Thinking outside the box

[CheerfulHeart]

Tweaking Naughty Merlot?

I recently bought an IM Naughty Merlot kit. I would like to boost the body and the ABV just a bit.

No bananas in my pantry and nearest grocery store is 45 minutes away.

A can of Alexander Merlot concentrate has been sitting on the shelf for a while and is in need of being used.

My thoughts are to bump the SG to 1.095 or 1.10 with half the fpac and some simple syrup if needed and add a liter of the Alexander concentrate.

I might add some raisins and tannin to secondary.

Does this sound like a good approach?

 

[joeswine]

Hi, Question is that and Island Mist kit and does it have a Fpac if so just bumped up the Abv.tannins in the secondary are always nice,if it doesn't come with an Fpac,1/2 cups of raisins in the primary some oak , secondary 1 cup your concentrate and tannins again just 1 talbe spoon.

 

[joeswine]

Hammonton wine contest

always afun time,good people decent wine and excellent judging,this is how i did,,

 

[joeswine]

Black current desert wine

a great after dinner wine or just as a treat to your palate this desert wine is spot on in every fashion. Follow the flow.

 

[joeswine]

Black current wine continued

more to come stay with me ,wine making has many steps but once you've mastered them you can move through the process quit quickly, follow the flow.

 

[joeswine]

Sangiovese the prince of italian reds

one of the best italian wines out there,follow the flow ..

 

[joeswine]

Sangiovese the prince of italian reds

we have a ways to go the flow is long but when you make wine you should always allow enough time to FOLLOW THE FLOW>,,,,,,<<<<<<<<

 

[joeswine]

Black berry desert wine

DEEP,DARK ,INKY AND LOADED WITH BLACKBERRIES,THIS IS THE SECOND TIME I,VE MADE THIS KIT ,I MODIFIED IT JUST A LITTLE MORE WITH LBS. OF FRESH BLACKBERRIES IN THE PRIMARY WHAT A DIFFERENCE.FOLLOW THE FLOW.

 

[joeswine]

Torrents the making of the kit

this wine is outstanding if i could i'd make it in a heartbeat,follow the flow...
TORRONTES.THIS IS A WINE CRISP AND MINERALLY SEM-DRY WITH GOOD FRUIT AND MEDIMUN BODY LITE STRAW TO GOLDEN IN COLOR THIS IS A SIPLE WINE WITH A GREAT PAST.THE ONLT TWEAKS WILL BE ADDING LEMON ZEST TO THE SECONDARY ABOUT ½ OF A LEMON ENOUGH TO GIVE THE ACIDITY A BITE.

 

[joeswine]

Basic wine chemistry

Basic Wine Chemistry ​

Chaptalization is the process of adding sugar to unfermented grape developed by the French chemist Jean-Antoine-Claude Chaptal, for whom it was named. Contrary to popular belief, this process does not make the wine sweeter but only artificially inflates the alcohol content. Additionally, the sugar in chaptalized wine cannot be tasted.
Potassium Metabisulfite is a common wine or must additive, where it forms sulfur dioxide gas (SO2). This both prevents most wild microorganisms from growing, and it acts as potent antioxidant, protecting both the color, and delicate flavors of wine.
Typical dosage is ¼ tsp potassium metabisulfite, per 6 gallon bucket of must (yielding roughly 75ppm of SO2) prior to fermentation, and ½ tsp per 6 gallon bucket (150 ppm of SO2) at bottling.
Winemaking equipment is sanitized by spraying with a 1% SO2 (2 tsp potassium metabisulfite per L) solution.
Potassium Sorbate is used to inhibit molds, and yeasts in wine. Also known affectionately as “wine stabilizer”, potassium sorbate produces sorbic acid when added to wine. It serves two purposes. When active fermentation has ceased and the wine is racked for the final time after clearing, potassium sorbate will continue fermenting any residual sugar into CO2 and alcohol, but when they die no new yeast will be present to cause future fermentation. When a wine is sweetened before bottling, potassium sorbate is used to prevent refermentation when used in conjunction with potassium metabisulfite. It is primarily used with sweet wines, sparkling wines and some hard cider but may be added to table wines which exhibits difficulty in maintaining clarity after fining.

 

[joeswine]

Coffee port

​

Cru Coffee Port Kit​

The box includes the following:
· Large bag of juice
· 2 packs of Lavin EC-1118
· 1 Coffee Port F-Pack
· Package of bentonite
· Package of Metabisulphite
· Package of Potassium Sorbate
· Package of each Chitosan-D2 and kiesesol-D1(Fining Agents)

Our additions:
· Oak Tannin (Tannic Acid)
· Instant Coffee
· Spring Water

Tools you will 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
· Wine thief
· Siphon rod and hose
· Carboy (3 US gallon capacity)
· Bung and Air lock
· Solid Bung (if you are bulk aging)
· Unscented winemaking detergent for cleaning (we recommend One-step or any other oxygenating cleaner, including Kmet....JUST NOT BLEACH!)
· Metabisulphite Powder for sanitizing
· 15 wine bottles, 15 corks , 15 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.
· Add the large juice package. (Be careful, it’s heavy!) Rinse this out with a little bit of spring water to make sure you get it all.
· We have our bucket measured to 3 gallons. The kit didn’t quite come to 3 gallons so we topped up until we reach 3 gallons.
· Add the bentonite and give it a good stir.
· Then add the oak tannin, stir, and then take your SG reading. It should read 1.10.
· We then took a PH test and it read 4.0. Typically, it should be around 3.5.
· Finally, we pitched the yeast, made up a tag, and covered it up to rest.

