Other Tweeking Cheap Kits

[joeswine]

This thread is dedicated solely for the purpose of inexpensive wine kits regardless of brand and what you can do as a beginner, as a novice, or experienced winemaker to "think outside the box" and create a good wine on an economical budget. Anybody can create a good wine with an expensive kit, the premise behind this thread is to show ways to enhance, correct, and ultimately make a descent bottle of every day wine at very little cost. The average kit for what we will post on this thread costs approximately $45.00. Using amazon prime, shipping was free.

Remember, this thread is dedicated to inexpensive wine kits and experiences we have had making them. Please feel free to comment on these kits, ask questions, etc., and most importantly, provide your input of what you have done (or have not done) when tweaking these kits.
Yours truly, Joeswine and Neviawen

 

[joeswine]

this is one of many inexpensive wine kits we have done with great success one of the key points we learned early on was not to make it as a 6 gallon kit but as a 5 gallon kit we found at a six gallon volumn it was to thin and taste less, not much to speak of actually a waste of money .so by reducing the volunm we increase the flavor profile (gained taste) added better balance between the oak and the alcohol level.
follow the tweaks and take your time and you to will see that you can make a decent wine at a very reasonable cost.i have made a geat deal of kits and no matter what the starting price range a winemaker always tweaks weather you’re a pro, or a cellar dwellar you tweak bar none.follow the flow and as always think outside the box.

8 hours later fermentation underway great aroma and cap the blend of oak, currents tannins and capitolization will make this cheap kit all it can be.now we wait.

 

[joeswine]

Malbec Continued

 

[joeswine]

Kate's cheap chardonnay

red or white there's a wine to fit everyone's taste buds all you have to do is try.

 

[NJBrews]

This is great information -- thanks a lot!

I have a question: what fermentation temperature are you shooting for when you use 1118? Is there a different temperature you use for reds or whites? I have a fermentation chamber with temperature controller for beer brewing but I never thought to use it for my wine.

 

[joeswine]

tweaking inexpensive kits

NJBREWS:TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION,68 TO 72 DEGREES IS AMPLE CONSTANT TEMPERATURE,BY USING THE HEATER STRIP WHAT I ACCOMPLISH IS ,FIRST GIVE THE YEAST A GOOD FERMENTATION TEMPERATURE,USING THE OPEN CONTAINER ALSO EMPLOYEES A BETTER OXYGEN TO YEAST MIXTURE PROMOTING FERMENTATION.
THE REASONING FOR ME FOR USING THE EC1118 IS THAT ITS A WORK HORSE,THE MANUFACTURE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT ENVIRONMENT THIS KIT IS GOING TO BE MADE IN NOR UNDER WHAT OTHER CONDITIONS THE KIT WILL BE SUBJECT TO ,SO THE WORKHORSE IS EMPLOYED IT COVERS ALL THE BASES AND REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PROCESS,IS IT THE MOST APPROPRIATE FOR THEM,MAYBE NOT FOR YOUR STYLE WINE ,ONCE AGAIN TRIAL AND ERROR IS EMPLOYED.

 

[Dentman]

@joeswine Im a fan man thanks !!! Ive done several amazon kits (5 to be exact) and they get better and better. Joe gave me some pointers via PM early on to get me started. Heres a quick list of what Ive done:

**all are fontana 6 gallon kits cooked to only 5 gallons**

cabernet sauvignon 4 oz american oak boiled, 2 tsp tannin 5 cups simple sugar SG 1.105
Pino grigio - i goofed and added 2 oz oak 1 tsp tannin SG 1.120

these kits are bottled, about 2 months or so from pitching the yeast. the cab defeats my WE zin shiraz every time i do blind taste test with friends. this cab beat a 2012 rhone pinot noir blend last night at a get together. i know its not exactly apples to apples but we aren't wine aficionados' we just like wine lol

i have 2 more cabs and 1 pino nior in secondary right now. one cab had a table grape fpac in primary and the other did not, will report back in this thread in months to come.

the pinot noir has french oak, and all were chaptalized to 1.125 Yes, very strong i know but i intend to add more flavors later in my process. more tannin, maybe some flavored syrup who knows. the kits are cheap the wine is enjoyable and its fun.

 

[joeswine]

cheap wine kits

Dentman,nice going the product isn't bad and what you can achieve with these kits are really decent wines at a low budget cost..keep reporting for the others......Joeswine..

 

[Jc5066]

Island Mist I add 4# of sugar to raise the alcohol level.

Dry reds I tend to add some extra oak to them, I like an oaky wine.

I had a cheap chardonay that I split and added different juice concentrates to them up front. They are still aging but when I sampled they were pretty good.

 

[joeswine]

Chardonnay

Jç5066 the next white you do add a self made white grap fpac using standard white or green grapes from the market and 1/2 zest of a grapefruit to the secondary, no oak the few whites that take oak are chardonnay and maybe saviognon blanca. .

 

[GaDawg]

Did oak came with this kit or did you add it, and if so how much and what kind? If you add French or American would the amount differ?

 

[joeswine]

IN THE MIX GaDawg

normally these kits do not come with oak, I prefer French oak but that doesn't really matter it all depends on what you like and have on hand ,got it! about 1 cup per 5 gallons ,remembering that I have reduced the volume from the start, no matter white or red, you should always take a PH reading to see where you at as a rule of thumb and considering your going to add so wine tannins if your making reds in the secondary. Your always thinking outside the box with these kits as you would do with a high end kit their really isn't a difference with the exception of initial cost. GOT IT!

 

[joeswine]

tweaking inexpensive kits

another way to tweak these kits is to add fresh fruits

 

[GaDawg]

Thanks Joe, I have some french oat shavings. I would also like to try batonnage on one of these kits, so I think I need 2 kits.

 

[wineforfun]

What are these kits typically starting with, juice wise? 10L?

 

[joeswine]

Meaning to stir

This process I haven't found to be of much use to me.most whites it doesn't do much for On the other hand blending with zest makes better use of my time,but always think outside the box.

 

[joeswine]

hoew much

usually these kits are a 6 gallon /4 week contender, but I brake them down to a 5 gallon starter volume to increase the concentrate and in crease the flavor profile then boost the abv, in the primary.

 

[joeswine]

hoew much

a 6 gallon volume /4 week kit ,but I start with a a 5 gallon volume still at a 4/ week venue and take it from there.

 

[wineforfun]

What are these kits typically starting with, juice wise? 10L?

 

[ColemanM]

Looks like around 6 liters or 1.6 gallons