Finer Wine Kit Finer Wine Kits

[winemaker81]

How long did it take to clear?

I followed the FWK instructions, sealing the primary on Day 5 when the SG hit 1.010.

On Day 13 I unsealed the primary -- the SG was 0.998. It was still Goth wine at that point. I added K-meta, K&C.

My detailed blog shows near daily pictures of the clearing, which started immediately. For various reasons, I racked after 3 weeks.

https://wine.bkfazekas.com/2022-finer-wine-kits-sauvignon-blanc-in-detail/

 

[winemaker81]

From the Australian Wine Institute:

"Carbon can be used to remove off-flavours and odours from wine, to decrease browning or pinking in white wines and to remove colour from red wines. There are two forms of carbon: ‘decolourising’ carbon, normally marked KBB and ‘deodourising’, normally marked AAA. Carbon works well in combination with PVPP in both tasks. The compounds to be removed are physically adsorbed to the large surface area of the carbon particles. The adsorption rate on the carbon surface is typically very fast. Carbon is regarded as a severe and relatively non-specific fining agent and therefore should be used with care. Special care should be taken to avoid exposure to carbon: use eye protection in combination with breathing protection."

Thanks for pointing this out.

I mentioned in a previous post that when adding the carbon I carefully cut the package and gently poured it into the fermenter from just above the must. This greatly reduced the dust in the air that others have reported.

This doesn't just apply to carbon -- we should carefully pour all substances (solid and liquid) into the wine, as none are anything good to breathe. Plus it helps avoid overflows and other problems.

Once my sons started taking lab courses in college, both chided me to better observe safety protocols. And rightly so -- it's easy to get sloppy and cavalier about things we do so often.

 

[szap]

I don't have my notes with me to totally answer, but I didn't notice it taking all that much longer than normal for it to fully clear. I didn't let it fully ferment in my bucket, but racked it to the carboy when the SG had dropped to nearly 1.000. I worry more about oxidation with white wines than with reds, so tend to get it under airlock sooner than the directions say to do it.

I then let it sit under airlock not racked for up to a month. The charcoal had started to drop out somewhat during that time. I then added the K & C for clearing purposes and then racked about 2 or 3 weeks later. There was a very solid layer of dark material on the bottom of the carboy. It then sat under airlock for another month or two and some more dark material dropped out. It was then filtered, let sit for another bit and then bottled.

Was there still signs of the carbon in the filter

 

[cmason1957]

Was there still signs of the carbon in the filter

To the best of my memory there was not anything noticeable. At least it wasn't noticeable enough for me to remember it. The K & C plus some time had done what one would expect them to do.

 

[JBP]

Starting a FWK Sauvignon blanc - first FWK white, although I have done a good number of reds. Last night, OG was 1.107 wtih a total volume of over 6g (added an extra quart or so - definitely well over 6g mark). Today it is 1.103 (yeast starter ready to pitch, but not put in yet). I would prefer a lower OG (the 1.080 goal is about right - making it for my 80+ year old mother), but fermcalc says it would take 1.7 gallons of water to get there. I have stirred and stirred. Something seems off and I am very hesitant to reconstitute with so much water.

Any experience, thoughts or insights?

 

[bstnh1]

I've made FWK whites and have consistently had OG at 1.10 or a bit higher. Guess I don't see the problem.

 

[Ohio Bob]

Agreed. If it’s too strong a drink, pour a smaller glass, dilute with fruit juice, ginger ale, etc. I suspect the wine, if diluted, might open up more problems.

 

[JBP]

Thanks - I was surprised the OG was so much higher than the instructions listed as the target and agree on over diluting. Definitely adept at diluting in a glass for mom.

 

[wineview]

I’ve seen that happen with FWK in the past.

 

[Cap Puncher]

I wonder if it is an issue with overfill of the concentrate on the bag. I would ask label peelers or Mateo what the best thing to do would be. If it is overfill of concentrate, diluting now might be appropriate to balance the kit.

 

[bstnh1]

I just checked my notes on the 5 or 6 FWK Tavola whites I have made - Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Every one of them have turned out to be 14 or 14.1% ABV. They were all made strictly in accordance with the instructions, no tweaks. The starting SG in all cases was 1.10 or very close to that and they were all fermented to .992.

 

[bstnh1]

I wonder if it is an issue with overfill of the concentrate on the bag. I would ask label peelers or Mateo what the best thing to do would be. If it is overfill of concentrate, diluting now might be appropriate to balance the kit.

You make a good point. With the whites I have made I am never able to get all the water into the batch that I should based on the stated volume of the kit. It seems that I always have close to 1/2 gallon of water that won't go in without exceeding the 6 gallons. My fermenting bucket (Fermonster) was carefully calibrated( by myself) and is marked to the exact 6 gallon level. So it's very possible that the FWK juice bags are slightly overfilled. That would account for the higher starting SG and the higher ABV.

