Finer Wine Kit Finer Wine Kits

[heatherd]

We can compare notes. I’m doing this in my basement. 67 degrees. Going to ferment open till 1.000, then snap the lid shut for two weeks. I throw away the packet with sorbate and don’t use clarifiers.

Sounds good. Mine is in my kitchen so 68-70 degrees, and I'm fermenting with the lid just laying on top of the bucket. I ferment to dry there in the bucket. Planning to do an EM for 4-6 weeks.

 

[Old Corker]

Another comparison. FWK Sauvignon Blanc on the left that I bottled in January and WE private reserve Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc on the right that I bottled yesterday. I’ll do a taste comparison in a couple of months. Not trying to make any particular point. Just adding to the conversation.

 

[She’sgonnakillme]

I have a solution for all the FWK white coloring concerns…..only drink red wines like I do

 

[Dan M]

Started a FWK Super Tuscan this weekend (w/single skin pack). Room temp is about 70F. Added the yeast starter on Sunday morning and the ferment is really going to town. After 36 hours, the SG has dropped roughly 30 points. When I lift the lid, there is foam and oak chips everywhere and the skin bag has really swelled up. It was tough getting a good SG measure due to all the foam. Stirring does calm things down for a while. I'll add the 2nd nutrient pack tomorrow. Very active ferment, but it smells so good!

 

[Old Corker]

I have a solution for all the FWK white coloring concerns…..only drink red wines like I do

I could probably get behind that idea but my partner in life and wine making likes whites. Happy wife happy life!

 

[She’sgonnakillme]

I could probably get behind that idea but my partner in life and wine making likes whites. Happy wife happy life!

Haha, yeah I hear ya, I have the same with my wife…fortunately she is happy with the RJS EP whites, so she isn’t very concerned with the lack of whites by FWK

 

[Old Corker]

I also bottled my first FWK red yesterday. Double batch of Bordeaux w/ single skins pack (2 in the double kit) that I started in June. I did put some oak in it for two months but wanted this to be an early lighter batch. It tastes great now but will really be great in a few more months. I yielded 51 750ml and 7 splits.

 

[nwwoods]

Not sure if this has been asked before - cannot find, so asking here. what is the (frozen) shelf life of FWK juice?

Searching online, it seems 8 to 12 months is the range for best quality of grape juice when frozen. It's safe beyond that, but not clear if it's as good. Thoughts?

How long should I expect it to last in the fridge while waiting to be made? Again, searching online, 3-5 days for unpasteurized juice seems to be the limit, so if I can't get to it within that period, it would seem re-freezing is needed.

Thanks for any insight.

 

[winemaker81]

Not sure if this has been asked before - cannot find, so asking here. what is the (frozen) shelf life of FWK juice?

You can't use figures for juice, as concentrate is a different substance. Kits are typically in the 68 brix range and high in acid. Pasteurized kits are shelf stable for years, so I'd expect frozen to last at least a year.

Refrigerated? If at 40 F or lower, I'd expect months. The danger is not in the concentrate going bad -- it's that the yeast will order parkas off Amazon and start reproducing, e.g., a very slow fermentation will start.

Note that some juice bucket vendors are currently selling juice that's 2+ years old, so frozen doesn't appear to be a problem.

 

[Jovimaple]

Not sure if this has been asked before - cannot find, so asking here. what is the (frozen) shelf life of FWK juice?

Searching online, it seems 8 to 12 months is the range for best quality of grape juice when frozen. It's safe beyond that, but not clear if it's as good. Thoughts?

How long should I expect it to last in the fridge while waiting to be made? Again, searching online, 3-5 days for unpasteurized juice seems to be the limit, so if I can't get to it within that period, it would seem re-freezing is needed.

Thanks for any insight.

On another thread, @Matteo_Lahm from FWK told me the concentrate can be frozen 6 to 9 months.

 

[Jim Welch]

Not sure if this has been asked before - cannot find, so asking here. what is the (frozen) shelf life of FWK juice?

Searching online, it seems 8 to 12 months is the range for best quality of grape juice when frozen. It's safe beyond that, but not clear if it's as good. Thoughts?

