Finer Wine Kit Finer Wine Kits

[bstnh1]

What is the benefit of purging with an inert gas?

It displaces oxygen in the bag thereby eliminating any potential oxidation.

 

[joeswine]

It displaces the oxygen and creates a protective cap over the mix.
It's a good tool to have in your tool box.

 

[Jim Welch]

What is the benefit of purging with an inert gas?

In theory to prevent/reduce oxidation, i.e. keep it fresh(er). In reality it is difficult, but not impossible, to exclude all oxygen.
I don’t think storage in an inert gas in a freezer eliminates freezer burn though.

 

[joeswine]

Not sure about freezer burn ,it's effective as a cap been using it for years. Just a t my toughts.

 

[heatherd]

I wouldn't call this a data point but an interesting observation. This past Sunday I racked the FW Bordeaux off the skins (single pack for 4 weeks) and I also racked a WE Fiero kit off the skins pack that came with it. The Fiero was a week behind the Bordeaux so 3 week EM. When I set then on the shelf for clearing the difference in suspended solids was remarkable. I used no bentonite or clearing agents in either of them. The two on the left are the Bordeaux

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The color in the FWK's seems more purple as well. Have you tasted them?

 

[heatherd]

My niece is jumping into wine making and I'm helping her remotely. She's getting a hardware kit but will not have access to a press, so it limits (at least initially) what she can do. Folks in this thread are excited about the FW kits, so I'm gathering information.

Up front she's looking for an early drinking red -- she understand patience (has several cases of my wines aging), but wants something to drink while others are aging. In the FW red selection, please post recommendations.

Regarding skin packs, how are they used? Simply dropped in the fermenter? Are they loose or in a package of some sort? If not, should she invest in a staining bag? If she's making an early drinker, I realize she may not want a skin pack. Or does she?

How big are the packs, e.g., what is used to press them? I make fresh grapes and have a #40 basket press, which I suggest is overkill for this. Besides which, she lives 700 miles away so commuting is not an option.

Thanks for suggestions!

The kit already comes with the mesh bags for the skins, so no need for that. I pressed by hand and it worked fine, and it is a good way for her to learn about free run versus pressed. I have the Super Tuscan in process with two skin packs and it tastes lovely and they're the best kits I've made; no hyperbole at all. These kits are really well-engineered and not like others that are pasteurized. The instructions are better for this kit as well. I'd suggest she try their Super Tuscan or Bordeaux blend as her first kit.

Here's a link to purchase: Finer Wine Kits | Label Peelers, Inc.
Link to the videos for making: Super Tuscan Finer Wine Kit | Label Peelers, Inc.

 

[heatherd]

This is the best video on kit winemaking I've seen. Kudos to the FWK folks for an excellent job!

I had no intentions of ordering a kit ... but am thinking I need to, for the discount.

They have six videos, including how to make their provided yeast starter, four on making these kits, and one on how to filter these kits. I am really impressed with them. You can send your and your nieces' email addresses to Matt with Label peelers (who is participating in this thread) to join the 10% off club.
Finer Wine Kits - YouTube

 

[Rembee]

Thanks to this thread and everyone who has posted about their FW kits, you guys have helped me take the plunge lol.
These evening I ordered a FW Petit Syrah kit with the double skin pack. I have been solely making Country Wines for more the 15 years now and have never made wine from a kit.
This will be my first time trying my hand at a wine made from grapes! Even the wife had a twinkle in her eye when I told her what I was getting ready to embark in

 

[Khristyjeff]

Thanks to this thread and everyone who has posted about their FW kits, you guys have helped me take the plunge lol.
These evening I ordered a FW Petit Syrah kit with the double skin pack. I have been solely making Country Wines for more the 15 years now and have never made wine from a kit.
This will be my first time trying my hand at a wine made from grapes! Even the wife had a twinkle in her eye when I told her what I was getting ready to embark in

As someone who started with grape kits and just now am in the middle of my first real fruit country wine, I only hope you won't be bored by the experience! I find all kits (including the 3 Finer Wine Kits I've done) to be pretty straight forward. I'm sure I'll get more comfortable with country winemaking with more experience, but so far I find them much more challenging than kits. Good luck, and I hope you have fun with the process.

 

[Rembee]

As someone who started with grape kits and just now am in the middle of my first real fruit country wine, I only hope you won't be bored by the experience! I find all kits (including the 3 Finer Wine Kits I've done) to be pretty straight forward. I'm sure I'll get more comfortable with country winemaking with more experience, but so far I find them much more challenging than kits. Good luck, and I hope you have fun with the process.

