and the ferment is only down to about 1.04. It was moving a little slow for my tastes so I attached a brew belt to bring it home. Will test again over the weekend.


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## joeswine (Mar 24, 2020)

When at all possible always us a brew belt it aids in complete fermantation. Unless your work are is over 72 degrees.


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## roddog (Mar 24, 2020)

So let me ask this here. As a beer brewer, I know that if I'm teaching someone to brew a hefe, the Wyeast 3068 says it can brew from 64-75F but if I want to make a hefe with a perfect balance of clove and banana flavor, there is a MUCH finer range of temperatures for me to use this particular yeast variety (and why we invest in glychol chillers and automation for competition brewing). I suspect, knowing what little I do know about wine yeasts, that the same kind of specificity (not only temperature but also Fermaid k+DAP/Fermaid O and nutrient additions like those found in cider and meads) are probably out there. However, it seems to be a little illusive to the newbie. Besides RTFM, is there some more general locale for information on what something like how 71B behaves under a variety of conditions? The time-to-evaluation is a lot longer for wine than for beer... Appreciate any insights.


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## cmason1957 (Mar 24, 2020)

roddog said:


> So let me ask this here. As a beer brewer, I know that if I'm teaching someone to brew a hefe, the Wyeast 3068 says it can brew from 64-75F but if I want to make a hefe with a perfect balance of clove and banana flavor, there is a MUCH finer range of temperatures for me to use this particular yeast variety (and why we invest in glychol chillers and automation for competition brewing). I suspect, knowing what little I do know about wine yeasts, that the same kind of specificity (not only temperature but also Fermaid k+DAP/Fermaid O and nutrient additions like those found in cider and meads) are probably out there. However, it seems to be a little illusive to the newbie. Besides RTFM, is there some more general locale for information on what something like how 71B behaves under a variety of conditions? The time-to-evaluation is a lot longer for wine than for beer... Appreciate any insights.



Not so much an issue with winemaking. General rules are white wines are better at lower temps (say around 62-65 F) and red wines need to get higher for a day at least, say around 80F. If you are doing wine kits, they all say keep it around 70F or warmer, I generally keep everything cooler to try to hold in as much of the aroma components as possible. You will also find with wine, that most of us do red wines with an open ferment, generally covered by the lid, but no airlock or use a linen cloth held in place. But winekits say always have an airlock in place. I haven't noticed a whole bunch of difference, except when fermenting from grapes, I like to let my reds get warm for at least a day to help set the color.


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## JTS84 (Mar 24, 2020)

Checking my notes, I had .997 @65degrees after 14 days.


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## tbayav8er (Apr 25, 2020)

I just finished bottling this kit. I made it as per the instructions, and I am very pleased!


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## vineyarddog (Apr 25, 2020)

Started the RJS Rose on 4/20. So far so good. Can’t wait to see this dark red turn to a Rose color! Considering adding some FT Blanc soft but we’ll see how it turns out first


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## joeswine (Apr 25, 2020)

finished Rose'.....................................


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## jpwatkins9 (Apr 26, 2020)

Started our Rose’ yesterday, no fpac, but 1/2 tsp of orange zest and a mix of EC1118 and Red Star Premier Cuvée Champagne yeast. Initial SG is 1.092 and it is happily bubbling away. Did two batches last year and did the Grapefruit zest on one and a mix of Grapefruit and Lemon zest as suggested by Joe. Both of those came out fine and some how disappeared. Thought a different Citrus this year would be interesting and I had some extra Red Star yeast so what the heck.


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## Newlyretired (Apr 26, 2020)

Bottled my French rose after about 7 weeks, back sweetened and added a slight tinge of pear. Had an excess of about 1/2 bottle and drank the other night. Excellent taste especially after aerating in glass for a few minutes, gets rid of any chemical residual.
on a side note when I back sweetened used about 2/3 rds of potassium sorbet and 1/6th of sulfite ( hate chemicals). Did the same with my piesporter about 4 months ago, no issue and no chemical taste. Trick is to spend the extra time to clean properly.


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## Brian55 (Apr 26, 2020)

joeswine said:


> finished Rose'.....................................


Macabeo Rose? https://www.wine-searcher.com/grape-574-macabeo-viura


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## vineyarddog (May 23, 2020)

Not super happy with the color on this RJS French Rose. Started 4/21 and it has not gotten any lighter


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## Newlyretired (May 23, 2020)

vineyarddog said:


> View attachment 61533
> 
> 
> Not super happy with the color on this RJS French Rose. Started 4/21 and it has not gotten any lighter





It will not turn a light red colour like some store bought but will remain a clear red. If you go to the liquor store you will notice some rose wines with the deeper red colour versus the lighter red colour.
To me the colour is okay but the taste is very good especially for a young wine.


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## Swedeman (May 23, 2020)

vineyarddog said:


> View attachment 61533
> 
> 
> Not super happy with the color on this RJS French Rose. Started 4/21 and it has not gotten any lighter


Not sure about the kit makers intention here, French rose wine differs quite a bit in color depending on the region. If not mistaken south west Rose can be quite "dark" but from the your picture I would have guest a white Zinfandel rather than a french style rose. If I would have got something that dark when ordering Socca and Rose in Nice I would have screamed! (btw the waiters at these cafes can make you want to scream but that another story). 

I prefer pale Provence style rose anf if that was what you were expecting, then I understand if you are disappointed. What's the taste like?


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## vineyarddog (May 23, 2020)

Swedeman said:


> Not sure about the kit makers intention here, French rose wine differs quite a bit in color depending on the region. If not mistaken south west Rose can be quite "dark" but from the your picture I would have guest a white Zinfandel rather than a french style rose. If I would have got something that dark when ordering Socca and Rose in Nice I would have screamed! (btw the waiters at these cafes can make you want to scream but that another story).
> 
> I prefer pale Provence style rose anf if that was what you were expecting, then I understand if you are disappointed. What's the taste like?



Thanks for your comments. It’s marketed as a Provence style Rose which is why I was expecting that light pink color. The flavor is coming along, very heavy strawberry right now. Should turn out to be a decent wine for next summer I am just disappointed in the color!


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## joeswine (May 23, 2020)

Yes strawberry is the key make an fpac of fresh strawberries add them to the primary they'll enhance color ,finish and flavor.


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## Swedeman (May 23, 2020)

vineyarddog said:


> The flavor is coming along, very heavy strawberry right now.


Now, that might not be what you would expect from a Provence rose, I would expect touches of berry flavors rather than anything heavy. So in my humble view an fpac is not appropriate if you would do a "true" Provence rose. Joeswine suggestion would perhaps make a a very nice rose but perhaps not a Provence rose. 

Maybe they are targeting an american audience used to blush roses rather than Provence style rose?


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## joeswine (May 23, 2020)

I don't think many people no the difference,they go for overall taste.
Just my thoughts


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## joeswine (May 23, 2020)

I don't think most people including me wouldn't recognize the difference other than taste and color , were they came from.
Just my thoughts


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## Swedeman (May 24, 2020)

Well, I think it boils down to what TonyP wrote in the early drinking kits thread:

_There are several reasons why the wine you selected will be low in tannins. One reason is that Pinot Noir is lower in tannins than other reds on your list. Adding tannin may make your wine's mouthfeel preferable to you but may also make it feel less like Pinot Noir. _

If something is labelled as a "Provence style Rose" at least I expect to get just that, not something else. Admittedly, a Provence rose can have a wide variety of flavors and colors. but it's typically very pale.


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