WineXpert Blush

[Kev]

I have been thinking of doing a Rose or blush wine for the summer. Maybe a white Merlot. However I don't like a sweet wine ( except for desert). The kits I see are all sweet or off dry. I have been told I can just put the Fpak in at the primary fermentation stage and ferment dry. Has anybody tried this?

Kev

 

[robie]

With a Merlot, it will not turn out blush or rose. I guess you can start off with some summer wine kit that is blush or rose, and just not add the F pack. It wil end up being a fairly weak wine, as the wine used for summer wines is not very rich.

Normally, to get a blush or rose, you have to take the skins off the juice before they have time to darken the juice. Or you can mix a white wine with a little red wine.

 

[Wade E]

I make this Cellar Craft all the time and it has just a tad of seetness but you can just leave that out as its like a 1/2 pint of inverted sugar that you add afterwards. I would not be concerned about that little bit though as its very dry still.
http://www.finevinewines.com/XPListSubRe.asp?MM_PartNumber=108941

 

[Runningwolf]

Kev, why not skip the kits and get some fresh juice. It's just as easy as a kit and you can blend to your own taste. Niagara/concord, Catawba/Fredonia and so forth. You could buy 6 gallons of each for the price of one mediocre kit. With just six gallons of each you could end up with four different wine.
Example;
concord 75% Niagara 25% 3 gallons
Niagara 75% Concord 25% 3 gallon
Concord 100% 3 gallons
Niagara 100% 3 gallons

 

[cpfan]

I have been thinking of doing a Rose or blush wine for the summer. Maybe a white Merlot. However I don't like a sweet wine ( except for desert). The kits I see are all sweet or off dry. I have been told I can just put the Fpak in at the primary fermentation stage and ferment dry. Has anybody tried this?

Kev

Kev...

If you buy a plain White Merlot or White Zinfandel..NOT one of the Mist style kits like Strawberry White Zin, you can put the F pack in the primary (yes I have done it) and get a nice, nearly dry blush/rose. Wade has pointed you to one of the better examples of this. Winexpert has had a seasonal Selection Rose kit the last 2 or 3 years.

Cellar Craft also has a Sterling California Reserve Whire Shiraz, which I have been thinking about for a couple of years, but I'm not a big blush guy.

There are two blushes in the Ken Ridge Classic line...a White Merlot which does not include an F pack, and a White Zinfandel which does have an F pack.

Steve

 

[robie]

I make this Cellar Craft all the time and it has just a tad of seetness but you can just leave that out as its like a 1/2 pint of inverted sugar that you add afterwards. I would not be concerned about that little bit though as its very dry still.
http://www.finevinewines.com/XPListSubRe.asp?MM_PartNumber=108941

I forgot about the White Merlot kits. That will work!

 

[Kev]

Some interesting choices here.

Cellar Craft is hard to find in my area, but I will research as the white merlot, and the white Shriaz both sound worth a try.

I have been hesitant to try juice, but a local winery where I buy wine, sells this juice:

http://www.magnotta.com/Festajuice/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=257

No blending required, but I guess I would need to separately buy yeast, findings and stabilizer. I could ferment dry.

Kev

 

[cpfan]

Some interesting choices here.

Cellar Craft is hard to find in my area, but I will research as the white merlot, and the white Shriaz both sound worth a try.

I have been hesitant to try juice, but a local winery where I buy wine, sells this juice:

http://www.magnotta.com/Festajuice/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=257

No blending required, but I guess I would need to separately buy yeast, findings and stabilizer. I could ferment dry.

Kev

Kev..

give the Magnotta a try if you wish (may have to wait till fall for inventory). Get their instructions now, so you can plan for it. I looked at their juices in fall 2009, but didn't buy because I would have had to buy at least a couple of 19 litre carboys (5 US gallons). I have heard mixed reviews of their juice pails.

Thanks for the reminder, gotta get back into Freecycle looking for those carboys.

Did you check out Vin Bon about Vineco kits yet? Vineco retailers can get Cellar Craft now.

Steve

 

[Wade E]

Kev, the W.E. White Merlot is awesome also, I get the Cellar Craft because the place I usually get all my stuff from doesnt have W.E.

 

[Chateau Joe]

Kev, the W.E. White Merlot is awesome also, I get the Cellar Craft because the place I usually get all my stuff from doesnt have W.E.

I agree, the WE white merlot is very yummy.

Keep your eyes open for a blush pail on your Chilean list. You can make it as dry as you want.