 

[Cap Puncher]

Starting a FWK Sauvignon blanc - first FWK white, although I have done a good number of reds. Last night, OG was 1.107 wtih a total volume of over 6g (added an extra quart or so - definitely well over 6g mark). Today it is 1.103 (yeast starter ready to pitch, but not put in yet). I would prefer a lower OG (the 1.080 goal is about right - making it for my 80+ year old mother), but fermcalc says it would take 1.7 gallons of water to get there. I have stirred and stirred. Something seems off and I am very hesitant to reconstitute with so much water.

Any experience, thoughts or insights?

You are looking at a 15%+ alcohol with that SG of 1.107=25.3 Brix on a Sauvignon blanc. That is going to be hot. If it is an overfill issue the acidity may be too much as well for that alcohol percentage. Again, I'd talk to @Label Peelers about it to see if there could be overfill in the bags. Water integrates better at the beginning of fermentation rather than later.

 

[winemaker81]

I ordered 2 Tavola Merlot kits with no skin packs, which arrived today. It surprised me, as I know both kits shipped, but there was just one box. I checked the FedEx records -- yup, just one box. But LP shipped 2 kits???

Then I realized the box was larger than previous kits, sure enough, both were inside.

These kits are part of an experiment -- on Saturday we crush 8 lugs of Grenache and 8 lugs of Tempranillo. Post fermentation I will start the Merlot kits, and once reconstituted, I'll be adding the pomace from Grenache to one and the pomace from Tempranillo to the other. This is in lieu of making a second run wine -- I'm using the pomace in place of skin packs, and am seeing if I get a significantly different result using different grape pomaces.

A third grape batch is a field blend of Syrah, Petite Sirah, and Mourvedre. I'm considering splitting that pomace between the two Merlot batches OR freezing it and purchasing a third Merlot kit later on.

I bottled the first part of an experiment today -- a FWK Tavola Merlot fermented with the pomace of 8 lugs (288 lbs) of Grenache.

The gross output was 9 US gallons, meaning we pulled 3 gallons of wine from the pomace. The net was 31 liters (23 liter carboy plus two 4 liter jugs), and this produced 42 bottles.

The product is hard to describe. It's certainly not a kit. And it's certainly not a second run wine. Surprisingly enough, the Grenache overpowers the Merlot.

I figure to do a similar thing this fall.

 

[Cap Puncher]

I bottled the first part of an experiment today -- a FWK Tavola Merlot fermented with the pomace of 8 lugs (288 lbs) of Grenache.

The gross output was 9 US gallons, meaning we pulled 3 gallons of wine from the pomace. The net was 31 liters (23 liter carboy plus two 4 liter jugs), and this produced 42 bottles.

The product is hard to describe. It's certainly not a kit. And it's certainly not a second run wine. Surprisingly enough, the Grenache overpowers the Merlot.

I figure to do a similar thing this fall.

I’ll be doing the same this year with one of the Southern Rhone Grenache/Syrah/Moscato FWK since I am getting Syrah grapes.

 

[GretchenR]

Is the only purpose of the carbon to keep the white wine from darkening? I used it in their Riesling and didn't mind it, but if I can skip it and only affect the color, I think I might do that. Are there other beneficial effects also, or just color?

 

[winemaker81]

Is the only purpose of the carbon to keep the white wine from darkening? I used it in their Riesling and didn't mind it, but if I can skip it and only affect the color, I think I might do that. Are there other beneficial effects also, or just color?

AWRI has a page on fining agents that lists carbon:

https://www.awri.com.au/industry_su...quently_asked_questions/fining_agents/#carbon
According to this, in addition to removing browning/pinking, carbon also removes off aromas and flavors.

It also mentions making a slurry, to avoid getting carbon dust in the eyes and nose. Next time I make a kit that includes carbon, I'll do that. Last couple of times I carefully poured the carbon into the must from just above it, to avoid dust and splashing, then gently stirred until it dissolved.

 

[GretchenR]

AWRI has a page on fining agents that lists carbon:

https://www.awri.com.au/industry_su...quently_asked_questions/fining_agents/#carbon
According to this, in addition to removing browning/pinking, carbon also removes off aromas and flavors.

It also mentions making a slurry, to avoid getting carbon dust in the eyes and nose. Next time I make a kit that includes carbon, I'll do that. Last couple of times I carefully poured the carbon into the must from just above it, to avoid dust and splashing, then gently stirred until it dissolved.

I'll try a slurry. Thoughts on the easiest, least dusty way to do that?

 

[winemaker81]

I'll try a slurry. Thoughts on the easiest, least dusty way to do that?

Sanitize a 2 quart pitcher or similar tall container. Add a pint of water, and pour in the carbon with the package as close to the water as possible. Stir gently with a long spoon until dissolved.

Edit - make the slurry before reconstituting the must. Add the slurry when about half way through, so you're not diluting the concentrate more than necessary.

 

[GretchenR]

Sanitize a 2 quart pitcher or similar tall container. Add a pint of water, and pour in the carbon with the package as close to the water as possible. Stir gently with a long spoon until dissolved.

Edit - make the slurry before reconstituting the must. Add the slurry when about half way through, so you're not diluting the concentrate more than necessary.

Perfect. That's what I'll do. Thanks much for your excellent advice.