Other Tweeking Cheap Kits

[wineforfun]

If you're reducing the initial size say 6 to 5 then you need a yeast that can tolorate high alcohol content. Always good to plan out your tweaks so that when everyone is in the pool they play we well together. Ok

Yes, I always cut the Fontanas to 5 gal.

 

[joeswine]

Do you find that they make a decent every day wine? They won't win metals although Kate's frescati did in glassboro, and and my super Tucson in Hammenton in march then again taste is quite subjective, at the very least there fun to play with.�,� always remember the tail of 2Buck Chuck.

 

[joeswine]

This thread just keeps growing and growing I think we're getting a lot of hits off the Webb.

 

[wineforfun]

Do you find that they make a decent every day wine? They won't win metals although Kate's frescati did in glassboro, and and my super Tucson in Hammenton in march then again taste is quite subjective, at the very least there fun to play with.�,� always remember the tail of 2Buck Chuck.

Well, the only Fontana I have made is the Malbec, and yes, it is a decent everyday red.
Hoping the same from the Chardonnay.

 

[Ron0126]

I'm loving my Fontana Chardonnay with Joe's tweaks. I've added a small amt of oak -- 1/8 cup -- in the carboy as it bull ages.

 

[marino]

I have just bought the Fontana kit. I think I will barrel age it and so I'm expecting some evaporation. Joe, because of that concentration effect, should instill cut it down from 6gal to 5? I was thinking 5.5 since I going to lose so much. I have a 5gal barrel for this

 

[joeswine]

I'm not sure interesting thought.Iñ the past reducing a slightly higher grade would work ttry it, keep us posted what I would also do is not to over wood the wine before you install it in the barrel.Souñds interesting really.

 

[Zintrigue]

So I'm enjoying a bottle of the shiraz I tweaked and bottled back on 5-28. It was clear for a week before bottling, per the instructions, but here I am with a glass of wine that looks like I just pulled it out of the fermentor without filtering. Yikes.

Perhaps the addition of real fruit in primary required longer bulk aging time? Horrible to know that every one of my bottles has sediment in it now. Gah.

 

[Zintrigue]

Just for fun, some pics to compare. The clear one was a week before bottling, and the cloudy is what I just pulled out now, almost two months after bottling. I'm baffled.

 

[sour_grapes]

Just for fun, some pics to compare. The clear one was a week before bottling, and the cloudy is what I just pulled out now, almost two months after bottling. I'm baffled.

Yeesh, how disheartening and confusing! The only thought I have is whether there was any residual sugar before bottling? That is, was the wine actually dry, or could it have fermented further after bottling?

 

[wineforfun]

I'm loving my Fontana Chardonnay with Joe's tweaks. I've added a small amt of oak -- 1/8 cup -- in the carboy as it bull ages.

Ron,
Good to hear. I will probably not add the additional oak as I don't care for that "buttery" taste it usually gives off.
Did you add the grapefruit zest? If so, when?

I am really not a white wine drinker, let alone Chardonnay, but thought I would give this one a try and broaden my horizons.

 

[joeswine]

Question: when you transferred or did you filter the wine? Or did you rack directly into the bottles from the secondary. Sometime pectin haze can cause that problem .How does the wine taste? Bitter,sweet,dry,or semi dry.what was your SG when you racked the first time ? Did you go glass to glass or bottle out of the same primary?

 

[Mismost]

Ron,
Good to hear. I will probably not add the additional oak as I don't care for that "buttery" taste it usually gives off.
Did you add the grapefruit zest? If so, when?

I am really not a white wine drinker, let alone Chardonnay, but thought I would give this one a try and broaden my horizons.

I added the zest while bulk aging. Think Joe said the zest of half a grapefruit....that just looked like such a tiny amount and the carboy looked for big....I used the zest from the WHOLE grapefruit. Joe was right...half would have been plenty. Powerful stuff.

Next time I tried it I used half and put it in a small mesh bag with a long string....made it easy to test taste and pull out when I thought it had enough.

next batch up is a Pinot Gris...I have a citrus extract on hand ah la Joe's tool box! I'm gonna run that kit straight up and then see if it needs the extract boost.

 

[Ron0126]

Ron,
Good to hear. I will probably not add the additional oak as I don't care for that "buttery" taste it usually gives off.
Did you add the grapefruit zest? If so, when?

