WineXpert Anyone have experience with Winexpert Twisted Mist Limited Editions

[GaDawg]

I realize this thread is a few months old now but I started the Hurricane at 1.056 and the Pink Lemonade at 1.068 adding 1 ½ cups of sugar to each last week. Hope for a 7% wine cooler over ice. Yes, its my first time with Twisted Mist kits but at the price it was hard to pass up the opportunity ..... pass or fail lol Any advice or anything I should do / not do? I'm coming off a sorta failed raspberry wine.

I’ve made a lot of these kits. I have found them too sweet for me, so I put 1/2 the F-pack in the primary. I also add 4 lbs of sugar to the primary. Great summer wine.

 

[Shurt1073]

I’ve made a lot of these kits. I have found them too sweet for me, so I put 1/2 the F-pack in the primary. I also add 4 lbs of sugar to the primary. Great summer wine

Hey, thanks for the reply. Did you go by the time-line directions of fermentation approximently 14 days, or until .996 ..... rest of the process took about 3-4 weeks? Do you leave it in the carboy longer to clear? Instructions stay start to finish in 26 days but the more I read and learn these deadlines are not always correct or good idea.

Sorry to ask so many questions but I'd like to get these two (Hurricane & Pink Lemonade) wine cooler kits done right. Sorta messed up my last fruit wine kit by not taking good enough notes and/or paying attention to detail. Sorta need a win on these two kits.

 

[GaDawg]

Hey, thanks for the reply. Did you go by the time-line directions of fermentation approximently 14 days, or until .996 ..... rest of the process took about 3-4 weeks? Do you leave it in the carboy longer to clear? Instructions stay start to finish in 26 days but the more I read and learn these deadlines are not always correct or good idea.

Sorry to ask so many questions but I'd like to get these two (Hurricane & Pink Lemonade) wine cooler kits done right. Sorta messed up my last fruit wine kit by not taking good enough notes and/or paying attention to detail. Sorta need a win on these two kits.

I don’t go be the time-line. I let it ferment until the yeastees are done. When I get the same S/G reading for 3
consecutive days.
Ask all the questions you want. We love talking wine

 

[Shurt1073]

I don’t go be the time-line. I let it ferment until the yeastees are done. When I get the same S/G reading for 3
consecutive days.
Ask all the questions you want. We love talking wine

Again .. thanks.

so even on these wine kits, before bottling do you add the 1/4 tsp of Meta, and ½ tsp of per gallon of potassium sorbate? even though the kit comes with its own packet?

 

[GaDawg]

Again .. thanks.

so even on these wine kits, before bottling do you add the 1/4 tsp of Meta, and ½ tsp of per gallon of potassium sorbate? even though the kit comes with its own packet?

No, I go with the kit instructions

 

[cmason1957]

Again .. thanks.

so even on these wine kits, before bottling do you add the 1/4 tsp of Meta, and ½ tsp of per gallon of potassium sorbate? even though the kit comes with its own packet?

Assuming you added the Potassium Sorbate that came with the kit, you don't need to add more. It already did it's job and neutered your yeast,so it couldn't bud later and cause referementation. More K-Meta, you could add, but if you are bottling on the time lines (or nearly so) that the kit manufacturers suggest, there isn't a real need to.

 

[Shurt1073]

Assuming you added the Potassium Sorbate that came with the kit, you don't need to add more. It already did it's job and neutered your yeast,so it couldn't bud later and cause referementation. More K-Meta, you could add, but if you are bottling on the time lines (or nearly so) that the kit manufacturers suggest, there isn't a real need to.

Ok .. thanks. Again, just need a couple of wine wins because my last raspberry fruit wine was not that great! I'm making some changes to the way I do things and hope these two wine coolers at 6-7% are awesome. I need to pay more attention to the hydrometer which I plan to do so on these two Twisted Mist kits.

 

[Shurt1073]

Tomorrow is the big day for my two Twisted Mist wine kits. Fermentation is done after 16 days and now its time to rack into glass. (Hurricane .994 sg & Pink Lemonade is .992 sg ). I'm starting a Dragon's Blood at the end of the week.

 

[Jovimaple]

I want to do the pina colada one! Have to see if it's still available at my LHBS.

 

[Shurt1073]

I was not very excited about the Hurricane Twisted Mist but after racking and adding the F-pack it seems this will be ok. I'll have a low alcohol wine but it should have some good flavor with my initial smell. There were at least four different smells / flavors. Hurricane wine cooler at 7% over ice. According to the instructions, bottling should be Nov 10th -11th but who knows ... might give it more time to clear. Did anyone back sweeten the Twist Mist Kit?

