Finer Wine Kit Finer Wine Kits

[Billdean]

I guess i don’t see how this would be any different than the direction? You add a gallon of water to a 7 gallon bucket and them pour in the carbon as close to the bottom as possible. Stir lightly and let it sit for at least 10 minutes. I put the lid on durning that time. I didn’t read the hole thread, but this worked for me the last couple of kits.

 

[winemaker81]

I guess i don’t see how this would be any different than the direction? You add a gallon of water to a 7 gallon bucket and them pour in the carbon as close to the bottom as possible. Stir lightly and let it sit for at least 10 minutes. I put the lid on durning that time. I didn’t read the hole thread, but this worked for me the last couple of kits.

There's not much difference, although using a pitcher may provide more control over the resulting dust if the carbon is poured too quickly.

Also, I'm going from memory and I haven't started a kit with carbon in 15 months, and my memory is certainly faulty.

 

[RickC]

Is it possible to do MLF on the FWK and if yes, do these kits benefit from it? I know you can’t do this with standard kits.

 

[winemaker81]

Is it possible to do MLF on the FWK and if yes, do these kits benefit from it? I know you can’t do this with standard kits.

You can induce MLF on ANYTHING you want. If the conditions are correct for the MLB to thrive and there is sufficient malic acid present, it will work.

The question isn't "can I?", it's "should I?".

If there's not a lot of malic acid present, nothing is going to happen.

If the main acid is malic acid, such as in apples, you're going to ruin the wine by removing a main flavor component.

If the wine already has a good balance of acid, in terms of both flavor and stability, you're likely to make it flabby. Kits fall into this category, as reputable vendors have balanced the acid and trying to do MLF is going to throw it off balance.

Malolactic Fermentation is one of many winemaking techniques. It is not applicable to all situations.

 

[cmason1957]

Is it possible to do MLF on the FWK and if yes, do these kits benefit from it? I know you can’t do this with standard kits.

Certainly could, probably get it to start. I remember someone doing this early on and not being pleased with the results. If you do decide to try, remember not to add the packet that contains potassium sorbate. Unless you happen to think the smell and taste of geraniums would be a good thing for your wine.

 

[RickC]

Is it OK to re-freeze the juice bags when received or is fridge good enough? Jumped all over the 38% sale but will will wait several months for cooler house temps to start.

 

[ratflinger]

It is perfectly okay to do either, although freezing makes more sense if you are talking long term.

Question - how warm is your home? I keep mine at 78 in the spring, summer, & fall. I'll let it drop to 70 during our short winter. I never have any issues with the wine making (I assume anyway, always possible that I'm producing garbage that we just happen to like).

 

[Brant]

Is it OK to re-freeze the juice bags when received or is fridge good enough? Jumped all over the 38% sale but will will wait several months for cooler house temps to start.

Yes, they will last longer in the freezer. Freeze the skin packs also if not using right away.

 

[RickC]

It is perfectly okay to do either, although freezing makes more sense if you are talking long term.

Question - how warm is your home? I keep mine at 78 in the spring, summer, & fall. I'll let it drop to 70 during our short winter. I never have any issues with the wine making (I assume anyway, always possible that I'm producing garbage that we just happen to like).

Not real long of a wait but likely October for first one. We keep house 77 in summer and 70 in winter in southern Oklahoma. I would prefer to wait until house temp drops several degrees for the reds and wait till 70 for the white. I jumped on 4 kits so it will take me a bit of time to finish.

 

[RickC]

It is perfectly okay to do either, although freezing makes more sense if you are talking long term.

Question - how warm is your home? I keep mine at 78 in the spring, summer, & fall. I'll let it drop to 70 during our short winter. I never have any issues with the wine making (I assume anyway, always possible that I'm producing garbage that we just happen to like).

Not real long of a wait but likely October for first one. We keep house 77 in summer and 70 in winter in southern Oklahoma. I would prefer to wait until house temp drops several degrees for the reds and wait till 70 for the white. I jumped on 4 kits so it will take me a bit of time to finish.

 

[Jovimaple]

Matteo (creator of FWKs) addressed this at least once - you can search for his comments. I agree with freezing, including the skin packs, being the better option if it's more than a month.

Good luck! I have enjoyed the FWKs I have made!

