Thinking outside the box

[LoneStarLori]

You meant a 7.5L kit.....


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making

Oops, yes. Why didn't spell check pick that up?

 

[LoneStarLori]

Brunello Update

It's been a little over two months since I started this kit so I wanted to let you know how it's going.
To recap, I used a WE SE Brunello kit. The kit came with a grape pack and 4 packages of oak in addition to the usual chems.

I'm sure this kit would be fine on it's own but I wanted to add a little extra body and mouthfeel so I did a little tweaking. Toward the end of the primary, at SG 1.022 I added black Zante currants which come from Corinth grapes.

Since this was nearly dry a couple of days later, (.995) after racking to secondary, I took out the supplied grape skins but saved the currants and added them back in. Two days is not enough time to let them do their magic. I also added 2 tsp of Tannin Riche. Don't ask my why, but I love this stuff. It is not as astringent as a standard tannin and is so smooth, I almost want to add it to my coffee.

Five days later,(SG .994), I racked it once again and removed the currants. I wasn't sure it was fully done fermenting so I did not clear at this time. I waited another 7 days and the SG had dropped to .993 so I continued onto clearing. Leaving the currants behind.

The instructions on this kit call to add the second batch of oak at time of clearing. I had not seen this before but decided to follow directions and add the oak. After 8 days there was plenty of sediment on the bottom so I racked from the clearing lees and disgarded the oak.


After another 3 weeks, I decided to rack once again and see how she is coming. All I can say is WOW!
I am told I should wait a year to start drinking this, but I doubt that will happen. Although it is still resting peacefully, the taste seems pretty mature to me. It has medium body, dry and nice dark fruits up front. A little spice/pepper. The finish isn't exactly long, but it has promise. The color is a beautiful garnet.

If you have followed this project from the beginning, you might recall I did this batch with the help of 7 sisters-in-law and my sweet 86 yr old Mother-in-law. I was hosting a girls weekend at my house and thought it might be fun to show them how I make all this wine they so love to drink.

I haven't bottled yet but I received the labels today. I designed and ordered them from Grogtag. I like their labels becuase they come with back and are easy to remove since they are vinyl. For about $20 per 25 labels I don't mind the extra cost. I don't use them on all my wines. Only the ones I'm really proud of. I think the ladies will like the labels...and the wine of course.

 

[geek]

great post Lori...

I have that kit, started Sept 11, 2013 and bottled Feb. 11 this year.

I guess it is time to try a sip and see how it tastes...

 

[LoneStarLori]

Whaaaat? How can you hold off that long? You have more self control than I ever will. Crack one open and let me know what it's like. It's been a year. Time to start enjoying the fruit of your labor.


Sent from my iPad Air because I spilled wine on my MacBook. Waaaah!

 

[Simpsini]

Lori

This is a great post. Love your labels. I started the same kit on 28 Sept after reading your and Joe's take on this kit. I racked last week and snuck a taste. WOW!! This stuff is going to be great. I added some simple syrup to bring the SG up to 1.092 from 1.082 and added some extra oak. I can't wait until it's finished. Dave

 

[joeswine]

Brunello

EXCELLENT WORK MY DEAR YOU MAKE ME PROUD.........................

 

[LoneStarLori]

Thanks Joe! I learned from the Master tweaker.

(Oh, that almost sounds bad)


Sent from my iPad because I spilled wine on my MacBook. Waaaah!

 

[joeswine]

thinking out side the box

nice showing my dear in the big red contest.............

 

[LoneStarLori]

Really thinking outside the box.

It sure seems like forever since I have posted here. Holidays and pure laziness can sometimes get the better of me. Winter is not my favorite time of year. Time to crawl out of my Groundhog tunnel and make some wine. Actually, I started this right after New Years. It has been a slow go.

This kit is a little different than the ones I have posted here. It is technically a ‘kit’ but it is an "all juice" kit and comes in a bucket, not a box. This is the Mosti Mondale All Juice Shiraz. I did this kit last year with my daughter and I have to admit, it would stand up to any $15. Shiraz on the shelf. It is silky smooth, very well balanced and fruity. Just dry enough and plenty of wood. Just the way she likes her reds.

The first batch was called Abby’s Selection, since my daughter chose it for me and brought it down from Fine Vine Wines in Dallas to me in South Texas. We knew we had to make another so this is Abby’s Reprise. 
The bucket is shipped in a box, then there is a large juice bag inside the bucket along with the standard chems and another not usually found in kits, yeast nutrient, as well as oak chips.

