Other FWK Users - What process do YOU follow?

[Gilmango]

Hey all! I'm a long-time lurker on the forums but just recently created an account now that I'm actively making wine. I've been a homebrewer for many years, sticking to mostly beer and ciders. I decided to expand into winemaking at an exciting time and became an early adopter of Finer Wine Kits. FWK is the only kit that I have used (just started my 9th batch) other than a few wines I made at a brew-on-premise shop nearby which tasted terrible. So far, the FWK products have really changed my opinion of those kit wines.

I've seen so many people sharing bits and pieces of their modified FWK winemaking process, and there seems to be endless variations. @jgmann67 recently shared a custom checklist that he created especially for making FWK Forte Series Kits. That post, along with a couple other threads, recently got me thinking.... I'm curious to know the general process that FWK users are following when making these kits.

• Do you follow the kit directions without any modification? Or do you tweak it?
• Are you starting with exactly 6 gallons of must?
• What do you use for a fermentation vessel? What do you use for racking and clearing?
• What temperature do you ferment at? Do you have temperature control?
• Are you performing extended maceration?
• Do you bulk age? If so, for how long?
• Do you use kieselsol and chitosan or do you let the wine naturally clear?
• Do you degas? If so, what method do you use?
• When do you add the oak cubes and for how long?

I believe that sharing this information in a single thread will allow us all to learn from each other and benefit those who are new to FWK wines. I'll share my general workflow below, but I'm curious... what do YOU do?

Trying to hit all your bullets:

• Do you follow the kit directions without any modification? Or do you tweak it?
  My main tweaks are to not use [Edit - SORBATE (wrote Sulfate before, oops, thanks @sour_grapes, no Sorbate and definitely no Sulfate)] (only Sulfite), nor the fining agents (K&C), and I often to a longer AF+EM than the 14 days they suggest, and I bulk age longer before bottling, sometimes add more oak or tannin depending upon taste. Have also used other yeasts (like BM4x4 rather than the RC-212 or in addition to it).
• Are you starting with exactly 6 gallons of must?
  Yes, generally, but have added more water when 6 gallons was looking like it would produce something over 15 abv. (I would say my target is 13--14.5 abv so not worried about adding a bit of water extra to get there with a forte kit after stirring well and checking hydrometer).
• What do you use for a fermentation vessel? What do you use for racking and clearing?
  Speidel for AF+EM, than glass carboys, old school 3 piece siphon (no vacuum or auto siphon)
• What temperature do you ferment at? Do you have temperature control?
  AF+EM in the house which is 60-65 generally, often add a brewband as AF slows down, bulk age in garage which is more like 58-62 generally.
• Are you performing extended maceration?
  Always do at least the 14 days FWK suggests for AF+EM, often extend the EM for a couple +/- weeks longer
• Do you bulk age? If so, for how long?
  Yes, depends on # of skin packs and need for carboys but generally at least 6 months to 12 or more months
• Do you use kieselsol and chitosan or do you let the wine naturally clear?
  No, naturally clear
• Do you degas? If so, what method do you use?
  Yes, bought a stainless steel wine whip I can attach to a drill and do a big whip after moving to carboy. I had tried just stirring and was bottling wines with too much CO2.
• When do you add the oak cubes and for how long?
  Follow FWK protocol for the oak they include, then let taste be my guide as far as if/when how long/how much to add in addition, if at all. Same with tannins.

Edit - a few other things I have done at least once with an FWK:

Added dried fruit to amplify a varietal flavor (ala tweaking cheap wine kits);

Bought a Forte and a Tavola and split the skins and seeds so each got half;

Also did the same Forte + Tavola thing but did the Forte with all skins and seeds for just 14 days (no extended EM), then did the Tavola right after on the same skins and seeds;

I have also blended FWKs at bottling time with fresh grape wine I made or other FWKs, but I have not yet fermented as a blend (30L is my biggest fermenter at the moment).

 

[sour_grapes]

My main tweaks are to not use Sulfate (only Sulfite),

Color me confused: Sulfate is not used in winemaking at all. Why would not using it be a tweak?

 

[winemaker81]

Are you starting with exactly 6 gallons of must

Reconstitute to 23 liters / 6 US gallons. Do not change the volume based upon measured SG. Stir very well, and when you are sure it's mixed, stir again.

The next day, stir again before inoculation, and check SG again.

Even with using a drill mounted stirring rod, I got a different reading the second day. This occurred with multiple batches. The concentrate is thick and does not dissolve easily, and getting a false reading is likely the first day.

 

[cmason1957]

I go a step further, I don't even bother measuring the sg on the day I mix it all up. Sg doesn't matter until I pitch the yeast, which is always the next day (and that's no matter what kit I am making) so that's my process.

