Recent content by GretchenR

I did my final Winexpert Lodi Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon comparison tasting. In 2020, right when they were changing to the new process, smaller kits with more concentrate and less juice, I made one of the old style and one of the new style at the same time, so exactly the same conditions and...

I just bottled the Winexpert Limited Edition Nebbiolo. It's not really a fair comparison, obviously, because one is aged and the other one is not, but the Sommelier Select Nebbiolo has much more flavor than the Winexpert. The WE isn't bad, but side by side nobody would choose it over the SS...

If I'm leaving it in there for 14 days, so it gets good extraction from the skins and so on, it doesn't seem that it's fermenting very actively or offgassing by the end there. I thought that was the purpose of hammering down the lid, because it only offgasses CO2 for four or five days after...

The newer, more concentrated Washington Riesling by Winexperts isn't nearly as good as the Washington Riesling they used to make in the 2016-2019 era. I don't know if it's because of the concentration or some other cause, but that is one wine that went from wonderful (if you like Riesling) to...

I've been very happy with Finer Wine Kits and have made quite a few. Here's my problem: I have a very hard time getting the lid off the primary when it's ready to rack into a carboy, even using the nifty removal tool. I mean I know why I have to hammer it down -- to keep the CO2 inside to...

It seems that the normal method these days is to let your wine ferment for a few days and then hammer down the lid of the primary, which allows a protective layer of CO2 to form and prevents oxidation while allowing extended contact with the skins. I have a heck of a time getting the lid off...

I bought the Sommelier Select, which is now $199 (I got it for about $150 on sale back in 2022).

No skins. And yet it's delicious. Full, balanced, very satisfying.

I made the Master Vintner Sommelier Select Nebbiolo after all. It's been in the bottle about a year and a half. This might be my favorite ever kit wine. It's really delicious. If the kits ever go on sale (or maybe even if they don't) I'm going to make two more because I find myself reaching...

I haven't made the FWK Chardonnay but I have made their Riesling. I didn't care for it at all for the first few months, but a year later I quite liked it, enough that I made it a second time and kept it for a year in bulk before bottling. So maybe give your Chardonnay a year in a closet...

Thank you for the info. I'm going to contemplate my options for a while, perhaps while sipping my pomegranate zinfandel. Enjoy your raspberry and please give us an update at bottling time.

Couple questions for you. First, are you still liking the elderberry, or do you have the same feeling about it, seven or eight months on, that you have about the raspberry? Second, when you make the Island Mist raspberry, do you make it per the recipe or do you goose it up with sugar and a...

Thank you for sharing your "elderberry in detail" notes. Really useful information -- at least for me, as I contemplate making my first Vintner's Best fruit wine.

Thank you for your very helpful response. Just so I can be sure I understand, are you using Color Pro for wine you are making from grapes, or are you using it with kits?

This is the first time I've ever heard of Opti-Red and Lallzyme -- and Color Pro, for that matter. All new to me. You experienced winemakers, do you taste a real difference with these products? It seems like a simple addition (if you have a gram scale) and pretty cheap, so I'm thinking I'll...