This is what the bucket looks like, I wish I had taken a picture of the juice bag inside. It looks like any other except very large and heavy. That's why there is no picture. It took two of us to dump it in the bucket. You can not really make the wine in the bucket that it comes in. (it's right at 6 gals.) You need more room for foam so I put it in a 7.5 gl primary.

Unlike most kits, you know what you are getting.

Provided chems. I will not use the sorbate since I don't intend to back sweeten. I will also use SuperKleer because I know it works, every time.

This will be my tweak to the kit. I will also add tannin when I rack to secondary.

The must came out at 109.8 so i did not add any additional sugar. I think the added currants later will bump up the ABV a bit so this should be fine. Sometimes i like to play around and change out the yeast, but the first batch came out so nice, I am sticking with EC-118. The instructions on this kit are quite different than what I normally get from the box kits. This calls to re-hydrate the yeast, which I did. It also says to add the Bentonite added to water at the same time as the yeast. Not directly to the bucket before the juice.

Here are the stats so far, stirring twice daily in the primary.

1/3/2015 109.8 Start date
1/7/2015 108.5 Moving slowly, gave it a extra robust stir.
1/9/2015 103.5 Added yeast nutrient as per instructions.
1/13/2015 1.014 Racked to secondary and added 1/2 lb of dried black currants, Oak provided in kit, 2 tbl pf LD Carlson Tannin. (sorry, no pics of this event).

This is a slow mover. It is not because it's colder because I live in a mild climate. It is apparent the juice is not concentrated. It just acts different.
At this point I have added my 'tweaks" and am waiting for the currants and tannins to do their thing. Smells wonderful!

 

[LoneStarLori]

Just a quick note on this kit. This week, finevinewines.com has the MM all juice kits on sale. I just ordered a "Grigionnay" juice bucket for $110. delivered with free corks. Can't beat that! I'm looking forward to this mix. Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay. Two of my favorite wines.
Also, for my fellow tweakers, if you have been wanting to try tweaking with black currants instead of raisins, Amazon has a pretty good price right now of $20. for 4-1lb bags of Red Mill Zante/Corinth. This is a good deal also. I think I paid $15. for 2 bags last fall.
No, I don't work for Winemakers toy store nor Amazon, I just like to pass on a good deal when I see one.

 

[joeswine]

thinking out side the box

where are you now in the process?????///

 

[RCGoodin]

Great post. The wine looks great also.

 

[joeswine]

Shiraz with black CORTHIAN grapes

this wine when finished was a mouthful and a taste treat.....follow the flow and how the FPAC was used,,,think outside the box.......PHASE TWO TO FOLLOW..............

 

[joeswine]

Shiraz with black CORTHIAN grapes

Follow the flow

 

[joeswine]

Black corthian grapes

THE SIDE BAR.................
javascript://
bunchgrapes.com
Black Corinth Grapes

​

Black Corinth (aka Zante Currant, the Champagne grape, etc.). An ancient grape, probably of Greek origin. While the main variety is black, there are red and also white forms of the grape, though they are less common than the black form. One of only a very few parthenocarpic grapes in commerce. Other grapes are seedless because the seeds start to develop, then abort. Parthenocarpic grapes have no seed development at all. Black Corinth has the smallest berries of all seedless grapes and must be sprayed with hormone, or have the vine girdled for the berries to set evenly and have any size to them at all. Without treatment, the berries are mostly pinhead size. Very susceptible to powdery mildew, even for a vinifera grape. The name "Champagne Grape" comes from a pictorial in Sunset magazine. Written by Allan Corrin, a produce dealer whose company grows most of the Black Corinth sold in stores in the U.S., it showed a frosted bunch of Black Corinth with a glass of champagne. In actuality, there is an old American grape already named "Champagne" that is a very coarse, harsh tasting labrusca grape. Prune Black Corinth to canes for best production.

