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  1. Handy Turnip

    RJ Spagnols RJS Changes - not for the better I think

    What I find interesting is that RJS have followed the same route as Winexpert (I assume that they are different companies?) which would indicate that this is an innovation led change that doesn't affect quality. And consequently RJS would be foolish not to follow the same route so that they can...
  2. Handy Turnip

    RJ Spagnols RJS Changes - not for the better I think

    The Winexpert change was made earlier last year - I've made a few kits under the new branding and juice quantities, and haven't seen any drop in quality personally.
  3. Handy Turnip

    RJ's Spagnols imitate Global

    Only if the quality drops - I've not seen any drop in quality in the WE kits as a consequence of the change.
  4. Handy Turnip

    1st Batch Taste

    Okay cool. Just as a matter of interest, was that in line with the instructions or have you decided to deviate from the instructions? Genuinely curious.
  5. Handy Turnip

    1st Batch Taste

    what was your sg when you racked?
  6. Handy Turnip

    1st Batch Taste

    What do the instructions say? I haven't done the Chardonnay but all the winexpert kits I've done (and they've all been dry whites) have required fermenting to dry (<0.996) in primary before racking to carboy for degassing and clearing. Now there's lots of different ways of approaching this, but...
  7. Handy Turnip

    When to rack? (noob here)

    I think I read somewhere that because you've added sulphite at the degassing stage then that should be enough to ward off any oxidation until you bottle 2-6 weeks later (depending on the kit), or if you continue to bulk age then at that stage they say you should top up. Personally I always top...
  8. Handy Turnip

    cellar craft discontinued?

    Sorry to bump this one. I'm pretty new to all this and have only been doing Winexpert kits to date, focussing on their whites, which have all been excellent. However I've been looking round at decent quality alternatives, of which seem few and far between in the UK. One is the Vineco range...
  9. Handy Turnip

    WineXpert Private Reserve Yakima Pinot Gris

    I'll be following this one with interest as have been tempted by this one - look forward to the updates.
  10. Handy Turnip

    First Batch Not Good

    Yes, you're right they do want you to buy another kit - but that said, whites generally are very drinkable after 8 weeks. I bottle mine after 8 weeks normally to free up carboy space, and at that point they are better than an £8-£10 bottle I could buy. So at that point I enjoy the journey of the...
  11. Handy Turnip

    WineXpert Private reserve (etc)

    I bottled the WE NZ Marlborough SB private reserve just before Christmas and it was much better than the Eclipse version i did the year before - i did a tweak on the yeast which would definitely benefited the later batch, but it's still given me a huge amount of confidence in the new kits.
  12. Handy Turnip

    WineXpert topping off carboy with wine

    Thanks all, that makes me feel much better!!
  13. Handy Turnip

    WineXpert topping off carboy with wine

    I racked from primary to carboy on a Chilean sauvingnon blanc at the weekend, but in trying to maximise the amount wine I accidentally syphoned through a slug of sediment. Not a huge amount by any means, but enough to send a whopping great cloud into my carboy. I'm going through clearing now...
  14. Handy Turnip

    WineXpert Winexpert Reserve California Dry Riesling

    Winexpert do three Rieslings, and two of them are off-dy. But the California Riesling is packaged as dry - so no fpac or backsweetening. If you follow the instructions through, you'll end up with a bone dry Riesling. It's the first time I've done this one so no tweaks first time round.
  15. Handy Turnip

    WineXpert WE sulfite/sorbate packet

    Thanks - really interesting to know. I haven't detected any bubblegum sugar taste in my wine to date, but I also ferment my wine to bone dry so maybe I'll give it a go and just use potassium metabisulphite instead of the sorbate/sulfite mix packet. Hopefully it'll improve the flavours even more...
  16. Handy Turnip

    WineXpert WE sulfite/sorbate packet

    Nice bump. I've always just added the sulfite/sorbate packet as instructed (and then added a 1/4 tsp of potassium metabisulphite at bottling). What is the sorbate element included for? And should I not be using that packet?
  17. Handy Turnip

    WineXpert Winexpert Reserve California Dry Riesling

    As a big sauvignon blanc fan, I've made my way through the Winexpert sauvignon blanc range over the past year or so - and generally love them all (although the NZ Marlborough is particularly special when just using the K1-V1116 yeast). However, I'm also partial to a dry Riesling - so thought...
  18. Handy Turnip

    Taste of new wine kits.

    As has been mentioned reds take a while to develop, however whites are ready much quicker. While you have your Amarone in the carboy, you should start a white wine. Starting it now will mean it'll be tasting good and very drinkable in just a couple of months*, and help you give confidence (and...
  19. Handy Turnip

    Help me fix my wine?

    I'm curious to understand why you think following the kit instructions perfectly was a mistake? We all do tweaks when making kits, but generally when doing a kit for the first time I stick to the instructions to give me a good benchmark. And I've never had a bad result from following the...
  20. Handy Turnip

    Bottle aging vs bulk aging

    Yes that sounds like a great tip! I'll have to give that a go next time.
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