Finer Wine Kit Finer Wine Kits

[heatherd]

Skin bag in my Merlot floated through day 12 and then sunk to the bottom. I had virtually no foam when I degassed.

Same, hardly any foam when I degassed.

 

[heatherd]

I think the packet is yeast nutrient, and maybe something else, I'll check the documentation, I think I read it there.

BTW, my Zin kit is going well, already at 1.001! I'm doing extended maceration, so Ill put it in the carboy later, after the weekend.
It's air-locked, so I don't expect any problems.

Edit: Snapped down the lid and it's still bubbling once every 2 sec., so I might have been wrong on SG, probably something to do with the skin bags, I'm thinking.

The packet is yeast nutrient, sugar, and acid to the same pH as the wine.

 

[cmason1957]

My skins were still pretty solid and wine-logged after my short EM, so I'll be curious if longer EM makes them break down more.

I am trying to do a four to six week EM. I'm at two weeks now and surprised that the skins are still floating. Hopefully, they break down some more.

 

[Boatboy24]

My skins were still pretty solid and wine-logged after my short EM, so I'll be curious if longer EM makes them break down more.

Mine still haven't sunk and still positive pressure in the airlock.

 

[Label Peelers]

@Label Peelers I have two of your Finer Wine kits in progress and they look and smell lovely! I saw the addition of whites and some more reds, which is exciting. I would really like to make a rose, are there any plans for a Finer Wines rose kit?

Yes! Finer Wine is planning on adding a rose, but we don't have a specific timeline from them, yet.

Cheers!

 

[G259]

Going on vaca for a few days (5), but extended maceration works out well!

 

[joeswine]

I let mine set for a month,getting ready to bottle in the following week.
Interesting kit isn't it.

 

[joeswine]

Heres something to think about, I like the idea of presses juice and adding a fresh grape pack to the mix,Yes.
Now think of tweaking cheap wine kits ,same process.

 

[heatherd]

Yes! Finer Wine is planning on adding a rose, but we don't have a specific timeline from them, yet.

Cheers!

Great! That'll be a nice addition to the lineup. I have two of the kits that I tasted after stabilizing and they already taste better than any kit I've made for the last nine years, including some that are more than twice the cost. And I ordered two more: Bordeaux Blend and Sauvignon Blanc.

Your videos with Matteo were super helpful! Lots of us are visual people so the videos coupled with the much better and specific to the kit instruction book made the process much easier.

It would be helpful to see one more video with you guys doing blind taste tests of a single varietal of all the below in the bottle a year as a way to know if the marketing is really true, especially since many of the WE kits have been revamped but are still pasteurized so likely to still have kit taste, the FW kits are new but super promising to folks who have been making kits for years and are naturally skeptical that the FW will be better:
-FW zero skins
-FW single-skins
-FW double-skins
-Winexpert On the House
-Winexpert Classic
-Winexpert Reserve
-Winexpert Private Reserve
-California grapes
-California juice bucket

Thanks!
Heather

 

[heatherd]

I am trying to do a four to six week EM. I'm at two weeks now and surprised that the skins are still floating. Hopefully, they break down some more.

At fifteen days EM, mine sunk and were wine-logged but didn't break down. I squeezed mine by hand and would have liked to get more out of them than I did. Wondering if we should run the bags through a press to break them down and extract more? Like I said, curious to know how yours are at four and six weeks of EM.

 

[Bmd2k1]

As a newbie vintner, I'd love to get some feedback from others that have already taken the plunge on these new kits vs other high-end kits like the RJS En Premier line. (Juice quality, ancillary items in kit, any change in your typical protocol, tips/tricks/suggestions etc etc)

Of course at this point, due to their recent release, there won't be any final product info/feedback for awhile, atleast for the Reds, which I'm most interested in.

Cheers!

 

[Spencerthebuilder]

Pulled the two pack of skins off the Super Tuscan after weeks. Figured they had done their thing. They then got added to a pail of Carmenere and Sangiovese respectively for another 3 weeks. My thinking is as long as they have not settled into the gross lees it's all an improvement to the mix. As they were pre saturated with super tuscan, so the angel had already been paid. After being skimmed, they are sitting in the freezer waiting for September.. Other than being depleted of color, how does one know when it's time to toss?

 

[Jim Welch]

As a newbie vintner, I'd love to get some feedback from others that have already taken the plunge on these new kits vs other high-end kits like the RJS En Premier line. (Juice quality, ancillary items in kit, any change in your typical protocol, tips/tricks/suggestions etc etc)

Of course at this point, due to their recent release, there won't be any final product info/feedback for awhile, atleast for the Reds, which I'm most interested in.

Cheers!

Take a chance on them! What do you have to lose? It's only money, plenty of that to be made in this world.

Seriously though, they are no more expensive than other high end kits, a bit cheaper right now in my opinion. If they live up to the hype I expect price increases though. Time will tell. I've bought 4 so far and plan on buying more once the summer heat is past us and hopefully before the price increases I anticipate.

I come to wine making from being a long time beer brewer, only have 25 wine kits under my belt now, all high end kits, and I'm quite impressed with these kits in my limited wine making experience. The only thing I'd ding is the starter concoction, not because it calls for a starter since I use starters for wine but the starter concoction seems kind of weak, again in my limited experience.

Told my wife to let our 4 adult children know to get me Labelpeelers gift cards if they feel I'm deserving of a Father's Day or a birthday present this summer because I am definitely buying more of these babies!