Thank you @Khristyjeff! I can tell you that I enjoy this hobby immensely. I guess I kinda take country winemaking and the challenges that go along with it for granted, because it's what I have always done lol. Winemaking is very rewarding. Even though I will always be a country winemaker at heart, I am looking forward to trying my first kit.

 

[winemaker81]

You can send your and your nieces' email addresses to Matt with Label peelers (who is participating in this thread) to join the 10% off club.

I ordered the Barbera kit, no skins, as I want a quick(er) drinker and have nothing like it. I've been emailing with Matt -- turns out we started winemaking the same year. It's a cool point of intersection.

 

[winemaker81]

I find all kits (including the 3 Finer Wine Kits I've done) to be pretty straight forward. I'm sure I'll get more comfortable with country winemaking with more experience, but so far I find them much more challenging than kits.

Starting with kits is, IMO, the best way to start if there are no experienced people around you. Kits cover everything from fermentation forward, in an organized fashion that works 100% of the time (IF the instructions are followed and good hygiene is used!). From there, it's possible to move on to more complex topics in winemaking.

I liken this to how I learned to drive a car. My dad taught me on a 1972 Opal, a tiny box on wheels that got an amazing 33 MPG, at a time when his 1971 Pontiac Catalina got 8-12 MPG. Once I was comfortable with the tiny car, we moved to the big one so I got used to the much heavier weight and power. THEN we got in a 1969 Chevy shortbox pickup truck, where I learned 3-on-the-tree (3 speed manual transmission, shifter on the steering column). One step at a time, adding complexity along the way. He said teaching me and my younger brother was easier doing it this way -- my elder siblings all learned on a manual transmission car.

I taught my sons the same way, using a Camry, Sienna, and Tacoma. [Yeah, we like Toyota & Honda.]

Fresh fruit, grape or otherwise, adds complexity as it's necessary to source good fruit and prepare it. It's certainly a difference! Do it a few times and it becomes normal.

One additional advantage of kits over fresh grapes/juice is variety. A few years ago I made a Verdicchio (Italian white grape) kit -- I had never heard of Verdicchio and had to search on it. It came out great! I doubt I'll ever have access to fresh Verdicchio juice, so I'll end up making the kit again.

 

[Rembee]

I have 2 questions;

1) I have a 7.5 gallon fermenting bucket. Would that be big enough for a FW petit syrah with 2 grape skin packs to ferment in?

2) I also have a 6.5 gallon Big Mouth Bubbler. Would that be ok to do a MLF in of the FW petit syrah? (Correction, not a MLF, I meant a EM)

 

[dragonwithane]

I have 2 questions;

1) I have a 7.5 gallon fermenting bucket. Would that be big enough for a FW petit syrah with 2 grape skin packs to ferment in?

2) I also have a 6.5 gallon Big Mouth Bubbler. Would that be ok to do a MLF in of the FW petit syrah?

I have 6.5 gallon buckets. I split up my Syrah because with the skins they were pretty close to the top and I was afraid it would overflow once fermentation started. You might be able to get away with a 7.5 gallon bucket. My Cab Sauv kit was just delivered today. I plan on doing it the same way again. Seemed to work fine.

 

[winemaker81]

Another option is to purchase a 10 gallon Rubbermaid Brute. Local price with a lid is $20 USD.

 

[Rembee]

Another option is to purchase a 10 gallon Rubbermaid Brute. Local price with a lid is $20 USD.

I have already looked into that option. I just hate having equipment that I can maybe use just sitting here ready to go lol.

 

[winemaker81]

I have already looked into that option. I just hate having equipment that I can maybe use just sitting here ready to go lol.

then start 2 batches, 1 with skin packs and 1 without ......

 

[Rembee]

Deleted this question. I found my answer about the MFL by doing some research.

 

[Old Corker]

The first FWK I did was a Sangiovese w/ double skins. The 7.5G fermenter was big enough (just). When I transferred it to my 6.5G BMB for secondary I had to take some of the liquid out (2 bottles) temporarily and it still bubbled out a little on the 2nd day. After is finished fermentation I put the 2 bottles back in to finish EM. It is in a 6G carboy now for bulk aging and I topped it up with about 500ml of some merlot.

 

[Old Corker]

The color in the FWK's seems more purple as well. Have you tasted them?

I did taste it when I transferred to the carboys. I was very pleased but admittedly, I'm not very good at tasting when there is that much CO2 and sediment in it.