Finer Wine Kit Finer Wine Kits

[She’sgonnakillme]

I think skins need frozen however, they would not hold for more than a week in the fridge.

 

[jgmann67]

They are going into the refrigerator and not the freezer. I have been told 10 - 12 weeks is no big deal in the refrigerator.

Although I have never done this but Label Peelers told me up to a year in a refrigerator.

I have trust issues. =)

 

[jgmann67]

Kicked off the FWK Chardonnay and Northern Rhone this morning. The Rhone was a little hotter than I anticipated - OG came in around 1.108 or so, so I added just a bit more water till it got closer to 1.100.

This is the second time I'm working with carbon... can be messy if you're not careful handling it. The chard is a funny color right now. But, it'll clear nicely, I'm sure.

The Northern Rhone smells wonderful and is pretty dark (darker than I anticipated). From the looks of it, I'm expecting a full-bodied beast. I'll check in on them in a day or two. And, after it clears, I'll be adding an extra spiral of Medium Toast French Oak.

 

[winemaker81]

This is the second time I'm working with carbon... can be messy if you're not careful handling it. The chard is a funny color right now. But, it'll clear nicely, I'm sure.

The carbon makes for an "interesting" appearance.

I'm pleased with my Chardonnay (pre-carbon), and while it's a bit dark, it's still within the "normal" range. The important thing is it smells and tastes good.

The Northern Rhone smells wonderful and is pretty dark (darker than I anticipated). From the looks of it, I'm expecting a full-bodied beast. I'll check in on them in a day or two. And, after it clears, I'll be adding an extra spiral of Medium Toast French Oak.

Northern Rhone is Syrah-based, so dark makes sense. FWK blends to fit the profile, and isn't necessarily authentic, but if it smells and tastes right it's good. [I say "authentic" tongue-in-cheek, as making a French wine from CA grapes is an oxymoron. ]

 

[jgmann67]

The carbon makes for an "interesting" appearance.

I'm pleased with my Chardonnay (pre-carbon), and while it's a bit dark, it's still within the "normal" range. The important thing is it smells and tastes good.


Northern Rhone is Syrah-based, so dark makes sense. FWK blends to fit the profile, and isn't necessarily authentic, but if it smells and tastes right it's good. [I say "authentic" tongue-in-cheek, as making a French wine from CA grapes is an oxymoron. ]

Question on the FWK chard: it comes with about 45g of oak chips (sacrificial tannins). Has anyone added oak to it? And if so, what oak and what were your results?

I ask because I added oak to the Sonoma Dry Creek from WE and was very happy with the results. Thinking Light or Medium Toast French Oak might get me where I want to be.

 

[cmason1957]

I haven't made this, yet. But my wife tells me she wants to make a Charadonnay sometime soon. I will be adding oak to it, I would imagine, that sacrificial tannin addition won't add any oak character to it and what's a Chard without some oak.

 

[jgmann67]

I haven't made this, yet. But my wife tells me she wants to make a Charadonnay sometime soon. I will be adding oak to it, I would imagine, that sacrificial tannin addition won't add any oak character to it and what's a Chard without some oak.

Exactly my thought.

 

[winemaker81]

Question on the FWK chard: it comes with about 45g of oak chips (sacrificial tannins). Has anyone added oak to it? And if so, what oak and what were your results?

I added the fermentation oak to my FWK Chardonnay. The fermentation period is so short (14 days by FWK method) and as Craig said, you won't get a much, if any, oak character. It should improve body and the grape tannin (not a lot for whites, but still potentially significant) will be preserved.

Ya made me go downstairs and get a bottle, so I would give you a fresh impression. I just updated my online notes with:

A question on WMT forced me to open a bottle ... the nose is recognizably Chardonnay. My sense of smell isn't as good as it use to be, but this one smells good. The taste is solid, strong Chardonnay character with good body. On the Wine Spectator scale, this is an 87, "Very good: a wine with special qualities", in the middle of this category. Although aged without oak, it's got a tiny bit of character I'd associate with oak aging -- very light seasoning, but no flavoring. It has an unusually fruity finish that lingers on the tongue, not one I'd expect from a Chardonnay.​

I'm very pleased with this one, which is roughly at the 1 year mark. If you're interested, my notes are here:

2021 Chardonnay – Bryan's Wine & Beer Making Site

 

[vinny]

forced

Oh, that's rich!

