New Winexpert Kits

[Rocky]

Here is what I have waiting in the wings. There are four WE Limited Edition kits, three different wines and one RJS Restricted Quantity kit. The warmer weather and the FFF's are coming so I need to get it in gear.

 

[jgmann67]

Interesting. I've been on the FWK bandwagon for a while now because I found them to be closer to wine from fresh grapes and juice with no kit taste. Are there folks on this thread that can comment on the comparison between the New WE kits against the FWK kits?

 

[joeswine]

Yes indeed ,

 

[justsipn]

I made 2 WE kits after the reformulation, and am pleased with both. The Cabernet Sauvignon did not have kit wine taste, and is holding well at over 2 yo. The Chardonnay was very good, but started declining at 20 months, which was a disappointment. I made the wines for my son's wedding reception in October 2021, and both wines were very well received.

What did you see declining in the Chardonnay at 20 months? I have one in the bottle at 14 months and love it. Should we love it so much that we drink it all this summer while doing another batch?

 

[winemaker81]

What did you see declining in the Chardonnay at 20 months? I have one in the bottle at 14 months and love it. Should we love it so much that we drink it all this summer while doing another batch?

The bright Chardonnay flavor that made it good at 14 months old, had faded. The color was fine, but the wine was developing off flavors, a harshness.

Most of the wine was drunk at 14 months, as it was a wedding reception. The few remaining bottles were distributed to my son & wife, her parents, my other son, and a niece. None was opened until the following June, when my son reported it was off-flavored. I had 2 bottles left, which were opened last Thanksgiving. Both disappointing.

IMO this is NOT a reason to not buy the kit. White wines do not have the longevity of reds, and they decline faster. Folks often have a completely unrealistic view of wine life -- this is far from the first white I've made or had that was superb at 12 months and declining at 24 months. I made a Verdicchio kit in 2018 that was great for the first 15 months, then started declining. Same with a 2020 Sauvignon Blanc from juice.

Yes -- enjoy it now and start another one.

I've held whites longer in bottle in the past, but my current mantra is to bottle at ~4-6 months, give it a month to get over bottle shock, and then enjoy it.

 

[jgmann67]

The bright Chardonnay flavor that made it good at 14 months old, had faded. The color was fine, but the wine was developing off flavors, a harshness.

Most of the wine was drunk at 14 months, as it was a wedding reception. The few remaining bottles were distributed to my son & wife, her parents, my other son, and a niece. None was opened until the following June, when my son reported it was off-flavored. I had 2 bottles left, which were opened last Thanksgiving. Both disappointing.

IMO this is NOT a reason to not buy the kit. White wines do not have the longevity of reds, and they decline faster. Folks often have a completely unrealistic view of wine life -- this is far from the first white I've made or had that was superb at 12 months and declining at 24 months. I made a Verdicchio kit in 2018 that was great for the first 15 months, then started declining. Same with a 2020 Sauvignon Blanc from juice.

Yes -- enjoy it now and start another one.

I've held whites longer in bottle in the past, but my current mantra is to bottle at ~4-6 months, give it a month to get over bottle shock, and then enjoy it.

This is something I've often wondered and thought to be true. So maybe you can tell say: Do wines go through cycles of dormancy - peaks and valleys - with their taste and smell? Can they exit bottle shock and taste great, then after a while hit a valley where the flavor is obscured; only to reemerge at some point down the road?

 

[winemaker81]

This is something I've often wondered and thought to be true. So maybe you can tell say: Do wines go through cycles of dormancy - peaks and valleys - with their taste and smell? Can they exit bottle shock and taste great, then after a while hit a valley where the flavor is obscured; only to reemerge at some point down the road?

Early in the life cycle, say during the first 6 months, wine has ups-and-downs. I noticed this during my oak stix experiment. You'll need to read the experiment notes to see what I mean.

However, I recently read more about bottle shock, and there's evidence that it's due to O2 exposure during bottling. Assuming that is correct, SO2 handles that during the month-or-so after bottling. It occurred to me that the handling of wine during the experiment had an effect upon the up-n-down I noticed, e.g., something like bottle shock.

Once in the bottle, IME wine is on a bell curve. It continued to get better until it peaks, holds there for a period of time, then starts to decline. Supposedly the going-up and coming-down are similar time periods, so for whites and light fruits the curve is steep, and for heavy reds it appears flatter, simply because it is a longer curve.

 

[cmason1957]

I think wine in the bottle goes through phases where it forgets how good it was before bottling and after bottle shock. I think that's why many wineries bottle the wine, then hold it for a year before releasing it

 

[joeswine]

I think wine in the bottle goes through phases where it forgets how good it was before bottling and after bottle shock. I think that's why many wineries bottle the wine, then hold it for a year before releasing it

That’s correct

 

[joeswine]

Whites as a rule are an early drinking , 6 mos , good to go , or earlier.
Defects will not correct themselves if they’re inherited , and it’s usually do to the processor.
Sometimes the base itself is poor quality or a composite of whites combined to create a base .
I’ve always thought that FWK Has to do some more refining there whites , there reds are decent. For those who like them .just my thoughts

 

[joeswine]

This year at the Hammonton wine contest , 13 pro judges this is my results I entered 9 wines

 

[bstnh1]

View attachment 99841This year at the Hammonton wine contest , 13 pro judges this is my results I entered 9 wines

Congratulations!!! Well done!