Kits with reserve juice

[Sailor323]

So I preordered a Washington Sangiovese Rosé kit. I love rosé and try as many of the few kits that offer them as possible. When i opened this kit, I found that it comes with a packet of reserve juice. I obviously did not read the description of the wine as it is described as "off dry". I don't care for sweet wines (except for ice wines). So, I'm just going to add this reserve pouch to the rest of the juice and aim for a dry wine.

 

[Johnd]

So I preordered a Washington Sangiovese Rosé kit. I love rosé and try as many of the few kits that offer them as possible. When i opened this kit, I found that it comes with a packet of reserve juice. I obviously did not read the description of the wine as it is described as "off dry". I don't care for sweet wines (except for ice wines). So, I'm just going to add this reserve pouch to the rest of the juice and aim for a dry wine.

Many folks do the same, particularly if they prefer dry wine as you do. If you intend to do this and ferment to dry, be aware that it will increase your ABV a bit, check the SG both before and after adding the FPack and you'll be able to see what the difference is. Also, if you so desire, you can skip the addition of potassium sorbate, which some folks are able to taste in the finished wine.

 

[Sailor323]

Yeah, I never use the sorbate in any of the kits. The hydrometer is your friend!

 

[thesocialwinesclub]

Thinking about makings sparkling wine out of one of the one gallon batches. Do you know if the reserve juice bag has any preservatives that will prevent a secondary fermentation in the bottle?

 

[oppyland]

Do you know if the reserve juice bag has any preservatives that will prevent a secondary fermentation in the bottle?

Noone knows for sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if the typical kit had sorbate and/or k-meta in the f-pac - to avoid the inevitable wine volcanoes created by inexperienced winemakers.

 

[Swedeman]

Thinking about makings sparkling wine out of one of the one gallon batches. Do you know if the reserve juice bag has any preservatives that will prevent a secondary fermentation in the bottle

Some info here:

"With this in mind, you should avoid fruity, easy-to-drink kits. Many (al-though not all) kit Chardonnays are rather soft and fruity, with most of the structure provided by oak powder. They may not make the most appropriate sparkling wine. Any wine kit that comes with an F-pack (post-fermentation sweetener) won’t be a good candidate either. Such sweeteners usually contain enough sorbate to prevent the bottle fermentation. If they don’t, the yeast will merrily consume all of the sweetener, plus all of the sugar you add as well, and will over-carbonate the wine. (Go back and read the warning above.) If you were thinking of using an F-pack kit and leaving the pack out, be aware that those sweetening packs often contain more than simple sugar. They can also contain acids, grape essences and other flavor components, without which the wine may not taste very complete. So skip those kits and choose a dry, still wine instead."

 

[thesocialwinesclub]

Makes perfect sense. Thank you.