 

[Bmd2k1]

Take a chance on them! What do you have to lose? It's only money, plenty of that to be made in this world.

Seriously though, they are no more expensive than other high end kits, a bit cheaper right now in my opinion. If they live up to the hype I expect price increases though. Time will tell. I've bought 4 so far and plan on buying more once the summer heat is past us and hopefully before the price increases I anticipate.

I come to wine making from being a long time beer brewer, only have 25 wine kits under my belt now, all high end kits, and I'm quite impressed with these kits in my limited wine making experience. The only thing I'd ding is the starter concoction, not because it calls for a starter since I use starters for wine but the starter concoction seems kind of weak, again in my limited experience.

Told my wife to let our 4 adult children know to get me Labelpeelers gift cards if they feel I'm deserving of a Father's Day or a birthday present this summer because I am definitely buying more of these babies!

Thanks 4 feedback! Which ones are you into so far?

When you mention a "starter concoction" what exactly is that? For my RJS kits my "starter" has simply been sprinkling the dry yeast...I don't rehydrate.

Cheers ✌

 

[Jim Welch]

First two were Sangiovese, second two were Zinfandel. Just started the Zin today.

There is a packet included with the kit to make a yeast starter, you can download the instructions for these kits if you're curious. In fact I'd recommend doing that. Someone on this thread posted a link to it, IIRC. Also there are videos the makers have posted. The instructions alone are head and shoulders above other high end kits IMO.

Coming from being a beer brewer sprinkling is totally anathema to me, kind of like Fonzi saying the word "Love"!

But I did that with my very first kit wine batch, had to start somewhere right? Then fretted for nearly two days with no signs of fermentation. Then I started rehydrating with Go-Ferm, then eventually making starters using Welch's Concord grape juice after Go-Ferm rehydration. Hell I even oxygenate the must, not saying you or others have to do that but I have all the equipment from beer brewing so no added costs for me. I get strong fermentation within several hours and very very strong fermentation commence within 12-15 hours of pitching so it works for me.

 

[heatherd]

As a newbie vintner, I'd love to get some feedback from others that have already taken the plunge on these new kits vs other high-end kits like the RJS En Premier line. (Juice quality, ancillary items in kit, any change in your typical protocol, tips/tricks/suggestions etc etc)

Of course at this point, due to their recent release, there won't be any final product info/feedback for awhile, atleast for the Reds, which I'm most interested in.

Cheers!

I have been making kits for several years of all varieties and price points. The Finer Wine kits are actually less expensive than most. I just ordered a Bordeaux Blend double-skins with labels and a Sauvignon Blanc with labels for $203 total delivered to my door; that's less than what I'd spend on one high-end kit.

These new Finer Wine kits are different than others in that the juice is not pasteurized so the wine you make tastes better. They're really well-designed and include everything you need: yeast, yeast starter, oak cubes, oak dust, stabilizer of kmeta and ksorbate, double skins, two mesh skin bags, detailed instructions, clearing agents, yeast nutrient, and juice concentrate. The skin package is large and very fresh. The juice concentrate smells amazing. In terms of taste, I tasted my first two batches at 15 days in and they're already better than any other kits I've made. There's no "kit taste" because they're not pasteurized.

If you're on the fence I would definitely recommend getting one of their reds, you'll see immediately how much nicer they are and easier to make than any RJS or Winexpert kits, and they have good yeast in the RC212 (instead of the other guys using EC1118).

Here's a link to the Label Peelers site that describes them and where you can order: Finer Wine Kits | Label Peelers, Inc.
Here's the video of them starting the kit: Learning To Make Wine 1 of 4 - YouTube
Here's the next episode: Learning To Make Wine 2 of 4 - YouTube
Here's the next episode: Learning To Make Wine 3 of 4 - YouTube
Here's the next episode: Learning To Make Wine 4 of 4 - YouTube
And how to how to filter the kit, if you decide to: Filtering Wine with a Buon Vino Minijet - YouTube

 

[Wayne Freeman]

I have a Speidel 30 liter fermenter, the one with the humongous air lock. My FW Zinfandel kit is in primary fermentation and nearing 1.000 SG. I'm thinking of just letting it go until the fermentation is done, since it has been under air lock the entire time (except when I punch down the skins bags), for another week or two to get a little extended maceration. Is this a good idea? Could I even let it go longer? Opinions? Thanks!

 

[Brian55]

I have a Speidel 30 liter fermenter, the one with the humongous air lock. My FW Zinfandel kit is in primary fermentation and nearing 1.000 SG. I'm thinking of just letting it go until the fermentation is done, since it has been under air lock the entire time (except when I punch down the skins bags), for another week or two to get a little extended maceration. Is this a good idea? Could I even let it go longer? Opinions? Thanks!

Yes, and yes. I'd go with 4 weeks.

 

[Wayne Freeman]

Yes, and yes. I'd go with 4 weeks.

Great! Thanks!

At some point I think I should stop opening the fermenter up to punch the bags down so I don't keep exposing the must to the air.

Maybe when the bags sink and don't float up again?

 

[Brian55]

Great! Thanks!

At some point I think I should stop opening the fermenter up to punch the bags down so I don't keep exposing the must to the air.

Maybe when the bags sink and don't float up again?

I would stop opening the fermenter as you approach 1.000 SG. You can slosh it around after that point to keep the skins from drying out on top. At some point they will eventually sink on their own.