Other Tweeking Cheap Kits

[Certified]

And welcome to the forum

Thanks for the kind words.
I'm enjoying the threads mucho

And welcome to the forum

Thanks for the kind words.
Enjoying everybody's in put.
For a newbie it's like a college.
The idea using Liquid Smoke came to me after drinking a bottle of wine aged in used bourbon barrels.
I do know you can make plywood wine.
Yuk.

 

[jpwatkins9]

As might be guessed, I am also new to the forum, love the creativity and thinking that goes on to create our favorite beverage. Learning a lot and enjoying the threads.

John

 

[Certified]

As might be guessed, I am also new to the forum, love the creativity and thinking that goes on to create our favorite beverage. Learning a lot and enjoying the threads.

John

Xactly! I have 5 gal.of Merlot clearly.
I added sugar to the kit and has dried nicely.
I preparing a Roasted Hungarian chip solution to add now. Have used these in Red and Blanc which are aging. Didn't have French so the Hungarian.
Lovely nutty overtones with the sharp acidy taste. Smell is marvelous.
I have thought actually about blending the Blanc and Merlot, making a White Merlot.
But will see.

 

[Certified]

Xactly! I have 5 gal.of Merlot clearly.
I added sugar to the kit and has dried nicely.
I preparing a Roasted Hungarian chip solution to add now. Have used these in Red and Blanc which are aging. Didn't have French so the Hungarian.
Lovely nutty overtones with the sharp acidy taste. Smell is marvelous.
I have thought actually about blending the Blanc and Merlot, making a White Merlot.
But will see.

Not acidy taste.
Sorry.

 

[joeswine]

Okay, how are the cheap wine kits coming along?

 

[jpwatkins9]

Just received all the rest of the ingredients, tannin, French Oak chips, Zante Currents. Also needed new Ph paper for wine. Will start the brewing tomorrow and let you know. This is a $43 Amazon Merlot kit. I may even throw in a few other things.

 

[Mismost]

Bottling a Fontana Sangiovese this week end...mild tweaks, reduced volume, adjusted SG up, added tannins. Started mid December, have pinched a few tastes, it is already ready very nice.

Island Mist Coconut Yuza, bumped SG only tweak... a sweeter pool wine. Wife wants me to add a vanilla bean, so I many split this batch. Frankly....I think she just does not know what else to do with the vanilla beans!!

Also have a Tea Wine ready in the carboy. Now that is a CHEAP KIT....6 gallons for less than 10 bucks.

 

[jpwatkins9]

Got everything arranged, locked my 4 year old granddaughter out of the room and commenced the experiment. Put in a 1 gallon jug of spring water and the packet of bentonite into the fermenter, stir it up. Next was empty the bag of juice into the primary fermenter and a good rinse (the bag) to get all the goodies out. Put my currants and French Oak chips on to soak and clean up a bit. After maybe 15 minutes (coffee break) I poured the currants and Oak chips into the juice. Used 1 cup of currants and 1 cup of Oak. Topped up to 5 gallons and Took out my stir stick and drill, did a gentle stir, not like I was de-gassing. Took a Ph reading from the juice sampled with my wine thief and got about 3.8. Next was the S.G. At 1.140 and and ABV of 15% +. Pitched the yeast EC1118 and covered. Came back an hour later and the yeast is active and smells like homemade bread dough (yes, we also make bread once in awhile). Will see how long the primary fermentation goes on for, instructions say for a week, but this is South Texas, so who knows.

Will continue reports as the wine develops.

John

 

[Johnd]

@jpwatkins9 If you’re indeed at 1.140, your potential alcohol is higher than your yeast tolerance, and you’ll likely end up with leftover sugar when your yeast dies from alcohol toxicity. If your plan is for a sweet wine, you’re on the right track. If not, you’ll need to add water to get the SG down.

 

[jpwatkins9]

Good point, will see what I can do in the morning about that. Have room as my primary fermenter is 6 gallons and I have 5 in there now. Thanks for the heads up.

John

 

[joeswine]

Keep the conversation flowing will start to post pics I'm a week

 

[andy123]

Thanks for the kind words.
I'm enjoying the threads mucho

Thanks for the kind words.
Enjoying everybody's in put.
For a newbie it's like a college.
The idea using Liquid Smoke came to me after drinking a bottle of wine aged in used bourbon barrels.
I do know you can make plywood wine.
Yuk.

I havent considered liquid smoke but I have retrieved charred oak chunks from camp fires and hacheted a supply of toasted oak chips that worked as good as store bought

 

[jpwatkins9]

Looked at my Hygrometer and reread my posting, S.G. Should have been 1.114, not 1.14. That missing 1 makes a bunch of difference. Should have caught that when I proof read it.

 

[Johnd]

Looked at my Hygrometer and reread my posting, S.G. Should have been 1.114, not 1.14. That missing 1 makes a bunch of difference. Should have caught that when I proof read it.

Well that’ll put you in the 16% - 17% ABV range, depending upon how low it goes. Still pretty stout for a Merlot........

 

[jpwatkins9]

My Hygrometer reads it at about 15%, doubt it would get that high. The room it’s in is about 78 F during the day and drips to high 60s at night. Have done some other kits around that range th did hit high 14s. Not extremely dry wines but tasty. I may put a bit more water in there though. This is really my first experimental wine, so interested in seeing what it does. I may just put 1/2 cup of currants in the next batch.

John

 

[Johnd]

My Hygrometer reads it at about 15%, doubt it would get that high. The room it’s in is about 78 F during the day and drips to high 60s at night. Have done some other kits around that range th did hit high 14s. Not extremely dry wines but tasty. I may put a bit more water in there though. This is really my first experimental wine, so interested in seeing what it does. I may just put 1/2 cup of currants in the next batch.

John

Your hydrometer % assumes that your wine gets to 1.000, and you’ll probably bypass that with EC 1118, it’s a powerhouse yeast with low nutrient requirements that does a pretty dang good job of gobbling sugar til it’s gone. Though it’s rated to 18%, I’ve gotten wines to go over 18% with it.

When you start monkeying with kits, shorting the volumes and boosting the ABV%, you need to pay attention to balance. Too much alcohol in a wine that doesn’t have the body to support it, just tastes hot and boozy. Shorting the volume also increases the body, as do the currants. I’m not saying you’re off base, but consider what you’re doing now and it’s impact on the final product. Very few full bodied Cabernet Sauvignons have ABV’s in the 16%/17% range, much less a Merlot. In the end, you’re the winemaker, and it’s your call..........

 

[joeswine]

I think you'll find the ABV. Will drop some and building structure in the base will and can improve the wine in most cases. The trick is to do it with balance and that takes time as well as trial and error and that's what this thread is dedacded to turning cheap wine kits it decent everyday wine.Dont be affaid to try and always ask for advice that is what planning just all about,before you start read this thread and then plan your work and work your plan. And always Think outside the box.

 

[jpwatkins9]

Joe, and John, thanks for the pointers, as my first voyage into the experimenting with the wine kits, I am bound to forget a few of the things that you and others have caught. I added 1\2 a gallon of water to the mix as I had not figured that in with the currants and Oak, plus not adding that 6th gallon of water that the kit called for. Been fermenting for a couple of days now and the yeast looks happy with the mix. I am using a water lock, got used to doing that with beer, although I have brewed beer with just a cloth cover also. I do know that this is not always done with wine, but have done it with other kit wines. Apples to Apples.

John

 

[joeswine]

Review of TOM'S wine

 

[joeswine]

PHASE 2 ........
CHEAP WINE KITS