Finer Wine Kit Finer Wine Kits

[jgmann67]

Yes, we are planning on doing a similar video late this year on the new Finer Wine Kits that are currently in R & D when @Matteo_Lahm travels back from Italy. I am very much looking forward to it though I might have to get another Uber ride home after drinking all of that wine. If you couldn't tell from the video, we very much enjoyed ourselves. Two Italians sitting around drinking wine together and critiquing it is a tough job. LOL.

Watching you two getting tuned up was a big part of the fun. I look forward to seeing what you have.

 

[winemaker81]

Watching you two getting tuned up was a big part of the fun. I look forward to seeing what you have.

I hope you joined in with the festivities!

 

[jgmann67]

I hope you joined in with the festivities!

It was like I was there, brother.

 

[winemaker81]

It was like I was there, brother.

more importantly, you were not driving afterward!!!

 

[jgmann67]

more importantly, you were not driving afterward!!!

Nope. I was home. Neither Matt nor Matteo should have driven either. Just sayin.

 

[Matt_Pruszynski]

Nope. I was home. Neither Matt nor Matteo should have driven either. Just sayin.

There was no way either of us drove home that day. We both took Uber Rides and will of course do the same the next time we do a tasting.

 

[wineview]

I'll have an answer in a few months.

This is my first batch of WE-PR. I only ordered it because FW couldn't ship a Bordeaux kit now, and I'm on a deadline for a wedding.

I ordered FWK Bordeaux 6-7 weeks ago. Hopefully they will ship by the end of July. I hope the kit survives the heat in transit.

 

[Vlabruz]

I started the Barbera last August, and aged for 4 months with 1 oz medium toast Hungarian cubes, bottling at the 5 month mark. It's light bodied and was immediately drinkable, although far better at the 7 month mark. My goal was a quick drinking red, and achieved that. I expect you'll get similar results with the Sangiovese.

My educated guess is that mine will start declining at the 3 year mark, but that's unlikely to be an issue, as I expect to have none left by the 2 year mark.

Why do you anticipate it to decline after only 3 years?

 

[3dB]

I hope the kit survives the heat in transit.

Ditto. I have two FWK Bordeauxs on pre-order (another wedding; God blessed me with many daughters). A shipment of flowers for designing centerpieces for the first wedding spent 10 hours in a UPS truck this week and was still not delivered until the next day -- basically dead (she got a refund). My neighbor mentioned his pharmaceuticals were delivered in a case on which the seal had melted open; the fine print says they're not supposed to be stored over 70F. This heat is definitely messing with deliveries!

 

[Brant]

I'll have an answer in a few months.

This is my first batch of WE-PR. I only ordered it because FW couldn't ship a Bordeaux kit now, and I'm on a deadline for a wedding.

curious what timeline you're working with... kit start to wedding day?

 

[winemaker81]

This is my first batch of WE-PR. I only ordered it because FW couldn't ship a Bordeaux kit now, and I'm on a deadline for a wedding.

The good news for you is the FWK are drinkable surprisingly early.

My son gave me 15 month's warning for his reception, and I made WE Reserve Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. Both were bottled at the 7 month mark and were surprisingly good at that time (this was the new WE concentrate folks freaked about), and at the wedding the wines went over very well.

Be prepared to be driven crazy by folks asking about the wine. I actually got tired of talking about winemaking!

Why do you anticipate it to decline after only 3 years?

I made the Barbera w/o skin packs as an early drinker, and it's relatively light in body and depth -- which was my goal. My experience is that light reds decline relatively rapidly, so I set my expectations accordingly. It's entirely possible that this wine will have a longer shelf life, but I'll never know as it will be gone by the end of year 2.

Numerous sources state that 90% of the world's wine production is made for consumption within 3 years. Folks on this forum are mostly in that other 10%. If you're looking to make a longer aging wine, get a Forte kit.

 

[Brant]

Question for all...
I'm planning to start a Tavola Sangiovese FWK and I opted to not purchase the skin pack when I bought the kit. Now I'm considering running this as an EM and was wondering if anyone has used Zante Currants (or something similar) in an extended maceration on a red kit. Any advice on recommendations, volume of currants to use, if you think it would be a bad idea, or other is appreciated!

 

[Gilmango]

Question for all...
I'm planning to start a Tavola Sangiovese FWK and I opted to not purchase the skin pack when I bought the kit. Now I'm considering running this as an EM and was wondering if anyone has used Zante Currants (or something similar) in an extended maceration on a red kit. Any advice on recommendations, volume of currants to use, if you think it would be a bad idea, or other is appreciated!

Brant - whenever I make a kit that does not come with skins I feel duty bound to at least add 4-8 oz. of raisins or currants or a more specific fruit, depending on what my wife (the baker) has on hand, and what the wine varietal's flavor profile suggests. Winefolly is a great source for that and here is what it says about Sangiovese: Guide to Sangiovese Wine and Pronunciation | Wine Folly so for Sangiovese, if I did not have skins on hand, I would add dried cherries, dried plums (aka prunes), strawberries, or figs based on this: FRUIT: Tart Cherry, Red Plum, Strawberry, Fig.

If I did not have or did not want to lean into any of those flavors, I'd just add currants or raisins like you suggested, 4-8 oz. of currants or raisins, it will add a bit of sugar and a bit of 'structure' (tannins, mouthfeel, etc) in addition to a bit of a sugar/abv boost.

I did make a Tavola Sangiovese myself so I checked my notes. Turns out I bought a Forte and a Tavola at the same time and reserved 500 grams (just over a pound) of skins and seeds from the Forte kit, so I just added that to my Sangiovese. I did an EM as well, 4 weeks total from start to secondary.

If we had dried cherries on hand I likely would've added those but I think we did not so I just stuck with the pound of skins and seeds.