 

[winemaker81]

I go a step further, I don't even bother measuring the sg on the day I mix it all up. Sg doesn't matter until I pitch the yeast, which is always the next day (and that's no matter what kit I am making) so that's my process.

I agree, there's no real value in checking SG the first day. However, I check the SG completely out of curiosity -- I want to see how different it is the next day. Just for fun, I checked my notes from the last 1.5 years:

Day 1​	Day 2​	Kit​
1.094	1.091	Finer Wine Kits Tavola Barbera
1.092	1.094	Finer Wine Kits Chardonnay
1.092	1.101	Finer Wine Kits Forte Syrah / Petite Sirah / Merlot
1.111	1.116	Global Vintners Chocolate/Raspberry Apres Kit
1.092	1.100	Finer Wine Kits Tavola Sauvignon Blanc
1.100	1.100	Finer Wine Kits Tavola Pinot Noir
1.091	1.099	Finer Wine Kits Frutta Blackberry
1.102	1.100	Finer Wine Kits Frutta Strawberry

Entries in black had the SG go up, entries in red it went down, and the entry in green remained the same.

There's nothing like practical evidence to convince me that I am NOT stirring as well as I believed.

I use a drill-mounted stirring rod, and stir the must after emptying the concentrate bag into the fermenter and rinsing it with hot tap water, which typically gives me a volume in the 2 to 3 US gallon range. I stir periodically as I fill the fermenter to the 23 liter mark, and for FWK, stir again when adding Nutrient Packet A. EDIT: filling is done with room temperature water, so the final temperature is in the mid- to upper- 60's F. SG variation for temperature is not likely a factor.

The must SHOULD be mixed well, but practical evidence says "no".

This makes me question how effective my stirring is when adding glycerin before bottling. Currently we start the final siphon/pump into a primary, adding K-meta. Once there is a couple of inches of wine in the primary, we use the hose to clean out the glycerin cup (glycerin is VERY thick), and stir continuously while the first few gallons enter the primary. About half way through, we stir again for a minute, changing direction every 15 seconds to churn the wine without introducing O2. This happens again at the end. For batches larger than 23 liters, we stir a few more times during the process.

I haven't noticed variation between bottles, but I've also not compared side-by-side. Now I'm wondering ...

 

[She’sgonnakillme]

I go a step further, I don't even bother measuring the sg on the day I mix it all up. Sg doesn't matter until I pitch the yeast, which is always the next day (and that's no matter what kit I am making) so that's my process.

I go one step further, with kits i don't measure the SG at all until I feel the ferment is down to 1.04 or less. Why? Because I have never seen a kit mfr not hit their intended initaial SG (or close to it), so I figure what's the point Whether the final ABV is 13.5% or 13% doesn't really matter to me

 

[winemaker81]

I go one step further, with kits i don't measure the SG at all until I feel the ferment is down to 1.04 or less. Why? Because I have never seen a kit mfr not hit their intended initaial SG (or close to it), so I figure what's the point Whether the final ABV is 13.5% or 13% doesn't really matter to me

Currently the reputable vendors hit the mark. In the past, it was normal for me to purchase a 5# bag of sugar before starting a kit, as I'd add at least a pound to get the SG up.

 

[She’sgonnakillme]

Currently the reputable vendors hit the mark. In the past, it was normal for me to purchase a 5# bag of sugar before starting a kit, as I'd add at least a pound to get the SG up.

I would call that progress

 

[skylerl33]

I follow the directions with these exceptions:

• I don't add the yeast nutrient
• I top up with similar commercial wine (not my kits) to avoid exposing the FWK to kit taste
• I am currently doing extended maceration on Forte Pinot and Bordeaux Blend for 6-8 weeks on the gross and fine lees and will report back to the forum about whether that's positive or negative for the wine

Do you feel the feel the forte pinot benefited from the 6-8 week EM? Im gonna start that kit today and was considering doing it as well

 

[heatherd]

Do you feel the feel the forte pinot benefited from the 6-8 week EM? Im gonna start that kit today and was considering doing it as well

I still need to taste it, but there's no reason why EM wouldn't benefit the wine.

 

[skylerl33]

I still need to taste it, but there's no reason why EM wouldn't benefit the wine.

great! thanks, Im gonna give it a try as well. Might be time here pretty soon for you to bottle that pinot eh? How long of a bulk age you planning on doing? let me know how it turned out when you try it! cheers!

 

[heatherd]

great! thanks, Im gonna give it a try as well. Might be time here pretty soon for you to bottle that pinot eh? How long of a bulk age you planning on doing? let me know how it turned out when you try it! cheers!

The whites and roses I bottle as soon as they're clear. The reds I bulk-age around 6-9 months.