After it ferments dry: (Approx. 2 weeks)

• After it fermented dry (SG: 0.98) we racked it into our secondary, 3 gallon fermentation carboy.
• We had to take out approx. 1.5 wine bottles of wine out of the carboy so that we will have room for the coffee F-pack. We set that aside with an air-lock. If when we rack the wine again and we come up short and have extra air-space, we will add it.
• We checked the ph of the wine and it is at 3.5 which is perfect for this type of port.
• We added the sorbate, K-met packet, and gave it a good stir.
• Next, we added packet #1 (of the 2 packet combination) of Kieselsol and set our time for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, we add packet #2 of Kieselsol and stirred again. (Learning tip: The reason for the 5 minute wait time is you are waiting for the molecules from packet #1 to bind to certain molecules in the wine. The second packet will bind to the molecules in the first packet and then the clearing process starts. (Positive and negative particles will attract, become heavy, and fall to the bottom of the carboy, taking the sediment with it.)
• Next, we added the Coffee F-Pak. Note: Not all of the F pack fit into my 3-gallon carboy. I should have taken out possibly 2 bottles of extra wine instead of 1.5. I put the extra F-pak in the refrigerator. When I rack this again to a final mixing bucket I will add everything to the bucket and give it a good stir.

 

[joeswine]

Orchard breeze peach

SOMETHING FOR THE SUMMER TIME AND NOT TO SWEET JUST A TASTE OF PEACH ,FOLLOW THE FLOW.................................................

 

[joeswine]

Orchard breeze peach continued

follow the flow ,fpacs are fun to add a touch of yourself to a kit or juice...

 

[joeswine]

Building body into your wine

TRY THIS WITH YOUR WHITES..ADDS A GREAT ACIDITY TO THE BALANCE....BEST IN THE PRIMARY WORKS WELL IN THE SECONDARY..

 

[joeswine]

Super tuscan

what can I say the king to some of the BIG REDS...follow the flow its a little long but hay, thats just me enjoy..

 

[joeswine]

Super tuscan continued

SUPER TUSCANSuper Tuscans[edit]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tignanello_BMK.jpg
Tignanello one of the early Super Tuscans.
Super Tuscans are an unofficial category of Tuscan wines, not recognized within the Italian wine classification system. The origin of Super Tuscans is rooted in the restrictive DOC practices of the Chianti zone prior to the 1990s. During this time Chianti could be composed of no more than 70% Sangiovese and had to include at least 10% of one of the local white wine grapes. Producers who deviated from these regulations could not use the Chianti name on their wine labels and would be classified as vino da tavola - Italy's lowest wine designation. By the 1970s, the consumer market for Chianti wines was suffering and the wines were widely perceived to be lacking quality. Many Tuscan wine producers thought they could produce a better quality wine if they were not hindered by the DOC regulations.[6]
The marchese Piero Antinori was one of the first to create a "Chianti-style" wine that ignored the DOC regulations, releasing a 1971 Sangiovese-Cabernet Sauvignon blend known as Tignanello in 1978. Other producers followed suit and soon the prices for these Super Tuscans were consistently beating the prices of some of most well known Chianti. Rather than rely on name recognition of the Chianti region, the Super Tuscan producers sought to create a wine brand that would be recognizable on its own merits by consumers. By the late 1980s, the trend of creating high quality non-DOC wines had spread to other regions of Tuscany, as well as Piedmont and Veneto. Modification to the Chianti DOC regulation attempted to "correct" the issues of Super Tuscans, so that many of the original Super Tuscans would now qualify as standard DOC/G Chianti. Most producers have brought their Super Tuscans back under legal regulations, notably since the creation of the less restrictive IGT Toscana designation in 1992 and the DOC Bolgheri Sassicaia designation in 1994.[6]
In addition to wines based on the Sangiovese grape, many well known Super Tuscans are based on a "Bordeaux-blend", meaning a combination of grapes typical for Bordeaux (esp. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot). These grapes are not originally from the region, but imported and planted later. The climate in Tuscany has proven to be very good for these grapes. One of the first successful Super Tuscan based "Bordeaux-blend" was Sassicaia, by Tenuta San Guido, now classified as DOC Bolgheri.

 

[joeswine]

tools in the tool box

ALWAYS BE PREPARED AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE AND HAVING THE CORRECT TOOLS ISN' ALWAYS POSSIBLE BUT HERE ARE A FEW YOU SHOULD HAVE..

 

[joeswine]

Sangiovese the prince of italian reds

ha yes the prince of Italian wines this is a long flow stay awake..................................

 

[joeswine]

Sangiovese the prince of italian reds

there's more to the flow...................... balance to follow..................

