Finer Wine Kit Carbon addition

[winemaker81]

Do you ever let your white wines bulk for 12 months? I noticed in your descriptions you mentioned bottling the wine in 6 months

Whites? No. Far too many of them lack the longevity of reds, and I've had whites turn too quickly, so I drink them younger. A few examples, all of which are different:

• circa 1987-1991 Finger Lakes (NY) French-American hybrid whites all started to decline after 18 months.
• 2018 Verdicchio kit, absolutely fantastic at 6 to 12 months with bright, vibrant aroma and flavors, but changed after 12 months, becoming a generic white, even if it wasn't in real decline.
• 2020 Sauvignon Blanc made from CA juice was without a doubt the best white I have ever made ... it started declining after 12 months.
• 2020 WE Australian Chardonnay made for my son's wedding reception, was great at 14 months but declining at 18 months.
• 2021 FWK Chardonnay was starting to decline at just over 2 years.

The 2022 SB is holding fine, but I have 2 bottles left, and they'll get used up within a month or two.

In contrast to this, in 2013 I made an Island Mist Green Apple / Riesling, that I chaptalized to 11% ABV, where the last few bottles were good at 7 years. I also have NY commercial Rieslings that are great at 5 yo, and Chardonnay great at 3 yo.

We recently bottled the 2023 Vidal (made from juice) and I plan to use that wine up within the next year. We also have a carboy of Vidal fermented on the skins that will be bottled in about 3 months. I'm going to hold bottles of that for 2 years, to see how it ages.

I am not an expert in this area; just reporting my experiences. Also note I'm not a serious white drinker. I like many whites, but 80% of the time I reach for a red. For full disclosure I drink coffee on 90 degree (F) mornings and Guinness Stout on 100 degree afternoons, so trusting my judgment may not work out.

 

[wineview]

Whites? No. Far too many of them lack the longevity of reds, and I've had whites turn too quickly, so I drink them younger. A few examples, all of which are different:

• circa 1987-1991 Finger Lakes (NY) French-American hybrid whites all started to decline after 18 months.
• 2018 Verdicchio kit, absolutely fantastic at 6 to 12 months with bright, vibrant aroma and flavors, but changed after 12 months, becoming a generic white, even if it wasn't in real decline.
• 2020 Sauvignon Blanc made from CA juice was without a doubt the best white I have ever made ... it started declining after 12 months.
• 2020 WE Australian Chardonnay made for my son's wedding reception, was great at 14 months but declining at 18 months.
• 2021 FWK Chardonnay was starting to decline at just over 2 years.

The 2022 SB is holding fine, but I have 2 bottles left, and they'll get used up within a month or two.

In contrast to this, in 2013 I made an Island Mist Green Apple / Riesling, that I chaptalized to 11% ABV, where the last few bottles were good at 7 years. I also have NY commercial Rieslings that are great at 5 yo, and Chardonnay great at 3 yo.

We recently bottled the 2023 Vidal (made from juice) and I plan to use that wine up within the next year. We also have a carboy of Vidal fermented on the skins that will be bottled in about 3 months. I'm going to hold bottles of that for 2 years, to see how it ages.

I am not an expert in this area; just reporting my experiences. Also note I'm not a serious white drinker. I like many whites, but 80% of the time I reach for a red. For full disclosure I drink coffee on 90 degree (F) mornings and Guinness Stout on 100 degree afternoons, so trusting my judgment may not work out.

After looking at my notes, most of my whites have been bottled before the one year mark. Mostly because my inventory was low. Now that I have more wine, I have more patience. Having said that I will bottle my Viognier tomorrow that I made last May. Probably won’t wait a year in the future. It was something I was contemplating for a while now. You’re comments pushed me to bottle sooner.

 

[winemaker81]

After looking at my notes, most of my whites have been bottled before the one year mark. Mostly because my inventory was low. Now that I have more wine, I have more patience. Having said that I will bottle my Viognier tomorrow that I made last May.

At every racking and when you add K-meta during bulk aging, taste the wines and record your notes. That is the most powerful tool you have in judging your own wines.

Patience is essential to making good wine, but make sure you're not being too patient. This is not as common in winemaking circles, as impatience is far more common. Record you impressions and watch for signs of decline.

 

[winemaker81]

I posted a review of my 2022 FWK SB in the What's In Your Glass thread, and something occurred to me as I was considering the 2023 Vidal fermented on the skins that is in production.

FWK produces some great red wine kits. What if the concentrate vendor is using a process similar to the red process for the whites? This could account for the darker color, as my Vidal is clearly orange, much darker than the batch made from juice only.

@Matt_Pruszynski, is this anything you can comment on? I realize you may not have any insight into the concentrate process.