Other Tweeking Cheap Kits

[joeswine]

Just the raspberries will do ,no tannins are necessary for this kit., you want the fruit to be the boss on this one.
about 10 ozs will do , remember LESS IS MORE.

 

[joeswine]

we now have 450k views, why doesn't the reply # EVER CHANGE??????

 

[oppyland]

Yesterday I received my kits and free equipment from Wine Lovers Online. I think the free stuff was a pretty good deal!

Anyway, one of the kits is a pinot noir, 5.3 L of juice concentrate. Looking for suggestions on how to tweak it. My plan is to reduce the amount of water to make about 5 1/2 gals in primary, add some tannin, raisins and some sort of fpac. I have some frozen red raspberries - would that make a good addition? Otherwise, maybe blueberries or blackberries?

 

[joeswine]

Hi good to hear from you.
Let your hydrometer be your guidance bring up the volume to 5,5 then read you may need the whole 6 on this kit it’s very concentrated ,
Add the tannins 1teaspoon , and either rasspberries or blackberries , 16 ozs. ( fpac)
No how to make one? Once you get to the secondary add anothe teaspoon of tannins , your on your way to the finish line .
Do your wine a favor between each step of the process give it 2 weeks time .
Time is our parter in the process learn to use it .
Keep “thinking outside the box “.

 

[oppyland]

Hi good to hear from you.

Thanks, Joe - same here!

Let your hydrometer be your guidance bring up the volume to 5,5 then read you may need the whole 6 on this kit it’s very concentrated ,

Okay, I'll do that!

either rasspberries or blackberries , 16 ozs. ( fpac)

Okay, that sounds like a plan.

Once you get to the secondary add anothe teaspoon of tannins

Will-do. Thanks for the advice!

 

[joeswine]

It will be a winner , all these kits have the same base it’s the fpac provided that makes the difference and your input that makes it special.
have fun

 

[Khristyjeff]

Another option that might be better is cold pressed coffee. I've used the Trader Joes cold pressed coffee a couple of times and it is absolutely delicious... all the wonderful smooth coffee flavor without the bitter.

Hi David. Thanks for the idea. I'm going to have to research cold pressed coffee in general, because it sounds like something my wife and I would really like. Can it be warmed once it's cold brewed or does that defeat the purpose?

 

[heatherd]

I just received an RJS Raspberry Mocha dessert wine kit today. After searching on WMT, I've come up with the following plan and would appreciate any of your guy's suggestions:

In Primary, add 1 Quart or so of simple syrup, and 1 tsp tannins. In Secondary, a second tsp of tannins and 1 Tbs instant coffee.

This is basically what I did with the RJS Coffee Dessert Wine that we did @joeswine way (at least we tried to get close), and love how the coffee tastes more like chocolate as it ages. Then, @heatherd had commented previously that her recollection of doing this Raspberry Mocha kit was that the raspberry kind of overpowered the Mocha. So my thinking is the instant coffee can enhance the mocha flavor.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

I didn't add simple syrup to primary, because I added the whole f-pack and fortified after fermentation. I put coffee powder, heavy toast oak, and tannin powder in primary.

 

[Khristyjeff]

@heatherd Thanks for your input.
Did you like the result? What, if any changes would you make?

I didn't add simple syrup to primary, because I added the whole f-pack and fortified after fermentation. I put coffee powder, heavy toast oak, and tannin powder in primary.

 

[heatherd]

@heatherd Thanks for your input.
Did you like the result? What, if any changes would you make?

That's one of the best kits I've made, so would do the same.

 

[joeswine]

This is a winner

 

[joeswine]

Always remember less is more , always when enhancing flavors , using an Fpac
Or fresh produce.
when using freash great packs the same rules apply the more you use the more tannins, the more sugars , these can all distract from the origin intent .
Balance is everything .

 

[joeswine]

By adding the simple syrup to the primary your increasing the abv. Not the sweetness the fpac is the balancing point in the mix.
This makes it more of a port with good structure.

 

[RocketBee]

I started a tweaked Wine Lovers Shiraz this evening (medium-bodied kit listed at 11.5% ABV). I used the enclosed yeast pack (which I assume is EC1118). What is the ideal fermentation temperature for this kit?

 

[cmason1957]

I started a tweaked Wine Lovers Shiraz this evening (medium-bodied kit listed at 11.5% ABV). I used the enclosed yeast pack (which I assume is EC1118). What is the ideal fermentation temperature for this kit?

The kit itself doesn't care, it is the yeast that cares. For the most part, if you are comfortable, the yeast will be happy. Assuming you are happy between about 66 and 75 F.

 

[winemaker81]

Adding to @cmason1957's advice, temperature affects how rapidly the fermentation proceeds -- warmer yeast eat and reproduce faster. But there is a trade-off -- warmer ferments extract color and tannin better from red grapes, but are more likely to blow off aroma. It's common to ferment reds hotter and whites colder.

With red kits the extraction is already done, so there's not much (if anything) to be gained by a hotter ferment. other then the process completes sooner.

My cellar is current 65-66 F ... so I'm fermenting at 65-66 F. It will take longer, but I'll be happy with the result.

 

[joeswine]

And we just keep growing, it does my heart good to see all the creativity on this thread and the people from all division’s of wine making lending their advice .
We are a family.

 

[RocketBee]

Yes, Malbec.

@Khristyjeff I have the 11.5% Malbec kit from Wine Lovers. I see in this thread that you've tweaked one of these same kits with Zante Currants (along with wine tannins, oak, etc) and another one somewhere else with a blackberry FPack. I'm getting ready to work on this kit and just wondering which tweak worked out best for you...blackberries or the currants?

 

[Khristyjeff]

@RocketBee
I did the Currants with the WL Malbec and blackberries in a Fontana Merlot 11.5%. We like both very much. Not sure if I can pick a favorite at this point. They change over time also, so at first the one with currants was my clear favorite then the blackberry one "caught up."

I now plan to make 2 more Malbecs and Merlot and reverse the fruit. I also might try adding simple syrup to get the ABV up to around 14% instead of shorting the water to 5 gallons to see if I notice any differences. We do expensive kits too, but these tweaked ones match up very well and are ready to drink earlier than the pricey ones.

Hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

@Khristyjeff I have the 11.5% Malbec kit from Wine Lovers. I see in this thread that you've tweaked one of these same kits with Zante Currants (along with wine tannins, oak, etc) and another one somewhere else with a blackberry FPack. I'm getting ready to work on this kit and just wondering which tweak worked out best for you...blackberries or the currants?

 

[joeswine]

On the cheaper kits decreasing the water improves the structure and depending on the kit the abv, will adjust itself accordingly.
By restructuring { adding enhancements} you then fortified the structure of the wine .
It’s a. Fine balance , be careful. Not to over achieve.
Also adding to much of anything such as OAK , either you like it or you don’t nothing in between, that’s how judges taste it .
Remember (less sometimes is more)