home winery vs vinter's best fruit concentrates

[freqflyer]

Can people give me their opinion on each of these?

 

[ceeaton]

I've only made one batch with the Homewinery concentrate, it was okay, but it was much earlier in my wine making habit and I didn't add very much additional fruit (it was a blueberry). My wife liked it and I believe we have drunk it all. There is quite a following on this site for people who love their product, so I'm sure they will chime in at some point.

I've made a blueberry and a raspberry batch with Vinters Best Fruit wine base and have added 15 to 20 lbs of additional fruit. They have turned out really well. I did make them into 6 gallon batches, but the additional fruit and some red wine concentrate gave me plenty of gravity to stretch it to 6 gallons (I think they are meant for 5 gallons). I am pleased with them, but am moving towards all fruit batches, only using concentrate if my initial gravity is too low to achieve at least 10% alcohol in the finished product.

Hope that helps.

 

[dralarms]

I use their stuff all text time, one of my favorites is mixed berry. I use 1. 1/2 gallon concentrate of the following: blackberry, strawberry, blueberry, and black raspberry. Makes 20 gallons and I can't keep it made.

I do get their yeast, and their premeasured acid pack (so I don't have to test and adjust for it), also throw the directions in the trash. Use it exactly like you would if you juiced it yourself.

 

[freqflyer]

I have bought from home winery. I got black berry and I was pleased. I picked up a black berry in the vinter's best from a lhbs and I was wondering if it would be about the same.

 

[freqflyer]

Also, how many of you buy an extra quart to back sweeten with? If so, how much do you use? On my home winery blackberry I backsweetned with sugar. Not a lot just to about 1.005

 

[dralarms]

I don't normally add the extra. But when making a single batch I use 1/2 gallon juice, 4 gallons water, sugar to 1.095 to 1.100 and the acid and yeast. I don't quite get a 5 gallon batch but it's close and there's no reason to buy extra concentrate

 

[FTC Wines]

We add a little extra when we ferment. They say 4 pints concentrate ( 1/2 gal) to 5 gals. We use 5 pints to 5 gals. Or 6 pints to a 6 gal batch. If you do this you need to watch the acid adjustments to control PH. We like adding a extra pint of Cab Sav to their Blueberry, & Blackberry, really enjoy that blend. Roy

 

[freqflyer]

I meant adding extra as a means to back sweeten not to ferment.

 

[FTC Wines]

We have done that too, some times a little sweeter Red is very good. Think we used a 1/2 pint to 5 gals, but do bench trials first. Roy

 

[Jericurl]

I've used several from each company and loved all of the finished products.

 

[brewbush]

I just made the passionfruit one from homewinery last night. I used 1/2 gal + 1 pint concentrate along with a small 1 liter grape concentrate pack, sugar to 1.095, then water to about 5.8 gallons.

I will let you know in a few weeks how it tastes. I have an extra pint of the concentrate to back sweeten it.

 

[freqflyer]

I use their stuff all text time, one of my favorites is mixed berry. I use 1. 1/2 gallon concentrate of the following: blackberry, strawberry, blueberry, and black raspberry. Makes 20 gallons and I can't keep it made.

I do get their yeast, and their premeasured acid pack (so I don't have to test and adjust for it), also throw the directions in the trash. Use it exactly like you would if you juiced it yourself.

Is this like a dragons blood only without the lemon bite? How much so you back sweeten it?

 

[dralarms]

Nope, it's a full flavor wine. And I was wrong it only makes about 19 gallons. I short each batch 1/2 gallon of water.

I usually backsweeten to 1.008 to 1.012

 

[Hoxviii]

. . .I've made a blueberry and a raspberry batch with Vinters Best Fruit wine base and have added 15 to 20 lbs of additional fruit. . .

Question here. When making raspberry wine, i use 3-4 lbs of fruit per gallon and wind up with a very fruity wine.

If you're using the concentrate plus the amount of fruit that you'd use to make the same amount of wine anyway, why use the concentrate? Does it do a particular thing for your wine? Do you like a more heavy bodied wine? sweeter?

Just curious.

 

[ceeaton]

Question here. When making raspberry wine, i use 3-4 lbs of fruit per gallon and wind up with a very fruity wine.

If you're using the concentrate plus the amount of fruit that you'd use to make the same amount of wine anyway, why use the concentrate? Does it do a particular thing for your wine? Do you like a more heavy bodied wine? sweeter?

Just curious.

I do like to make sure the taster knows it is a fruit wine. Plus the concentrate is for a 5 gallon batch, I make a little over 6 gallons total to account for some loses when I rack it from the fermenter. I aim for 8-10 lbs per gallon when not using concentrate, so 10 lbs for the 6th gallon, then 10 lbs / 6 gallons is less than 2 additional lbs per gallon. If I were to make it again without concentrate, I'd use all fruit and no additional liquid, but I'd have to research how many lbs actually make a gallon of finished wine (not sure 10 lbs is enough). I'm sure it depends on the "juiciness" of the fruit.