Assuming you have none of the cherries/prunes/strawberries/figs then I'd just go with 8 oz. of currants. Good luck!

 

[Brant]

Brant - whenever I make a kit that does not come with skins I feel duty bound to at least add 4-8 oz. of raisins or currants or a more specific fruit, depending on what my wife (the baker) has on hand, and what the wine varietal's flavor profile suggests. Winefolly is a great source for that and here is what it says about Sangiovese: Guide to Sangiovese Wine and Pronunciation | Wine Folly so for Sangiovese, if I did not have skins on hand, I would add dried cherries, dried plums (aka prunes), strawberries, or figs based on this: FRUIT: Tart Cherry, Red Plum, Strawberry, Fig.

If I did not have or did not want to lean into any of those flavors, I'd just add currants or raisins like you suggested, 4-8 oz. of currants or raisins, it will add a bit of sugar and a bit of 'structure' (tannins, mouthfeel, etc) in addition to a bit of a sugar/abv boost.

I did make a Tavola Sangiovese myself so I checked my notes. Turns out I bought a Forte and a Tavola at the same time and reserved 500 grams (just over a pound) of skins and seeds from the Forte kit, so I just added that to my Sangiovese. I did an EM as well, 4 weeks total from start to secondary.

If we had dried cherries on hand I likely would've added those but I think we did not so I just stuck with the pound of skins and seeds.

Assuming you have none of the cherries/prunes/strawberries/figs then I'd just go with 8 oz. of currants. Good luck!

Thanks very much for that info! I'm happy to purchase and use any of those additions. I'd probably lean towards currants and cherries. Would you suggest 4 to 8 oz or even more for an EM? Is 4 oz enough volume for an EM? Would over 8 oz of dried fruit be too much? I wonder if there is a minimum volume needed to successfully run an EM.

Would you think a 4 to 5 week EM (5 to 6 weeks from pitching yeast) would pull an excessive amount of flavor from any of those dried fruit additives? I just don't want to end up making a wine that is overpowered or odd tasting. I'm new to using anything other than the skins that come with the kits. I also don't want to make a very thin/flabby red. I prefer fuller body and structure.

 

[Brant]

Guide to Sangiovese Wine and Pronunciation | Wine Folly

I like that website! Thanks!

I did make a Tavola Sangiovese myself so I checked my notes. Turns out I bought a Forte and a Tavola at the same time and reserved 500 grams (just over a pound) of skins and seeds from the Forte kit, so I just added that to my Sangiovese. I did an EM as well, 4 weeks total from start to secondary.

Also meant to ask... how did the Sangiovese turn out? Any opinion on how it compares to the other FWK reds?

 

[ratflinger]

I ordered FWK Bordeaux 6-7 weeks ago. Hopefully they will ship by the end of July. I hope the kit survives the heat in transit.

I live in South Texas - it's been well over 100* since the 1st of June. The last order came in a day early and the gates were closed, FedEx brought it back the next day. The concentrate was still cool and there have been no issues. Unless you live closer to Hell than I do I don't see a problem for you.

 

[3dB]

curious what timeline you're working with... kit start to wedding day?

January. I brewed a batch each of FWK Bordeaux and Sauvignon Blanc back in April. Then in July I learn the guest list has grown, and she wants more of each... "just in case." Six weeks EM; another six for 3 rackings; then I'll have ~3 months to bulk or bottle age. Plenty of time for the Sauv Blanc. If the Bordeaux's not quite prime, well, we'll serve the other first, so maybe the guests will be too buzzed to notice.

 

[Brant]

January. I brewed a batch each of FWK Bordeaux and Sauvignon Blanc back in April. Then in July I learn the guest list has grown, and she wants more of each... "just in case." Six weeks EM; another six for 3 rackings; then I'll have ~3 months to bulk or bottle age. Plenty of time for the Sauv Blanc. If the Bordeaux's not quite prime, well, we'll serve the other first, so maybe the guests will be too buzzed to notice.

Will love to hear your thoughts on the WE PR and how it compares to the FWK on wedding day. I assume you did EM on the Bordeaux as well.

 

[winemaker81]

If the Bordeaux's not quite prime, well, we'll serve the other first, so maybe the guests will be too buzzed to notice.

My son wanted me to serve one of his favorite reds and I said no. Very few people would appreciate it, and the immediate family would all be too busy. Things will work out as you expect.

 

[Gilmango]

Thanks very much for that info! I'm happy to purchase and use any of those additions. I'd probably lean towards currants and cherries. Would you suggest 4 to 8 oz or even more for an EM? Is 4 oz enough volume for an EM? Would over 8 oz of dried fruit be too much? I wonder if there is a minimum volume needed to successfully run an EM.

Would you think a 4 to 5 week EM (5 to 6 weeks from pitching yeast) would pull an excessive amount of flavor from any of those dried fruit additives? I just don't want to end up making a wine that is overpowered or odd tasting. I'm new to using anything other than the skins that come with the kits. I also don't want to make a very thin/flabby red. I prefer fuller body and structure.

I think if you limit the dried fruit to 8-16 oz total, and the flavors are consistent with the wine in general, I don't think you will over power the wine, even if you do a very extended EM of 4-5 weeks.

I like that website! Thanks!

Also meant to ask... how did the Sangiovese turn out? Any opinion on how it compares to the other FWK reds?

I only made the Sangiovese in May so it is still bulk ageing. It got about the lowest f.g. of any FWK I've made (0.993), tasted OK when I racked it to secondary, a bit flabby surprisingly given that f.g. reading, but that might have been due to it being 72F. I put a 'brew belt' heating implement on the fermenter for the last 10 days of EM to try to get it as dry as possible. I did 4 weeks total on the 500 grams of skins and seeds, primary and EM.