Island Mist kits fermented till dry.

[malfrune]

I've dug around some couldn't find an answer, can't be the first to think about this.

Anyone ever toss the fpacks in at the beginning and just let it ferment till dry w/o back sweeting?

I saw the LP BOGO sale so got 2 coming, don't care much for sweet wine but the flavors on these kits have always intrigued me.

 

[cmason1957]

I've dug around some couldn't find an answer, can't be the first to think about this.

Anyone ever toss the fpacks in at the beginning and just let it ferment till dry w/o back sweeting?

I saw the LP BOGO sale so got 2 coming, don't care much for sweet wine but the flavors on these kits have always intrigued me.

Many folks do as you suggested. What I do instead of that is add about 4 lbs of sugar and some extra grape concentrate at the beginning to make something closer to 10-11%, instead of the low alcohol level that Island Mist by the book makes.

 

[malfrune]

Many folks do as you suggested. What I do instead of that is add about 4 lbs of sugar and some extra grape concentrate at the beginning to make something closer to 10-11%, instead of the low alcohol level that Island Mist by the book makes.

Yeah I saw when I ordered they had add ons for sugar and grape concentrate so I added both. I had seen several posts where they did 1 fpack at primary and then 1 to sweeten with. Im thinking I'll just dump it all in the bucket at once and see what comes of it.

 

[ras2018]

I have added the entire f-pack up front and I did not care for the end result. I have since concluded that these fruit wines depend on that f-pack addition for balance. You may feel differently, but I wouldn’t advise adding it all to the primary.

 

[Boatboy24]

I've dug around some couldn't find an answer, can't be the first to think about this.

Anyone ever toss the fpacks in at the beginning and just let it ferment till dry w/o back sweeting?

I saw the LP BOGO sale so got 2 coming, don't care much for sweet wine but the flavors on these kits have always intrigued me.

I add about half the f-pack and will also add sugar or grape concentrate to get me a wine that will finish around 11-12%. Of the remaining half f-pack, I end up putting in half of that, or a bit more. I suspect these wines wouldn't be all that good without at least some of the f-pack added in after fermentation is complete. Too much reliance on them for both the flavor, and a little sweetening to cover up what is surely not top of the line juice.

 

[Cellar Vader]

I’ve been toying with the idea of making a sparkling wine, via forced carbonation. I’m thinking that these Island Mist kits would be a good candidate. I’m sorry, I know I’m getting off-topic with respect to the OP’s question about finishing these to dry, but thought someone here might have carbonated these off-dry kits?

 

[winemaker81]

I agree that the final sweetness is probably necessary for balance in the finished wine. However, if you get to bottling and the wine is off balance, you can sweeten to taste at that point. The flavor will probably be different from the original intention, but if you're happy with it? It doesn't matter.

Side note -- Like cmason, I add 4 lbs sugar, which pushes the ABV to 10%-11%. My 2011 Apple Riesling and Pomegranate Zinfandel both were good at the 7 year mark when the last bottles were consumed.

 

[winemaker81]

I’ve been toying with the idea of making a sparkling wine, via forced carbonation. I’m thinking that these Island Mist kits would be a good candidate. I’m sorry, I know I’m getting off-topic with respect to the OP’s question about finishing these to dry, but thought someone here might have carbonated these off-dry kits?

I can't see any reason it wouldn't produce a pleasing final product.

My concern is whether the residual sugar would produce a problem in the equipment. Years ago I had a Soda Stream, and the instructions warned to not add the syrup until after carbonation as it will gum up the machine. Check the instructions for your carbonation equipment to ensure there is no such prohibition.

 

[Boatboy24]

I’ve been toying with the idea of making a sparkling wine, via forced carbonation. I’m thinking that these Island Mist kits would be a good candidate. I’m sorry, I know I’m getting off-topic with respect to the OP’s question about finishing these to dry, but thought someone here might have carbonated these off-dry kits?

I've done this with a SodaStream and it works, though not long term (I bottled in flip top bottles and refrigerated immediately). The best success I had was to carbonate an hour or two before consuming, then sealing and refrigerating until ready. When using the SodaStream, I always ran clean water through it when I was done and made sure to wipe it down really well so it wouldn't clog.

 

[Cellar Vader]

I've done this with a SodaStream and it works, though not long term (I bottled in flip top bottles and refrigerated immediately). The best success I had was to carbonate an hour or two before consuming, then sealing and refrigerating until ready. When using the SodaStream, I always ran clean water through it when I was done and made sure to wipe it down really well so it wouldn't clog.

If/when I do this, I plan to use a carbonating stone, and conduct this in a Corny keg and then bottle in Champagne bottles.

 

[andrewmaixner]

I just made the apricot peach Island mist wine kit, with the flavor pack thrown in primary. Finished at 1.0035, just the slightest bit sweet. Force carbonated it in a keg. It's not amazing but it is fairly good. Reminds me of a slightly dryer Bartel and James wine cooler, which makes sense.

1.069->1.003=8.7%