© Lon J. Rombough, B.S., M.S., ATM. · bunchgrapes.com · All Rights Reserved.​

 

[joeswine]

Coconut fresco ta

this is the short version of the kit following the basic wine process and done.i might say that this was a outstanding wine for taste especially

Cornocopia Cocoanut Frascata Kit​

This kit we purchased off Amazon for ~$45.00 shipped. This kit contained the Frascata concentrate, Cocoanut F-pak, as well as labels, corks, caps, packets of yeast, sorbate, bentonite, k-met, and chitosan. This kit contains the essentials for any new winemaker (minus the basic equipment that is needed.)
What we added:
• ball jar of simple syrup
• Spring Water
The steps:
• First, we added the bentonite and ½ gal. warm water and stirred until dissolved.
• Next, we added the packet of frascata juice and then topped up to 5.5 gallon mark on our primary fermenter. (This kit makes 6 gal. but it seemed a bit weak, I didn't want it to be too thin in the end.)
• Then, we took an SG reading. The kit as is, came to 1.070. We wanted our SG reading to be a little higher, so we added the ball jar of simple syrup and this brought it up one point. Our SG now is 1.08
• Next, we gave the bucket a good stir and added the yeast.
• The last step: We document the contents on our tag, hang it on the bucket, and draped a towel over the top. Now we wait.
Update:
Week 2: We racked to the glass carboy and just let it sit.
week 3: Tonight we added the packets or sorbate, k-met, and fining agent, and the cocoanut F-pak I must say, the F pak is DELICIOUS! I would love to get my hand on another fpac like that to experiment with. We wrapped the towel around the carboy and put it to sleep.
Stay tuned for week 4! We plan on racking if all goes well. More to come.
Cheers!
Joeswine and Neviawen

 

[joeswine]

Black berry pino nior

blackberry pino nior sounds good and is very tasty follow the short process and think o

Blackberry Pinot Noir​

​

We purchased a medium grade kit (~$80-$90) Pinot Noir Winexpert Kit. We wanted Blackberry Pinot Noir so we purchased 1.5 lbs. of blackberries to go with this.

The Winexpert box includes the following:
· Large bag of juice
· 1 Pack of Redstar Champagne Yeast
· 2 Chaptalisation Packs (bags of sugar)
· Package #2 (bentonite)
· Package #3 (Metabisulphite)
· Package #4 (Sorbate)
· Package #5 (Chitosan-(Fining Agent)
· Mesh Straining Bag
· 1 package of oak chips
Just for reference, I’m sure everyone knows by now if they have been following the posts, that you will need certain equipment to make this kit. For the newbies, I’m going to put it below so you know what you need:
· Primary Fermenter (minimum 30 Litres/7.9 US gallons capacity)
· Long stirring spoon (Plastic or stainless steel)
· Measuring cup
· Hydrometer and test jar
· Thermometer
· Siphon rod and hose
· Carboy (6 US gallon capacity)
· Bung and Air lock
· Solid Bung (if you are bulk aging)
· Unscented winemaking detergent for cleaning (we recommend Onestep or any other oxygenating cleaner, including Kmet....JUST NOT BLEACH!)
· Metabisulphite Powder for sanitizing
· 30 wine bottles, thirty corks , thirty seals
· Corking machine (there are various types, we use an Italian floor corker.)
The Process:
· As always, sanitize anything that comes in contact with the wine. Including yourself. J
· Add half gallon of warm water to the primary fermenting bucket with the bentonite packet and stir until dissolved.
· Add the large juice package. (Be careful, it’s heavy!) Rinse out the bag with a little bit of spring water to make sure you get it all.
· Top up your bucket until you reach a 6 gallons. (I marked my primary before hand so I know where 6 gallons are.)
· Now, we took our SG reading and it was 1.08. We added simple syrup to bring the SG up to 1.10. Our logic is: We wanted at least 12% alc. At the finish because we know the blackberries are going to pick up the flavor at the bottom end. (The blackberries will overpower the flavor if we didn’t have a higher alch. Content. It would just be juice with not much alch.. This is how we do it, I’m sure others have their own opinion.)
· Next, we added ½ tsp of oak tannin.
· Then we added the oak chips and prinkled yeast on top of that. Don’t stir, just let it sit.
· Then here comes the blackberry. We created a homemade F-pak out of blackberries. (We are going to write up a separate tutorial for this.) Note: an F-pack doesn’t always have to go at the end of the wine, you can add them to the beginning. An F-pack in the beginning will blend well with the wine but will not usually over-power the taste of the wine. If you add it at the end, the predominant taste of your wine will be the F-pak.
· We added the the F-pak to a mesh bag and tied it in a knot then added it to the primary.
· We added bellie-bands because it’s chilly in the winter. It’s about 64 degrees in here. After that, I hung my tag on the side, put a towel on top. And we wait. J

(REWRITE WHAT IS BELOW TO MAKE IT GO W/ THIS WINE.)
Secondary Fermentation:
Now that we fermented dry (SG reading is 1.010), now it’s time to rack it.
Notice the grape skins on top? This is the cap that formed from the grape skin packet that was provided in the Wineexpert Amarone Kit, along with the addition of California Raisins (that I added to add more body).
We racked this down to a carboy but it is pretty gassy. I’m going to let this settle out for a few days and degas some on its own. Over the weekend, I will force-gas it (If I have to) by giving it a good old-fashioned stir. Once I feel that it’s de-gassed enough, I will stabilize it with the potassium sorbate packet, K-Met Packet, and packet of Chitosan (clearing agent).

