Finer Wine Kit New Fruttas!!

[winemaker81]

It's generally when I stir it up after the addition. I'm a fan of stirring, I'm not excessive, but I do stir through about day 4.

I've not had a problem stirring in a primary, but once made the mistake of stirring a CO2-laden wine in a carboy. I thought I had sufficient headspace ... but was quite mistaken. What I got was a purple volcano. In hindsight it was amusing, and mostly foam, so I only lost 4 or 6 oz of wine.

Good judgment comes from Experience. Experience comes from Bad judgment .....

I did dumped it all and then it was too late. It’s not the first time I was adding nutrients to active fermentation but never to a kit and it never reacted the way it did

It can happen to any wine if the solids provide nucleonic sites for the CO2 to accumulate. Always go gently on additions + stirring.

 

[heatherd]

My peach kit is here!

 

[ratflinger]

Black currant & a Syrah came in today - FWK was able to pack both in 1 box! Way to go FWK, only 1/2 the trash.

 

[Ericphotoart]

I wonder what is your opinion on black currant. The flavor is amazing. When I was mixing it, you could smell the flavor in every room of the house. After a few days it mellowed a little but still very nice.

 

[ratflinger]

It and the cherry are very aromatic and delicious smelling. They both have the taste of their respective fruits. I'm looking forward to the finished procust.

 

[Ericphotoart]

My Black Currant Frutta still fermenting and currently at 1.003. Great aroma and deep, deep almost black color. I'm waiting for another sale and I would love to try Mon Cherri.

 

[Shurt1073]

Yes ... I have FWK Frutta FEVER! My blackberry is in bulk aging while two other FWK are clearing with the recently added clearing agents. (Pinot Noir & Grenache Rose)

The black currant is my next FWK maybe around May 1st or 2nd, because of space or lack of space in my wine making area. I'm guessing the real FWK sales come towards the end of the year? Pinot Noir $75 & Grenache Rose $81 with $21 shipping ($177 total) in December 2022 compared to $131 shipped for just the black currant today. Guess its only money.

Thanks for the update Eric .... I'll live through you and the black currant updates you give until I pull the trigger and buy my own.

 

[winemaker81]

I'm guessing the real FWK sales come towards the end of the year?

Last year LP had a couple of sales, in March and in April (I think). My guess is they were clearing the warehouse for new kits. We'll see if that happens again this year.

 

[Ericphotoart]

I decided I couldn't wait for a sale and I bought Mon Cheri, ($134 with shipping). I want this ready for summer and I will be away for a few weeks at the end of May and June. It will arrive Tuesday or Wednesday. My Black Currant Frutta is still fermenting and slightly below 1.000 2 days ago. It is longer than 2 weeks as the instruction says but only because I added more sugar to bump SG. I expected the fermentation to be over in a few days. Very nice smell through the bubbling airlock. Per other reviews I expect the same with Cherry. Time to buy another carboy!

 

[Shurt1073]

I decided I couldn't wait for a sale and I bought Mon Cheri, ($134 with shipping). I want this ready for summer and I will be away for a few weeks at the end of May and June. It will arrive Tuesday or Wednesday.

Dang it .... I should have bought another FWK even if it was to keep in the refrigerator for a couple months until I was ready. Keep us informed on the progress.

 

[ratflinger]

1st racking out of the fermenter (2 week ferment) for my Cherry & Black Currant. FG was .994 & .998, respectively. Very dry and almost a little astringent, but huge fruit smell and taste out of both. Aged and back sweetened I'm expecting great things out of these.

 

[winemaker81]

1st racking out of the fermenter (2 week ferment) for my Cherry & Black Currant. FG was .994 & .998, respectively. Very dry and almost a little astringent, but huge fruit smell and taste out of both. Aged and back sweetened I'm expecting great things out of these.

How many conditioning packs came with each kit? How long are you going to bulk age before bottling?

 

[Ericphotoart]

I got 2 packs of conditioners with Black Currant and the same with Black Cherry, 500 ml each. I started black cherry yesterday. My black currant is still in secondary. 2 days ago SG was 0.999. It's a little longer than the instruction says but I added some sugar and boosted SG to 1.108.

 

[Ericphotoart]

1st racking out of the fermenter (2 week ferment) for my Cherry & Black Currant. FG was .994 & .998, respectively. Very dry and almost a little astringent, but huge fruit smell and taste out of both. Aged and back sweetened I'm expecting great things out of these.

Did you follow the instruction or increased SG?

 

[ratflinger]

@Ericphotoart - Within reason I followed the kit instructions, by that I meat I start the kit according to the directions, i.e, reconstitute the kit, wait until the next day to add the yeast starter, etc. After that I toss the directions and run it how I feel. I did not increase the SG as this will baseline these kits for me.

@winemaker81 - I received 2 conditioner packs with each kit. Right now I figure 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 packs, as we don't like overly sweet wine. I'll wait at least 3 months before I back sweeten and a couple of months after that before I start tasting, it might need more sweetener by then.. The taste development will determine when I bottle.

 

[winemaker81]

I received 2 conditioner packs with each kit. Right now I figure 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 packs, as we don't like overly sweet wine. I'll wait at least 3 months before I back sweeten and a couple of months after that before I start tasting, it might need more sweetener by then.. The taste development will determine when I bottle.

I suspect you'll use more than you expect. I figured the way you did, but using both packs resulted in the Strawberry and Blackberry tasting off-dry, even with 5% RS. If yours are formulated similarly, the acid is very high.

For folks that like sweet wine, adding more sugar is necessary.

 

[ratflinger]

@winemaker81 - Good advice Bryan. I have an extra on the shelf so I can tap into that if needed.

 

[Jovimaple]

I am excited to start my FWK peach soon! They included 2 conditioner packs and I think there's a carbon pack.

I will probably end up adding more than the 2 conditioner packs since the 2 each for my strawberry and blackberry kits were not enough for our tastes. I plan to add both conditioner packs then wait a while and taste to see if more is needed.

 

[Ericphotoart]

So here is the update on my black currant Frutta. After a month it reached 0.997. I added pack D, superkleer and 1 pack of sweetener. Fermentation was long because of higher
sg than the original kit and racking to secondary per instructions. I am
Fermenting now mom Cheri Frutta with SG 1.100 or 1.110 I don’t remember and I don’t have my notes here and after 10 days I have 1.010. But this time I’m fermenting in primary just covered with a cloth.

 

[Mekpdue]

LP has a sale on the Frutta’s (and more). Sensei @winemaker81 called it. Wine Kits | Label Peelers Beer and Wine Making Supply