Other Tweeking Cheap Kits

[joeswine]

Volume

Where did you get 1.5 gallons?

 

[Dentman]

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

looks like 5.5 liters

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I4ZS0HS/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[sour_grapes]

Where did you get 1.5 gallons?

On the bottom of the box in most of your pictures it says "1.6 gallons."

 

[wineforfun]

Thanks guys.

 

[joeswine]

Getting old

The vendor's are all. Different getting old and some time's the brain just doesn't click.

 

[joeswine]

Fontana 4 week kits

kit values.........

 

[joeswine]

tweaking inexpensive kits

okay, now that we have racked the wine into the secondary,its time to apply patients and time there is no rush,got it! There is a lot of degassing to be done and that will take time not only to degas but to let the elements of the wine come together and be the best they can be,this is a short term wine kit,remember that,but because we tweaked down and out it will take a little long to come around.

 

[joeswine]

Cheap kits

always think outside the box with these kits their fun to play with and learn by.

 

[joeswine]

tweaking inexpensive kits

these kits have a lot to offer for the beginner as well as the wine maker wanting a every day decent wine in his or hers cellars.

 

[joeswine]

Cheap kits

ANYONE HAVE GOOD RESULTS WITH THESE KITS OR BAD???

 

[wineforfun]

I definitely agree with you Joe, and see how these kits would be good for experimenting and trying some new "tweaks", or making a cheap drinker, but I just can't see how a kit with 6L of Cabernet/Merlot juice could turn out tasting like anything more than a Barefoot or Yellowtail-type wine. There just isn't much juice there to work with, even with knocking it down to 5 gal.
Maybe I am wrong and need to try one. I have only done a few kits and they have all been high end RJS kits.

I do like the idea of getting those cheap Cornucopia kits and tweaking them. May have to give it a go sometime.

 

[joeswine]

It's not how much you have to work with, it's what you do with it that counts, what comes from these kits is a decent everyday wine at a reasonable price. Your right, you might want to try one ,you also might want to look up a Wine by the name of two Buck Chuck and see how this wine made it to the top and how it got started, very interesting. Have a great holiday.

 

[wineforfun]

Will do. You have a great holiday also.

 

[joeswine]

Kate's cheap chardonnay

here's a chardenay that after it was finished and set for 2 mon.s no longer thethat was very good .

 

[joeswine]

KATE'S CHEAP CHARDONNAY continued

CONTINUE THE FLOW EASY AND QUICK ..

 

[thruhike00]

ANYONE HAVE GOOD RESULTS WITH THESE KITS OR BAD???

Just joined the forum. I have made many of these kits as we have lots of house parties and lots of friends over for many bottles of wine. It was costing me too much to buy store bought, so I went back to wine making. I used to make about 15-20 years ago but stopped with wine and just made beer as the taste of wine kits was not that great. Times have changed as the new wine kits are very good today.

I have made approximately 20 fontana kits in the last couple of years. You are certainly doing the right things by tweaking as the 6 gal kits come out somewhat thin. I have done the 6 to 5 gal on a few kits, but the end product did not suit my taste buds. Even after bulk aging 6mos and 6mos in bottle, the end product came out hot with an alcohol burn at the forefront that overwhelmed the fruit tastes. I need to try another bottle and see if it has mellowed further. I make the standard 6 gal but add oak, raisins, currants, sugar to increase alcohol and sometimes after fermentation to sweeten a little. I do not go as high on ABV as you and usually final product is in the 12-13% in finished product. My opinion on value based on available kits from amazon are:

Reds
Merlot: straight out winner. good flavor after 6mos and better at 1 year. After tweaks compares to $10 bottle of table wine or maybe a $15 depending on the tweaks.

Malbec: worth the kit, but not great. Maybe $5-7. I have made this both medium and heavy oak, and the heavy oak is better, but you need to really like oak flavor

Cab Sauv: Not great IMHO. Will make a $5 bottle finished. Trying again currently with a kit in primary for a neighbor who wanted a cheap cab that is better than the harris teeter oak something brand he was buying for large parties. He said anything was better than what he was buying and after tasting I agree.

Shiraz: good value with an average taste and end product. Only made one kit

Pinot Noir: Have not made as I was scared of a $40 kit and skeptical that I could make a decent wine from this kit

White:

Chardonnay: Good kit for an average bottle. Have done medium to heavy oak and both are good. Does have a slight KT even after a year in the bottle. I do a lot of these kits as we have lots of pool parties. The best of the fontana whites.

Pinot Grigio: Disappointing on my end. My wife's favorite wine and I just cannot get this wine kit dry enough and fruity enough for her. I have made 5-6 kits and nothing I do seems to help. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Wife and friends still drink it though and I need to start a new kit in the next month. I usually make one of these kits for parties and another more expensive kit for the wife and close friends.

They also have higher end kits and I have an Amarone in secondary. It was $90 and I had an amazon gift cert so I said what the heck. I have a RJS WS amarone that I am starting this week to compare as they age that was a Christmas gift. Would rather have had the CC kit, but gifts are gifts.

Let us know your opinion of kits as they age.

 

[thruhike00]

After reading more today from Joeswine posts, I think I will try some zest in the Pinot Grigio. This might just be the trick for this inexpensive kit to bring it around to tasting like a more expensive bottle.

Side note: If you make this as 6gal, the wine is somewhat thin and needs more body, feel and complexity to make it a better wine. Many tweaks that will improve but not bad end result for a $40 kit.

 

[joeswine]

Adding grapefruit zest to. This style of white brings out a brightness to the finish, us a half of grapefruit zest per 6 gallons.a couple of weeks before bottling ànd finding, simple and easy.

 

[thruhike00]

I thought after reading the zest was best in the primary???? I bulk age so and do not use sorbate. So when to use zest? Also, zest does have a very low sugar so will that not restart some fermentation? Thanks!

 

[joeswine]

Here's how it works .adding it to the primary gives the best result, but adding to the secondary is also another way to use it .let's take it from the top, in the primary can add to the actual flavor as well as the acidty usually the zest of one grapefruit is used. Secondary usage, gives a better balance in flavor and acidty, either way it works well for white wines, you need to experience the differences on your own, think outside the box.