UPDATE:​

We finished bottling our super-awesome, Winexpert Selection International Amarone Kit. We are quite happy with the results. Our end result is a dark, inky-color, rich, full bodied, wine. It has a spicy-earthy, sour cherry aroma, dried fruit, bitter almond, from the huge volume of tannins.

For a kit wine that started just 2 1/2 months ago, the results are quite impressive. (We started this kit on August 22, 2013. We bottled tonight, 10/24/2013. After doing this kit, we would def. recommend this one for any true Italian red-wine drinker.

We would like to thank Winexpert for giving us the opportunity to present one of their finest wine kits they have available. We would definitely recommend this kit to the novice and experienced winemakers alike as it truly is exceptional.

We are looking forward to our next tutorial now that this one is complete. Please give us feedback and recommendations of what type of wine you would like to learn how to make.
utside the box.

 

[joeswine]

Torrents spanish white

THIS WINE TURNED OUT VERY NICE THIS IS A GOOD WHITE WINE FOR YOU COLLECTS...CRISP,FRUITY AND SEMI-DRY....
Torrontés is a white Argentine winegrape variety, producing

Torrontés​

Grape (Vitis)​

​

Color of berry skin
Blanc
Species
Vitis vinifera
Also called
Torrontés Riojano, Torrontés Sanjuanino, Torrontés Mendocino, Torrontel, and other synonyms
Notable regions
Argentina

fresh, aromatic wines with moderate acidity, smooth texture and mouthfeel as well as distinctive peach and apricot aromas on the nose.[1] Three Torrontés varieties exist in Argentina: Torrontés Riojano, the most common, Torrontés Sanjuanino, and Torrontés Mendocino. It is primarily Torrontés Riojano that has received attention for the quality of its wines, and is the variety used for most Argentine wines simply labeled Torrontés.[2]
The three grapes are relatively similar but do have some noticeable differences. Torrontés Riojano and Torrontés Sanjuanino both tend to have large loose bunches of pale grapes while Torrontés Mendocino, however, has smaller, tighter bunches of darker yellow grapes. Torrontés Riojano is the most aromatic of the three, with aromas reminiscent of Muscat and Gewürtztraminer wines. The least aromatic, and least widely planted, is Torrontés Mendocino with the aromatics and plantings of Torrontés Sanjuanino falling in between.[3] All three Argentine Torrontés varieties belong to the Criollas group of grape varieties, which is a term used for presumably American-born cultivars of the European grapevine Vitis vinifera.[4]
Around 8,700 hectares (21,000 acres) in Argentina have been planted with Torrontés Riojano, and 4,850 hectares (12,000 acres) with Torrontés Sanjuanino. Plantings in the very high altitudes (1700m+) of the Calchaquíes Valleys in the far north of Argentina have recently met with success. The vine is highly productive and is just under ten percent of all white grape plantings, however as a varietal, it made up almost 20 percent of all white wine sold in Argentina in 2008. The Salta region in northwest Argentina is particularly noted for its Torrontés as the grape thrives in cold dry, windswept conditions.
History and relation to other grapes

DNA evidence suggest that the Mission grape (seen here in a late 19th-century photo growing in California) is one of the parents of Torrontés.
Recent research using DNA profiling has shown that the different Torrontés are genetically closely related but distinct grape varieties, and that Torrontés Riojano, Torrontés Sanjuanino, and Torontel (also known as Moscatel Amarillo) are all separate crossings of Mission (originally reported as Criolla Chica) and Muscat of Alexandria.[5][6][7] Torrontés Mendocino was found to probably be a crossing of Muscat of Alexandria and another, so far unidentified grape variety.[8] While the Muscat-like qualities of the Torrontés varieties meant that a relationship to Muscat of Alexandria had been expected, the presence of Mission or Criolla Chica in the pedigree was unexpected to the researchers.[9]
For many years it was believed that the Torrontés of South America was the same variety as the Torrontés grape from Galicia in Spain, also known as Albillo Mayor. This widespread belief was due, in part, to the frequent migration waves of Galician workers that have immigrated to Argentina throughout its history.[2] Indeed, even wine expert Jancis Robinson, noted as much in her 1986 book on the world's grape varieties.[1] However, recent DNA evidence shows that there is probably no direct relationship between the Argentine and Spanish Torrontés varieties[10] and more recent editions of Robinson's wine books acknowledge the new findings.[2]
There is also a less common red wine grape called Torrontés, which is also known under the synonyms Tarrantes and Turrundos.[11]
Wine regions[

