Other Tweeking Cheap Kits

[joeswine]

in the mix

Much harder to work,just be prepared to rack and go you should have enough pressure to help out once you return to the carboy rack and go.this will also give you a chance to clean the carboy and re-use, quickly, GOT IT!

 

[Bauer]

Ok so I bottled two wines today. One was Fontana cab made with Joes tweaks abv was at 14%. One was was WE Shiraz with some tweaks but no extra sugars so abv came only at 11.5 (I don't like that taste but didn't know any better at the time). I mixed the two to see what would happen and they were awesome!! So young but so good!!! My question is what pairs well with a Malbec?? I have one with Joes tweaks in the carboy And want to mix with something I had 'before I knew better'!! Thanks for the help!

 

[joeswine]

In the mix

Any red will blend nicely with the Malbec, as long as it's balanced.

 

[sour_grapes]

My question is what pairs well with a Malbec??

I do agree with Joe. To get a little more specific, however, I will point out that in France (i.e., Cahors), the traditional blending partner of Malbec is Merlot.

 

[Tnuscan]

When adding the zest, per 5 gal, how much do you use in ounces? Or do you do it by taste? And when in the procedure do you add it? I'm wanting to plan ahead.

 

[joeswine]

in the mix

To what were you going to add it to,bit if I where to use this process it would be on a white, 1/2 zest in the secondary, you can always add more for bite to the finish. In most cases grapefruit zest works Best.

 

[Mismost]

Started a WE Selection Italy Pinot Grigio today with grapefruit zest and 12 oz. of dried Apricots that I dropped into boiling water and then removed from the heat...to sanitize and try to wash off some of the sulfites...just let them cool off to room temp...it kinda plumbed them back up....then I did a rough knife chop on them and threw them in the "pool". The must smelled and tasted wonderful. Re-hydrated the yeast and pitched about 2 o'clock...it is already bubbling away...should be able to hear the sizzle in the morning.

We'll see what happens. Added grapefruit zest to my Cellar Craft Chardonnay, in the secondary, and I think it really popped the flavor...can not really taste grapefruit, but the wine seems brighter in taste....subtle I guess you would say.

 

[joeswine]

in the mix

that's correct, what it actually does is add acidty to the mix,cool trick.

 

[wineforfun]

Racked my Fontana Malbec into carboys Friday night. Got the 5 gal. of must into 3 gal., 1 gal. and 1/2 gal. carboys. Added clarifiers and kmeta. Quite a bit of sediment dropping already. Hoping to have 4 gal. of finished wine when all is said and done. ABV sitting around 14%. Taste is ok, hard to tell right now, too early.
Racked over a RJS WS Aus. Cab. Friday night too. Has been aging in carboys for a few months. Taste is really good. Time in the bottles I think will make it a winner. Hoping this Malbec turns out decent too. I realize it isn't the RJS but was a third of the cost. May add more oak to it, we'll see.

 

[joeswine]

Cheap kits

working with these kits can be very different as opposed to the way than your use to doing a standard kit the base changes in proportion a the start so you need patients and patients, there going to take a little more maneuvering around and time. always keeping in mind this is my way of doing these kits your out come could be different. Or better .stay the course.

 

[jdwebb]

Racked my Pinot Noir at 1.010 to secondary after it fermented in the stainless steel fermenter. Primary fermentation temp was 68º, will finish up in secondary around the same temp. Primary included a 1 pound bag of blackberries and raspberries and 3/4 cup American Oak chips. First attempt at a kit wine, hope this turns out!

 

[joeswine]

Okay so far so good, could you take a PH test?you should be around 3.5 try he berries will also Dive up the PH.

 

[joeswine]

Cheap kits

This is my way of doing these wine kits your outcome could be different, so far we have 16 wine makers on this thread doing these inexpensive kits in a very different way out of the norm...what are your thoughts so far? I have always been an experimenter so to me this is my normal mode and in the end it's what I created not just dumping someone else's plan out of a box, most times I win ,I haven't lost many. So in this experiment how do you think you faired so far, both the pro's and con's..NJBrew,Dentman,Jc5066,GaDawng,wineforfun,ColemanM,Thurhike00,Bauer,RedRockGirl,MisMOst,BigSell,Dianna,Billpizzailo,Tnuscan and Jdwebb

 

[roger80465]

This is my way of doing these wine kits your outcome could be different, so far we have 16 wine makers on this thread doing these inexpensive kits in a very different way out of the norm...what are your thoughts so far? I have always been an experimenter so to me this is my normal mode and in the end it's what I created not just dumping someone else's plan out of a box, most times I win ,I haven't lost many. So in this experiment how do you think you faired so far, both the pro's and con's..NJBrew,Dentman,Jc5066,GaDawng,wineforfun,ColemanM,Thurhike00,Bauer,RedRockGirl,MisMOst,BigSell,Dianna,Billpizzailo,Tnuscan and Jdwebb

Add me to your list Joe. I have done several kits following your ideas and have used those ideas to springboard in my own directions. I have had very good success with tweaking in this way. Thank you for the inspiration.