How long should I expect it to last in the fridge while waiting to be made? Again, searching online, 3-5 days for unpasteurized juice seems to be the limit, so if I can't get to it within that period, it would seem re-freezing is needed.

Thanks for any insight.

In my opinion, that kind of advice you find online is boilerplate language meant to be idiot proof (and lend liability protection!). A lot depends on the type of freezer. If one's freezer is frost free it is going through a periodic heating cycle, typically once a day, and the temperature of the contents of the freezer fluctuates accordingly. This temperature fluctuation is not good for long term storage.
On the other hand a deep freezer, i.e. one that requires periodic manual defrosting, gets cold and stays cold. This type of freezer is capable of storing foods with very little if any change beyond what the freezing process itself imparts IF properly packaged.
The packaging is very important here.
Anecdotally I can offer this experience, I defrosted my chest freezer last spring and found vacuum packed fish fillets. It was Tautog I had caught, cleaned, vacuum packed in an oxygen barrier bag, and frozen. The date I had written on it was "Mar 25 2007". 14 years in that freezer!
Tautog are somewhat difficult to catch and very tasty fish and these were large fillets so I knew that this had been a very old Tog, I felt sick and decided to thaw it out and see what it looked like. It looked fine, smelled fine, felt fine! So I cooked it up and I (and others) couldn't tell it was that long frozen. Plus I've had 4-5 year old fish and game deep frozen many times.
Now I'm not advising anyone to try that with their FWK but a true deep frozen state pretty much ceases deterioration provided it is protected from oxygen and moisture loss

 

[She’sgonnakillme]

I put two bags of juice in my freezer a week ago and they are still not frozen (not even close)! And yes my freezer is cold, I have it at 0 degrees and all my beef is rock hard…I guess I will have to pull it back out and start them.

 

[Jim Welch]

I put two bags of juice in my freezer a week ago and they are still not frozen (not even close)! And yes my freezer is cold, I have it at 0 degrees and all my beef is rock hard…I guess I will have to pull it back out and start them.

They are at the same temp as your beef by now! But there is too much sugar for it to freeze solid.

 

[nwwoods]

Thanks for the feedback!

My garage fridge is pretty consistent at 37F and the (frost free) freezer is 0F, so it seems like the concentrate should keep just fine for a month or two in the fridge, and several months in the freezer.

I was also concerned that the FWK concentrate being fulfilled now is over a year old, but it seems if other vendors are selling 2+ year old juice, that's not a problem.

Much appreciated.

 

[jgmann67]

The Pinot took the expressway to 1.000. Did it in a week. So, the top is snapped down and an airlock is in place. We'll let it sit another week as the wine sheds it's CO2 and gets down to FG of 0.995 (where I anticipate it stopping). The basement is a little cooler than 67, maybe around 64-65*.

I processed about 6 cases of recycled bottles last weekend. Contemplating what to bottle next. Probably the WE Nebbiolo as it's the oldest wine sitting in bulk right now. The two whites - Sonoma Dry Creek Chard and the Luna Bianca - can go into bottles too. That'll just leave my FWK wines in bulk.

 

[Jovimaple]

Bottled my Barbera (no skins) that I started last August. Wow, it's good! Super fruity and fairly smooth already - I imagine it's going to be a knockout in a few more months!

I split it into two 3 gallon carboys and oaked one. The oaked wasn't quite as smooth but has a more complex flavor. I am going to put these away and forget about them for another 6 months or so.

Here's a pic of a glass of the leftovers that didn't make it into a corked bottle:

 

[ratflinger]

Started the Merlot over the weekend. I splurged on the 30l Speidel because I didn't want another mess like last time - should be plenty of room for foam in there!
View attachment 84659

Trust me, you CAN overrun a 30L Speidel.

 

[She’sgonnakillme]

Trust me, you CAN overrun a 30L Speidel.

say it isn’t so! I better be careful then!

 

[oppyland]

Trust me, you CAN overrun a 30L Speidel.

Hah, I bet you can! So far this batch has been pretty well behaved.

 

[Siwash]

Primary and bottling. Glass carboys for aging.

I came across these things.. so explain, how do you bottle with the Speidel? And, are you aging with them too?