Port wine kit recommendations

[Boatboy24]

I've made the Black Forest port and its awesome. Have also made and really enjoy the Orange Chocolate. But if you're looking for something more traditional tasting, I think the MM La Bodega is what you want to focus on.

 

[ceeaton]

I've made the Black Forest port and its awesome.

I think you gave me one of those, and I'd agree, from what I remembered (I believe a lot of chocolate in the nose and the flavor), yum!

 

[kitten]

I have made the dark chocolate raspberry. It is a huge hit. I give it out as Christmas gifts. I actually need to make more soon. I will warn you though, just buy two kits and make the full six gallons. It will go quickly.

 

[joeswine]

Were did you buy t the m from?

 

[winojoe]

I have made the following RJ Spagnols Dessert Kits for our winery: Toasted Caramel, Raspberry Mocha, Black Forest and Vanilla Fig. Although my favorite is the Black Forest, the Vanilla Fig is our number one seller so far. Actually, all of them are very tasty! We package these in 375mL Bordeaux-Style bottles and inform the customers that they should drink it with many friends since the wine is very rich and sweet.

I attached my label designs. Let me know what you think of them.

 

[vabeachbear]

When I fortify, I do a bench test to determine best flavor profile. I test with everclear and brandy as I’ve found sometimes I prefer everclear to brandy.

Agree, in fact I've found that the brandy never makes it better. I use Grain. It has no flavor profile, and leaves the ports to taste like the flavor they're supposed to be.

Black Forest, Toasted Caramel, Coffee, Vanilla Fig all are very good. Probably in that order for me.

 

[joeswine]

How did you like the fig?

 

[GaDawg]

Brandy will change the taste of your wine.

 

[JamesGrape]

Nice labels

 

[GaDawg]

How did you like the fig?

I like the fig a lot. I’m not a big port kit fan, but the fig is the only one I have made more than once!

 

[ibglowin]

I made a double batch of the La Bodega Port years ago. Before I fortified it was hands down the best tasting kit wine I ever made (and I made a lot of them once upon a time). I would make this again in a heartbeat. Only thing I would do different is to step feed it up front to max out the ABV so you need less fortification. Doing a double batch allowed me to age it in one of my 23L Vadai's for 6 months.

 

[cubluffs]

Only thing I would do different is to step feed it up front to max out the ABV so you need less fortification. Doing a double batch allowed me to age it in one of my 23L Vadai's for 6 months.

Would you please explain the process of step feeding?

 

[geek]

Would you please explain the process of step feeding?

Basically you do your sugar additions during the fermentation, the ending ABV will be higher, hence less brandy addition needed to up the ABV at the end.

 

[ibglowin]

As Varis said you keep adding additions of simple syrup keeping track of the SG (starting and ending) with each addition. The yeast will keep fermenting the sugars until they reach the maximum ABV that they can tolerate before they die off. Since your making a port you don't really care if it ends up not dry as that is what you want in a port style wine. If you take care of the yeast and supply proper amounts of nutrients you should be able to get wine upwards of ~18% (EC1118)

Would you please explain the process of step feeding?

 

[GaDawg]

I do like these kits, but they are sweet! Have any of you guys added part of the F-pack to the primary? How much did you add? How did it turn out?

 

[joeswine]

These are a sweet port not a standard port all the flavor is in the fpac ,not in the base.adding more alchoal can smooth out the sweetness some what.

 

[Burton Kent]

I have made the following RJ Spagnols Dessert Kits for our winery: Toasted Caramel, Raspberry Mocha, Black Forest and Vanilla Fig. Although my favorite is the Black Forest, the Vanilla Fig is our number one seller so far. Actually, all of them are very tasty! We package these in 375mL Bordeaux-Style bottles and inform the customers that they should drink it with many friends since the wine is very rich and sweet.

I attached my label designs. Let me know what you think of them.

People are buying based on the labels. I didn't know Black Forest was Chocolate Cherry. You might want to add that explanation to the labels, I bet it'll start selling like mad.

EVERYONE loves Black Forest. I took it to a Memorial day party and the host passed it around in small plastic shot glasses.

 

[jdwebb]

I have a Blackberry/Cherry Mead Port going now that you can read more about here. It's a very intense project not recommended for beginners. It's got good flavor and shows great promise. I put the final touches to it recently by adding the cognac and oak. Time is what I'm waiting on now, lots and lots of time.

 

[ASR]

I just started the Apres Chocolate Raspberry Dessert Wine. If the taste is anything like the aroma I may just keep it all for me! It is a 3 gallon kit, i am still deciding between the 750ml bottles or go with the more traditional dessert wine 375 bottles.

 

[DavesWine]

Resurrecting an old thread. I've been trying to find a port kit that would be more like a tawny port. Any suggestions?