 

[Jovimaple]

Did anyone back sweeten the Twist Mist Kit?

Doesn't the flavorpack include sweetener?

I haven't done a Twisted Mist kit but I have done several wine cooler kits from another brand. The included flavorpack makes it fairly sweet if added per the directions.

That being said, I would taste it before bottling to see if it needed to be sweeter. I would assume the kit included sorbate that got added before the fpack. If that's the case, you should be fine adding more sugar if you want.

I recommend adding a little at a time and then tasting it. Stop when you think it needs a little bit more, because it may get sweeter as it ages.

 

[Shurt1073]

Doesn't the flavorpack include sweetener?

It does have a flavor pack but was curious if anyone made it a little sweeter. Although I can drink the dry, semi sweet, or sweet wines my wife it only a sweet wine drinker. I will probably pick one of the wine coolers (Pink Lemonade or Hurricane) and let her help with bottling plus back sweeten to her taste. Man's gotta do what a man's gotta do around here to earn brownie points! I've even considered bottling in two stages with half semi sweet and the other half to her approval. Special markings on the bottles to tell the semi sweet and sweet apart. I've got a few weeks to decide.

 

[winemaker81]

It does have a flavor pack but was curious if anyone made it a little sweeter. Although I can drink the dry, semi sweet, or sweet wines my wife it only a sweet wine drinker. I will probably pick one of the wine coolers (Pink Lemonade or Hurricane) and let her help with bottling plus back sweeten to her taste. Man's gotta do what a man's gotta do around here to earn brownie points! I've even considered bottling in two stages with half semi sweet and the other half to her approval. Special markings on the bottles to tell the semi sweet and sweet apart. I've got a few weeks to decide.

Yup -- bottle for the audience, especially if it's someone who is tolerant of one's hobby.

Asking the spouse to help bottle is a great idea -- between tasting for backsweetening and bottling, it gives her investment in the project. There's plenty of credit to share, and I've found that talking my wife up for the projects she's done is always good.

 

[joeswine]

Yup -- bottle for the audience, especially if it's someone who is tolerant of one's hobby.

Asking the spouse to help bottle is a great idea -- between tasting for backsweetening and bottling, it gives her investment in the project. There's plenty of credit to share, and I've found that talking my wife up for the projects she's done is always good.

And she understands the process as a partner

 

[Shurt1073]

Bottled my Twisted Mist Hurricane today and should be ready for summertime fun! About 28 bottles at 7% abv with some cool vinyl labels from my Cricut Maker 3 and included kit labels.

On Thursday it was 74* sunny and today (Saturday) its 28* snow! Pictures on the screened in porch for show only and then back inside.

 

[Shurt1073]

Tonight I "tasted' my Hurricane Twisted Mist, in fact, "tasted" the whole bottle! Gotta say, its exactly what its supposed to be a low alcohol 6-7% abv wine cooler. The price was right, the experience was worth my time / effort, and its as advertised. Although we are in November, this wine cooler will be special this summer. More information in a couple weeks on the Pink Lemonade wine cooler.

 

[CheerfulHeart]

I have the Hurricane kit waiting to be purchased. Would you recommend it? Any additional thoughts about the flavor, or bumping up the ABV with a couple pounds of sugar?
Thanks in advance.

 

[Shurt1073]

I bumped the sugar up to 1.055 sg or 7.3% ABV using 1.5 cups of inverted sugar. Sorta let my hydrometer tell me how much inverted sugar to add because I didn't want a full blown wine 11-12% but a wine cooler around 7%. It was on sale last year and I had ordered a few other things. The experience was great but I would rather have 30 bottles of something else although my friends LOVE it. Bartles & James has nothing on us wine cooler makers! lol

 

[CheerfulHeart]

Thanks for the rapid reply and for sharing your insights! I appreciate it very much.
You are so right about us wine cooler makers Every family needs one lol. Usually my relatives drink bold red wines...until I brought a 750ml of a boosted ABV Pina Colada cooler and one called Blush Crush as a host gift to a family event last week. It was meant as a bit of a joke. Joke's on me. My cousins are saving flip top bottles for me. Sounds like a hint lol

 

[Jovimaple]

I want to do the pina colada one! Have to see if it's still available at my LHBS.

I did end up making the Twisted Mist Pina Colada. I made it per directions except boosted the sugar for higher ABV. It's really good, but I expected a lot more coconut that just isn't there. It's great chilled or over ice. Hubby calls it a really good sweet white wine.

We just bought the Twisted Mist Raspberry Iced Tea. I will be making that the same way, I believe - just boost the ABV.