Going to make three wines and would like suggestions

olusteebus · Aug 17, 2019

I am going to make 3 wines from kits or concentrate and would appreciate you suggestions on tweaks.

Number 1 - Island Mist Peach apricot "Chardonnay" - I plan on making it 5 gallons, using half of flavor pack at ferment and boosting sugar to a point of having about 10% alcohol.

Number 2 - Island Mist Blackberry "merlot - I plan on making 5 gallons, using half of flavor pack at ferment and boosting alcohol to about 10%. Using Medium roast french oak at ferment.

Number 3 - Riesling from Alexanders concentrate - two cans 5 or 6 gallons. Adding five jars of apricot jam.

The tweaks mentioned are the only things I know to do. Do you have suggestions.

Thanks
Buster.

jgmann67 · Aug 17, 2019

On Mist kits, I boost the wine abv and body like most people - with the addition of a pound of corn sugar and a liter of grape juice concentrate. Add them and half your flavor pack to the primary and top the wine to 6 gal. Then add the other half of the pack after the wine has cleared.

Since they’re quick drinking wines, I don’t know that I’d do much else.

Boatboy24 · Aug 17, 2019

Agree with Jim on the Mist kits. No need to concentrate to 5 gallons. If buying from Label Peelers, order 1L of white grape concentrate with the kits - add that and 1/2-2/3 of the F-pack up front.

salcoco · Aug 17, 2019

on the Merlot wine use the oak post ferment. during ferment the oak nominally used to sustain color. if oak flavor and tannin desired best post ferment once wine is clear.

for the apricot jam make sure use of bentonite during ferment is followed it will help clear the wine post ferment. bentonite will remove protein during fermentation which will help later.

Kantuckid · Aug 18, 2019

I used white grape concentrate with my Australian Chardonnay kit to back sweeten and like the result!
With a Tropical Bliss White Zinfandel kit-I held back one gallon of water to 5 gals,put 1/2 the F-pac in primary with 1/2 a bag of hite grape concentrate, then topped my secondary with old W Zinfandel wine I'd made and the rest of the fpac prior to bottling. It got my alcohol to 9.5%.

DIYer · Aug 22, 2019

If you are only looking to go up to 10% ABV, it's not necessary to buy extra stuff to boost the IM chardonnay kit. I did one a couple of months ago: 5.5 gallons starting volume, added half the f-pack, and got an ABV of 9.9% (OG = 1.070, FG = 0.994).