The provinces of Argentina that grow the most Torrontés. Torrontés Riojano is most widely grown in La Rioja (red) and Salta (orange). Torrontés Sanjuanino is most widely grown in the San Juan province (yellow) while Torrontés Mendocino is most widely grown in the Rio Negro province (blue).

An Argentinian Torrontés.
Torrontés is grown throughout Argentina and its acreage is steadily increasing. Part of its increase in numbers comes from the increase in Argentine wine exportation where the grape has found considerable success in the United States, United Kingdom and aboard but also from a better understanding and identification of the different Torrontés varieties that allow for better accounting of plantings. For most of its history (including into the late 20th century) Torrontés lagged behind Pedro Giménez and Ugni blanc among white grape varieties in Argentina.[2] But by the early 21st century, declining plantings in those two varieties and the growing popularity of Torrontés allowed it to surpass them and become Argentina's most widely planted white variety where it continued to be as of 2008.[4]
The different Torrontés varieties have developed niche in different areas of Argentina. Torrontés Riojano is widely grown in the La Rioja and Salta provinces of northern Argentina and is, in fact, the single most widely planted variety (both red and white) in La Rioja. In Salta, the grape is often planted in high altitude, sandy vineyards that are often more than 1,600 meters (5,200 feet) above sea level. Here, the harsh growing conditions allow the variety to attain high acidity and assertive flavors.[4]
In the arid San Juan province, Torrontés Sanjuanino is found but is planted to a much less significant amount than Torrontés Riojano. Torrontés Mendocino is, by far, the least widely planted variety and is mostly found in the southern province of Rio Negro.[2]
Outside of Argentina[
Torrontés is grown in Chile, however, the exact number of plantings (and of which variety) are not completely known. In 1996, Jancis Robinson noted that there were several hundred hectares of Torontel grown but some of these plantings may actually be the Galician variety. Additionally, Torrontés is known in Chile often under the synonym Moscatel de Austria (believed to be Torrontés Sanjuanino).[2]
According to wine expert Oz Clarke, most plantings of Torrontés in Chile is Torrontés Riojano and the grape is primarily used in the production of Chilean brandy wine known as pisco.[3]
Spanish Torrontés[edit]
While DNA evidence shows that there is probably no relationship between the Galician variety of Torrontés and the South American variety, consumers may still see Spanish wine labeled as Torrontés from the Galician wine region of Ribeiro as well as other Denominación de Origens in such as the Gran Canaria of the Canary Islands (most likely the Terrantez variety of Madeira[4]), Montilla-Moriles and Madrid.[3]
Wine style[

Torrontés growing in the Cafayate vineyard of the Salta province.
According to wine expert Jancis Robinson, Torrontés has the capability of producing wines of high quality, but its success is dependent on the skill and care of the winemaking process, particularly in maintaining suitable acid levels to balance the wine. At its most ideal, Robinson notes, Torrontés are "wines for early drinking that are not too heavy, are high in acidity, and are intriguingly aromatic in a way reminiscent of but not identical to Muscat."[2] But poorer made examples can come across as bitter and excessively alcoholic.[4]
Wine expert Oz Clarke, also notes the dependency on careful vinification for the quality of Torrontés but also notes that the size of the harvestyield can also play a substantial role. While the aroma of Torrontés is often associated with Muscat, Clarke notes that many examples can be very similar to Gewürztraminer with subtle spice notes mixed with the floral bouquet of the wine. Clarke also notes that the wine tends not to age very well and is often consumed within a year of its vintage date.[3]

 

[joeswine]

Torrontes the making of the kit

NOT THAT HARD TO THINK OUT SIDE THE BOX ON THIS ONE,FOLLOW THE FLOW...

 

[joeswine]

Torrontes the making of the kit

TORRONTES IN THE FLOW,MAKING THE FPAC WAS EASY AND ADDED IN MY OPPION A LITTLE SOMETHING EXTRA TO THE BODY AND MOUTHFEEL OF THE WINES FINISH....