 

[mattyc]

I'm a Convert!!!

I racked my Malbec this weekend and had 1 Cup extra from the racking. WOW!!! My wife agreed - WOW!!! Of all the red kits I've done most have been undrinkable at this point (only the CC WS Amarone was this good this early) but this was fruity, mellow, firm, carmely goodness.

This was a racking at around day 40ish from pitching the yeast and I was taking it off the lees after using the Superkleer (chito+kies), and I'm planning to give it another 3 months in bulk before bottling.

As a refresher, this was a Fontana Malbec kit off Amazon for $40. 5 gal not 6, 2T tannin, 10oz zante currants, 2.5oz American oak - mixed heavy & medium toast.

 

[Mismost]

I racked my Malbec this weekend and had 1 Cup extra from the racking. WOW!!! My wife agreed - WOW!!! Of all the red kits I've done most have been undrinkable at this point (only the CC WS Amarone was this good this early) but this was fruity, mellow, firm, carmely goodness.

This was a racking at around day 40ish from pitching the yeast and I was taking it off the lees after using the Superkleer (chito+kies), and I'm planning to give it another 3 months in bulk before bottling.

As a refresher, this was a Fontana Malbec kit off Amazon for $40. 5 gal not 6, 2T tannin, 10oz zante currants, 2.5oz American oak - mixed heavy & medium toast.

Same here....Malbec still a bit cloudy, but very tasty....debating adding more oak. Like you this is my best kit This Early.

Added grapefruit zest to. Higher end Chardonnay kit....we really like it and so have the three other folks that have tried it.

Doing a Pinot Grigo with added chopped up dried apricots and the smell is just incredible...someone else on the forum suggested that.....but, it was Joe that inspired me to go for it. I even zested a orange and put it in a Kolsch beer and it really popped the flavor.

Have said it before, I'm a tweaker! I use cook books to get a base idea and tell me how high to set the oven, the rest is up to me. Shot a sporting clay tournament Saturday using a tweaked 7/8 ounce 12 gauge load and noticed no decline in my scores, but the recoil was much reduced. And the chicken pot pie with sage and oregano was awesome in spite of the added black beans!

I was never good at following orders which is why the Army was not my final career choice. Have no plans to stomp grapes or plant vines, but I do plan on tweaking any kit I buy to my hearts desire. I can live with failure, but I can't stand not trying new things! I am grateful to this forum and its sponsors who I support for the wealth of information they have provided.

Thanks Joe.

 

[jdwebb]

Okay so far so good, could you take a PH test?you should be around 3.5 try he berries will also Dive up the PH.

PH is 2.8, should I be worried?

 

[joeswine]

in the mix

PH is 2.8, should I be worried?

No you'll be just fine in the end.

 

[jdwebb]

I'm with Mismost, I use cookbooks as a hot pad to set hot pans on. For me, book recipes always have something missing...my ingenuity!

If I wanted a bottle of plain old Pinot Noir, I'd go to the liquor store, but this batch is mine, its tweaked where I want it and its an enjoyable hobby. Looking forward to the first sip...good or bad.

I'd like to do a white wine next, I like your idea of a Pinot Grigio with apricots Mismost, may put that on my to-do list!

 

[wineforfun]

@joeswine As I stated earlier, I like the idea of being able to "play around" with things, concerning these kits. They are so cheap(actually free for me as I earn Amazon dollars through work for exercising, so I use them to buy the kits) that you are not out much if you do screw it up. So far it has decent taste, it will be a very drinkable table wine. It does not have the fullness or body of my RJS WS Aus. Cab., but it is a third of the price too. I will probably continue to keep a high-end kit aging while continuing to buy these cheap kits to play around with and tweak. Next up is something sweet for my wife..........any recommendations? She likes the Moscato, White Zin, etc. type sweet wines.