I hope it didn't hurt.

 

[winemaker81]

Oh, that's rich!

I hope it didn't hurt.

The agony is beyond description. Fortunately I have an open bottle of Chardonnay which is killing the pain.

 

[Bmd2k1]

Curious...

For those of you that refrigerate your FWK kits b4 using them, how long do you let them sit at room temperature before firing up a batch?

Cheers!

 

[She’sgonnakillme]

Curious...

For those of you that refrigerate your FWK kits b4 using them, how long do you let them sit at room temperature before firing up a batch?

Cheers!

24 hrs here

 

[jgmann67]

Usually 1-2 days from getting the box to dropping the yeast. Until this past time around, they've never gotten to the fridge. I pulled these two (Chard and Northern Rhone blend) out of the fridge the night before. With mixing them and letting them sit the 18-24 hours, they were about 70* when I dropped the yeast.

 

[winemaker81]

For those of you that refrigerate your FWK kits b4 using them, how long do you let them sit at room temperature before firing up a batch?

My last 2 FWK Tavola Merlot are an experiment, as I blended them with the pomace from Grenache and Tempranillo, respectively. I took the bags from the fridge (had ordered them early so they'd be available when the G and T were pressed), poured/squeezed them into the primaries, and rinsed the bags with hot water, three times each. After stirring well, the primaries were topped to 23 liters with warm (~70 F) tap water, and was stirred during the fill. IIRC, the must temperature after reconstitution was around 64-66 F (18-19 C).

After reconstitution in a 7.9 gallon fermenter (used that as the liters are marked on the side), I poured the must into Brutes containing the 2 pomaces, respectively. I did not add additional yeast as the pomace was full of it. In both cases fermentation took off immediately as I could smell it within 3 hours of mixing, although it wasn't visibly evident until the next day. My notes don't record the temperature, so it may be that I didn't bother checking, as I had active fermentation in both Brutes.

For a normal ferment, I suggest heating the water used to rinse the bag to 130 F (54 C), as that will clear the bag nicely. After that, if the water is at room temperature, you'll probably end up with a must temperature similar to what I did, and if you're inoculating the following day, you should be fine, temperature-wise.

 

[Bmd2k1]

Curious...

For those of you that refrigerate your FWK kits b4 using them, how long do you let them sit at room temperature before firing up a batch?

Cheers!

Kicking off my Southern Rhone blend process today and pitching yeast starter tomorrow. (Interestingly enough...NO yeast was included in this batch...good thing I have plenty of RC212 on hand)

Cheers!

 

[ratflinger]

Excellent information and thank you for sharing so much information!

I have ordered a pinot noir forte from FWK and I am looking forward to brewing it. My girlfriend prefers white wine wine,so I need to figure out which white I should make.

Wineker,have you ever tried the 6gal Mosti Mondiale kits?

I have, they were ok. I found that the Renaissance kits made a taster wine. IMHO

 

[She’sgonnakillme]

Has anyone ever cold soaked their red FWK's prior to pitching? Wonder if there is a benefit

 

[Kross]

The carbon makes for an "interesting" appearance.

I'm pleased with my Chardonnay (pre-carbon), and while it's a bit dark, it's still within the "normal" range. The important thing is it smells and tastes good.


Northern Rhone is Syrah-based, so dark makes sense. FWK blends to fit the profile, and isn't necessarily authentic, but if it smells and tastes right it's good. [I say "authentic" tongue-in-cheek, as making a French wine from CA grapes is an oxymoron. ]

I also made the Finer Wine’s Chardonnay and bottled it 5 months ago. How old is your Chardonnay? I did try it and feel like it could use a little more time.

 

[winemaker81]

I also made the Finer Wine’s Chardonnay and bottled it 5 months ago. How old is your Chardonnay? I did try it and feel like it could use a little more time.

Started 11/2021, bottled 05/2022

 

[Bmd2k1]

Curious how the FWK Meritage is? ...and if ya went with the Tavola or Forte...

Cheers!