 

[Shurt1073]

I think the advice of freezing is probably the best option but I will tell you in December of last year they had an end of season sale where I bought the Tavola Pinot Noir $75 and the Grenache Rose for $80. Can't pass up that deal. I stuck them into the refrigerator (not freezer) and we went to Florida until March 1st. Made the Pinot Noir in March and Grenache Rose in April. They sat in the refrig for 3-4 months and the Pinot Noir is one of the best wines I've ever made. Split the PN about a couple weeks ago bottling half and letting the other 3 gallons sit until this coming Nov/Dec.

Guessing the short term the refrig was ok for me, but for the long term, freezing might be the safer play.

 

[ratflinger]

Not real long of a wait but likely October for first one. We keep house 77 in summer and 70 in winter in southern Oklahoma. I would prefer to wait until house temp drops several degrees for the reds and wait till 70 for the white. I jumped on 4 kits so it will take me a bit of time to finish.

@RickC - Unless you are just wanting to wait there is nothing wrong with 77. I'm south of San Antonio and start at least 2 FWK every month, red or white, never an issue.

 

[David Violante]

I recently fermented a Merlot Novello FWK and all went well and as expected. Now, however, there’s an odd finish that I can only approximate to tasting like fruit that was ‘just’ past ripe and maybe shouldn't have been used. This is nearly my 10th FW fermentation and I’m pleased as anything with them. I’ve been scrupulous with cleaning and sanitizing, used kmeta at the start and end, it was a clean and typical ferment… just not sure if there’s something I’m missing... has anyone experienced this or have an idea?

 

[winemaker81]

I recently fermented a Merlot Novello FWK and all went well and as expected. Now, however, there’s an odd finish that I can only approximate to tasting like fruit that was ‘just’ past ripe and maybe shouldn't have been used. This is nearly my 10th FW fermentation and I’m pleased as anything with them. I’ve been scrupulous with cleaning and sanitizing, used kmeta at the start and end, it was a clean and typical ferment… just not sure if there’s something I’m missing... has anyone experienced this or have an idea?

Novello are FWK's version of a low end kit. Generally speaking, the lower the body, ABV, acid, and/or sugar in a wine, the faster it ages. Lower end kits are faster aging, and cheaper because there is less "stuff" in them, so they are lower cost to produce, and result in a correspondingly lower end wine.

When the Novello line was announced, your results are what I expected. It's a low-end kit, so the results are correspondingly lower. Ya get what ya pays for.

IMO this is not a problem as long as we set our expectation accordingly.

 

[David Violante]

Novello are FWK's version of a low end kit. Generally speaking, the lower the body, ABV, acid, and/or sugar in a wine, the faster it ages. Lower end kits are faster aging, and cheaper because there is less "stuff" in them, so they are lower cost to produce, and result in a correspondingly lower end wine.

When the Novello line was announced, your results are what I expected. It's a low-end kit, so the results are correspondingly lower. Ya get what ya pays for.

IMO this is not a problem as long as we set our expectation accordingly.

I get ya, I suppose I’m surprised something like that would come from them. I’m inclined to wonder if I’ve done something wrong first, and was looking to see what I might consider. If that’s truly not the case, the winery series is looking much better…

 

[Shurt1073]

I get ya, I suppose I’m surprised something like that would come from them.

Is this your first Novello kit? Others have been Tavola or Forte?

 

[David Violante]

Yep. First Novello. Others have been Forte.

 

[winemaker81]

I get ya, I suppose I’m surprised something like that would come from them. I’m inclined to wonder if I’ve done something wrong first, and was looking to see what I might consider. If that’s truly not the case, the winery series is looking much better…

IMO it's FWK trying to cover the entire market. From a sales POV, that makes perfect sense. From a "be THE quality vendor" it's a mistake.

I've made 14 FWK:

2 - Frutta
2 - White
4 - Tavola
6 - Forte

Of these, the only ones I'm not satisfied with are the Frutta, and that's not a quality problem -- it's just not my kind of wine. Friends love the Frutta, it's just me. The quality of their kits have been great.

I made my first kit in 1996, and generally speaking, I've seen an upward trajectory in kit quality. As you move forward in your winemaking career, consider that a wine will rarely be better than the quality of its ingredients, so starting low means you will end low.

 

[Ericphotoart]

I bottled my first FWK Merlot Novello last month and although it's not the wine I will really enjoy, it's what I expected. Novello is an Italian version of Beaujolais Nouveau and by definition is a light body, "new" wine. I don't think I will make another Novello in the next few months but probably some time early spring. This is the wine that doesn't require long aging and is quite drinkable.