WineXpert Should I stick to instructions

[Leemi1982]

Hi I’ve been making winexpert Malbec and merlot,, as a complete beginner I made the mistake of fermenting my Malbec in a demijohn 6 bottle kit then it starting foaming up overflowing and I had to dump it into a 10 ltr fermentation bucket to try and save it however the wine taste quite watery… I then made a 6 bottle kit of merlot winexpert and it tasted a lot better learning from my mistake using a larger fermentation bucket..

I want to move onto a 30 bottle kit which say fill to the 23ltr mark but will this make my wine watery I have seen posts of people reducing the water amount to 19ltrs, don’t really want watery wine like the Malbec I made, although that may have been my fault as I had to move it to a larger bucket

 

[Ohio Bob]

I would recommend measuring your specific gravity as you get close to adding the recommended amount of water. It’s more important to get the SG in the right range. You stand a much better chance of it tasting good.

 

[my wine]

Yes, what Ohio Bob said. You might only use 22.5 liters.

Otherwise follow the instructions. The Winexpert kits and instructions are done so a anyone will get it right. The one step I would delay is bottling. You should age it in a carboy for a couple of months at least, in my opinion, before bottling. Once you have a few kits done and you understand the process you can make adjustments to the instructions based on what you want to accomplish with that wine.

 

[sour_grapes]

I largely agree with the above. I will comment that not all kits are created equal. Your ~1-gallon kits may not have had the same quality as a "regular" 23-liter kit.

However, I am concerned that you refer to this as a "6-bottle kit." That would be 4.5 liters, rather than the expected 3.75 liters (i.e., 5 bottles). Is it possible that you overfilled by 750 ml of water?

 

[winemaker81]

The reputable vendors (WE, RJS, FWK, others) produce kits designed for reconstitution to 23 liters. Reconstituting to a different volume changes the balance, including acid level. Historically I shorted the water on kits, but in recent years I had 2 that were overly acidic, so I no longer short the water.

Which level of WE kit did you buy, Classic, Reserve, or Private Reserve? I haven't made a Classic, but the Reserve and Private Reserve are good if reconstituted to 23 liters.

However, I am concerned that you refer to this as a "6-bottle kit." That would be 4.5 liters, rather than the expected 3.75 liters (i.e., 5 bottles). Is it possible that you overfilled by 750 ml of water?

This is an important point.

 

[Vlabruz]

The shorting of water is done with the cheap amazon and kits similar. WE is a decent kit and shouldn't need that. As for it tasting watery, I'm not sure. Was if filled to the 1 gallon mark?
The 1 gal We kits are the classic version. They have less concentrate than the other two lines.
Before you do a 6 gallon kit make sure you have a large enough fermentation vessel.

 

[wineview]

Hi I’ve been making winexpert Malbec and merlot,, as a complete beginner I made the mistake of fermenting my Malbec in a demijohn 6 bottle kit then it starting foaming up overflowing and I had to dump it into a 10 ltr fermentation bucket to try and save it however the wine taste quite watery… I then made a 6 bottle kit of merlot winexpert and it tasted a lot better learning from my mistake using a larger fermentation bucket..

I want to move onto a 30 bottle kit which say fill to the 23ltr mark but will this make my wine watery I have seen posts of people reducing the water amount to 19ltrs, don’t really want watery wine like the Malbec I made, although that may have been my fault as I had to move it to a larger bucket

Don’t want to bash any kit companies but I have never been a fan of Winexpert. I bought one and that was enough.

 

[Jim Welch]

@Leemi1982 What most everyone else said plus I’ll add this, any “23 liter mark” should be YOUR mark after carefully measuring it out with water.
@wineview we all like what we like and I’m not second guessing your experience but I’ve made good wine using the Wine Expert Private Reserve kits. Perusing the winemakermag amateur competition results there are quite a few of their kits that medaled.

 

[wineview]

@Leemi1982 What most everyone else said plus I’ll add this, any “23 liter mark” should be YOUR mark after carefully measuring it out with water.
@wineview we all like what we like and I’m not second guessing your experience but I’ve made good wine using the Wine Expert Private Reserve kits. Perusing the winemakermag amateur competition results there are quite a few of their kits that medaled.

Like I said…it’s a personal opinion.

 

[Jim Welch]

Yup hence the “we all like what we like”

 

[wineview]

Yup hence the “we all like what we like”

Agreed

 

[heatherd]

Hi I’ve been making winexpert Malbec and merlot,, as a complete beginner I made the mistake of fermenting my Malbec in a demijohn 6 bottle kit then it starting foaming up overflowing and I had to dump it into a 10 ltr fermentation bucket to try and save it however the wine taste quite watery… I then made a 6 bottle kit of merlot winexpert and it tasted a lot better learning from my mistake using a larger fermentation bucket..

I want to move onto a 30 bottle kit which say fill to the 23ltr mark but will this make my wine watery I have seen posts of people reducing the water amount to 19ltrs, don’t really want watery wine like the Malbec I made, although that may have been my fault as I had to move it to a larger bucket

I would stick with 23 as that's what the kit is designed to have done. We've all been where you are, I have made every mistake there is to be made.

 

[She’sgonnakillme]

Don’t want to bash any kit companies but I have never been a fan of Winexpert. I bought one and that was enough.

I am finding that I can drink the FWK Forte products after just 3 months in the bottle and enjoy them. My WE PR and RJS EP kits are not enjoyable at only three months, they need a full year + IMO