I am really not a white wine drinker, let alone Chardonnay, but thought I would give this one a try and broaden my horizons.

Yes, I added the zest from half a grapefruit in the primary on about the third day (allowed to ferment to dryness over 8 days). I put the zest in a sanitized coffee filter and then bunched it up with a rubber band (also sanitized) and suspended it with a sanitized cotton string tied to the bucket handle. I left it in there for three full days (maybe four, can't remember) and then removed it. I plan to check the wine again for acidity in another 4 weeks and if needed, I may repeat that process as it ages. Several people warned me about how much power that zest has so I didn't want it to overwhelm the wine and make it too grapefruity. But so far, it tastes fantastic. There's a nice acidity taste to it and you can really taste the fruitiness of the grapes although I haven't technically measured the acidity so far. My wife and daughters are all looking forward to a full glass. I am too! My son wants a glass but he's 18 and his mother would kill me.

 

[Zintrigue]

Yeesh, how disheartening and confusing! The only thought I have is whether there was any residual sugar before bottling? That is, was the wine actually dry, or could it have fermented further after bottling?

Hm, I didn't take another SG after the initial fermentation stopped and I added stabilizers. Would further fermentation have popped the corks in this time? There was no pop on the bottle when I uncorked...

 

[Zintrigue]

Question: when you transferred or did you filter the wine? Or did you rack directly into the bottles from the secondary. Sometime pectin haze can cause that problem .How does the wine taste? Bitter,sweet,dry,or semi dry.what was your SG when you racked the first time ? Did you go glass to glass or bottle out of the same primary?

If by filter you mean run it through a machine or cheese cloth, then no, I only carefully racked to the carboy. SG was 0.995 at the end, just before I added stabilizers and degassed. It was clear for a week before I racked again and then bottled. Tastes bitter, dry.

Guess I need to drink these quick before the sediment taints the flavor, huh?

 

[marino]

I'm not sure interesting thought.Iñ the past reducing a slightly higher grade would work ttry it, keep us posted what I would also do is not to over wood the wine before you install it in the barrel.Souñds interesting really.

Thanks, Joe. Will do. I might actually ferment half of in the barrels instead of adding cubes. I guess I'll let you know in a year how it worked....

 

[wineforfun]

I added the zest while bulk aging. Think Joe said the zest of half a grapefruit....that just looked like such a tiny amount and the carboy looked for big....I used the zest from the WHOLE grapefruit. Joe was right...half would have been plenty. Powerful stuff.

Thanks, good to know. I was planning on the whole grapefruit zest. Was planning to add it after clearing. Will do as you mentioned and put it in a bag so I can remove when needed.
I am not really a white wine drinker so kind of winging it here.

 

[wineforfun]

Yes, I added the zest from half a grapefruit in the primary on about the third day (allowed to ferment to dryness over 8 days). I put the zest in a sanitized coffee filter and then bunched it up with a rubber band (also sanitized) and suspended it with a sanitized cotton string tied to the bucket handle. I left it in there for three full days (maybe four, can't remember) and then removed it. I plan to check the wine again for acidity in another 4 weeks and if needed, I may repeat that process as it ages. Several people warned me about how much power that zest has so I didn't want it to overwhelm the wine and make it too grapefruity. But so far, it tastes fantastic. There's a nice acidity taste to it and you can really taste the fruitiness of the grapes although I haven't technically measured the acidity so far. My wife and daughters are all looking forward to a full glass. I am too! My son wants a glass but he's 18 and his mother would kill me.

Ah, just read this one. So you are happy with the "adding zest in primary" route? So did you add it right up front, from day 1, with all the other goodies, then remove it before the primary ran dry?
I do like the idea of the coffee filter. Would make removal much easier.
Sounds like 1/2 grapefruit zest it is.

 

[Mismost]

Joe says and my experience bears it out....added at primary you get more of a background note. Added in secondary, you get a more forward taste.
I cut the volume to 5 gallon on one of my white kits....and it did add body....but a heavy bodied Chardonnay is not always a good thing...it kinda lost that light and refreshing taste thing....I decant that batch and add a 1/4 bottle of water and it is much better.

Now my neighbor lady makes all her white to full volume plus a bit....I find hers to be light, refreshing, but on the thin side....which on a hot summer day, is not a bad thing. I am still in my "it's gotta have a little kick" phase....trying to work out of that.