Winexpert Sangiovese​

​

Here is the beginning of the process. We are starting with an inexpensive wine kit from Wine Expert- World Vineyard. It's an Italian Sangiovese. My friend, Katie (Neviawen from the forum here) was here at my house to document the process for us all. I will include pictures throughout the making of this kit, as well as what we are going to do to take an inexpensive kit and make great wine from it.

Step 1: We have acquired our kit, sanitized everything, and laid out all of our tools before we started.

Step2: Added 1/2 gallon of hot water to my fermentation bucket and added bentonite. Stirred until no clumps.

Step 3: Opened up the bag of "grape juice" and dumped into the bucket and stirred.

Step 4; Added 1/2 gal of spring water to the empty bag (where the juice came from, to rinse it out) and swished it around. Added that to the bucket and stirred.

Step 5: Topped the bucket off w/ spring water to the 6 gallon mark and stirred more.

Step 6: Took our specific gravity reading. Posted that on our hanging tag.

Step 7: Added 2 bags of oak chips and pitched the yeast. (sprinkled it on top, do not stir).

Step 8: Cover the top of the bucket with a clean towel. This will prevent anything from falling into it.

Then we wait 5-7 days. We will then move onto the next phase.

Next:
Ok, today is 7 days from when we started this kit. We took our specific gravity reading and it is at 1.028. Slowly it's fermenting dry.
I also put up a picture of what the bucket looks like right now. You can see there are some bubbles and oak chips floating on top. It smells great! Stay tuned- it will be going into the carboy for secondary fermentation soon..

Next:
Sorry this was so late getting posted. I had a few hectic weeks. I did manage to take the pictures to keep up with the process. Here we go- it’s getting interesting!

10 days after we started this kit, we checked the Specific Gravity and it is 1.000- it is almost dry. Now is when we add the raisons and powdered oak (wine tannin powder). We are using 1 pound of black raisons (you can use white raisons for white wines) and we are using 4 tbsp. of the powdered oak.

Here is a picture of the powdered oak and raisons at the bottom of our carboy.

For our demonstration we are using the auto-syphon instead of my wine pump. This is the most basic tool for this job and is what most beginner home winemakers have handy. Transferring the wine from the primary fermentation bucket to the carboy helps to degas the wine.

When you get to the bottom of the bucket when syphoning, you can use wedges to prop up one end of the bucket. This helps you get the most out of your wine.

We now have our wine in the 6 gallon carboy. Let’s stir it up good to get all the raisons and powdered oak mixed well. This also will help degas more.

We are using a 6 gallon carboy but only have a 5 gallon batch of wine. I am filling the remaining 1 gallon of headspace with Nitrogen.Once this is racked again it will go into a 5 gallon carboy.

As always, we write our latest specific gravity reading on our tag and hang it on the carboy.

Cover the carboy up with a towel to keep light out.

Next:
Sangiovese Update: My oh My! It's tasty so far!
Here's our observation:
There was a heavy body to it, medium tanins, nice bite and a zing of acidity. It will be a good wine when aged.
Here's a few pictures. But first, let's explain what were looking at.
There are 3 pictures here. One the side of the glass in the pictures you will notice a "clear smear". This is what we call the wine's "legs". Having these when you tip a glass of wine indicates that the wine has good body and alchohol content.
Next, you will notice the "age line". This is the line that is between the surface of the wine and the distance to the color of the wine. The smaller this line is, the longer your wine has aged. You will see in our pictures that this wine is still very young yet the ring is close. That is the difference in a kit; they are made to age quick so you can drink them faster.

Final step to our Sangiovese kit: Bottling!



Before we started, we got all the tools out of our toolbox that we would need. We also sanitized all our bottles and had them ready.
What we had ready before we started:
Sanitized Bottles
Funnel
Ferrari Bottle Filler
Long Stirring wand
seals
corks
Packets of Sorbate and K-Met that came with the kit
my bottle sealing tool (don't know what it's called but it holds the seal on top the bottle while I dip it into boiling water), notice we didn't filter, that's because we racked down to clear.

Next, we dumped the 2 packets of ingredients into the carboy and gave it a stir w/ the wand (I didn't take a picture of this, you all know how to just give it a stir.)

I then placed the Ferrari bottling tool on top of an empty bottle, put the larger hose into the carboy and applied suction to the smaller hose to start the syphon. Once the wine starts to flow I place this smaller hose into an empty bottle just so it's out of the way.

What is great about this tool is that once a bottle is full it automatically stops the wine flow so that it doesn't overflow. You will see that it gets to a certain level in the little chamber and then it stops filling. When this happens you put the Ferrari tool into the next bottle and proceed.

When you have all bottles filled, you cork them. Once they are corked you seal them.

Fit the seal over the bottle, I use a tool that holds the seal on top the bottle for me as I dip them into boiling water. I dip it in, give it one twist real quick and pull it out. (Literally takes 2 seconds and it's sealed.)

 

[joeswine]

SANGIOVESE THE PRINCE OF ITALIAN WINES ,THIS ONE'S LONG IN THE MAKING BUT BOLD ON TASTE STAY WITH THE FLOW ASK AWAY IF YOU WANT.