Other Tweeking Cheap Kits

[joeswine]

Cheap kits

I see we're having fun with these kits, I should have gotten stock in Fontana...oh well have you seen how quickly this thread has grown! It's nice to have fun with your hobby and think outside the box...all of you keep us posted on your next wine venture..jp

 

[Ron0126]

Order placed for a Pinot. Thank you, kind sir

Thank you @Ron0126, got the merlot and will make when the blackberries that are otherwise a scourge around here are ripe, and will use them as a free fpack. Yum!

You're both welcome. Picked up a Malbec myself. Should be here Thursday!

 

[Levita]

Joeswine, I am thankful for your inspiration, now I am using your advices, and have two kits in the making. Cannot wait how it will turn out

 

[joeswine]

Which kits are you doing and what tweaks are you going to use ?

 

[Levita]

Two are in the making
Wine lovers Merlot started 7/2/17 starting SG 1120 after adding.5 lb of crashed grapes, 1cup of raisins and 4 cups of sugar.
Started 6 gal kit in 5 gal carboy
SG was 1020 on day 7, so I waited another day and it was 1000 on next day to transfer it rack it to the carboy added 1/5 cup of French oak chips
I should've checked it earlier but life got on a way, so I did it this morning and sure I messed up, SG went too low 994, it smells good and color is pretty But tastes dry and have a kick of alcohol. Today I racked it again and added pack A and pack B per wine instructions plus added 1.5 tbsp of liquid tannin and started degassing it.

Second kit is CRUI chile Malbec started on 7/10 added 1 cup off zante currants and 1 cup of sugar. The kit came with a lot of good stuff: oak powder and oak chips, dried grape skins and 12 litre of juice! But I couldn't help myself I had to add currants and sugar .
Today 7/18 I was racking it into carboy and boy o boy wasn't it gorgeous purple!!! Smells fruity tastes dryish started SG 1096 today SG 997. This one I did per instructions 6 gal carboy. I think since there a lot of added in the package I wouldn't add more tannins like oak chips, I'll wait when it's ready to clear and might add some French oak chips into the carboy when leaving it for storage. Please let me know if I can improve it?
I'm going to buy a 3 gal carboy to store some merlot for three months before bottling

 

[Levita]

I'm dying to try PG but I tried to make Chardonnay last summer and it turned out too sweet and too fruity. Which discourages me to make white wine. Maybe with your help I would try again? I read a lot of tweaks on this forum about making PG And great feedbacks too! What kit would be a better option for starters?

 

[wineforfun]

I'm dying to try PG but I tried to make Chardonnay last summer and it turned out too sweet and too fruity. Which discourages me to make white wine. Maybe with your help I would try again? I read a lot of tweaks on this forum about making PG �� And great feedbacks too! What kit would be a better option for starters?

Look at doing a Fontana Chardonnay. You can get them online at Amazon or Walmart for $39 with shipping included. Joe has some great tweaks on here for them.

 

[wineforfun]

@joeswine
When doing the Fontana Chardonnay, when exactly do you add the grapefruit zest? From your writing, it appears after it runs dry in the primary, you add the zest when racking to secondary. Is this correct?

 

[Levita]

You guys!!! I just ordered two more Fontana kits: pino Grigio and merlot
I though I was done playing with wine for this summer... But there are so many tweaks to make it different and I couldn't resist to try making joeswine's famous Blueberry merlot ��

 

[joeswine]

Cheap kits

welcome aboard the cheap wine express..ans yes the blue berry cabernay had a very good finish if you have the patients to wait for it to happen,,,,whites do well with either grapefruit zest or in lesser quantifies lemon zest adds crispness to the finish..

 

[Levita]

Joe, what should I add to PG besides grapefruit zest, I can't find original post. This tread is getting long. Should I add some raisins and simple syrup?

 

[joeswine]

Grapefruit zest keep it simple which kits are you doing,price ranges? The reduced size should be enough to boost the ABV to about 13%. .

 

[Quicksilver]

My Vanilla Red is bulk aging in glass now. I started with a Fontana Pinot Noir kit, scaled to 5 gallons. It has a nice, medium body, juicy blackberry notes (from primary), and a distinctive vanilla finish (from secondary), which I know is a deviation from a genuine pinot noir, but damn, it's good. Well, actually, it's quite vanilla forward. I think I will go with half a vanilla bean next time; but I really love this as is.

I am not interested in becoming a wine aficionado--I can buy any respectable varietal at the local HEB, if I feel like drinking a "true" merlot, or chardonnay, or whatnot. What I really want to do is to make some off-the-beaten-path wines that I can't buy anywhere else. Therefore, I suspect I should probably forego naming my blends after their varietal bases (e.g. "Vanilla Red" instead of "Vanilla Pinot Noir." Don't want to anger the Wine Gods.

I just unearthed a jar of DDDB slurry from my outside fridge. What would you think of me starting a cheap white kit (Pinot Gris) on that slurry? It wouldn't be a Pinot Gris at that point, obviously, but an offbeat blush.

Am I going to tear the fabric of space-time by this experiment? Is this the mark of a rank and clueless noob (guilty!)? IDK, it sounds really delicious to me--a cherry-berry blush, but not too sweet. I've read here that the white kits aren't great on their own anyway.

Insight or recommendation are most welcome!

edited to add: the Pinot Gris is a $45 Fontana kit

 

[wineforfun]

edited to add: the Pinot Gris is a $45 Fontana kit

it's your wine, do with it what you like.

And to add to your edit, that kit is only $38.95 w/ free shipping on Amazon.

 

[Ron0126]

it's your wine, do with it what you like.

And to add to your edit, that kit is only $38.95 w/ free shipping on Amazon.

Also free shipping on Walmart.com at $38.95 though their shipping takes several days longer. Good backup if Amazon is out of your preferred varietal.

 

[wineforfun]

Ok, my Chardonnay is on it's way. Be here next week. @joeswine Going to follow your "Kates Chardonnay" recommendations. Add some grapefruit zest and oak and see how it goes.

When did you add your zest, in the primary or after it goes dry and you rack to secondary?

 

[joeswine]

I always add zest in the primary,unless I find in the clearing stage the wine lacks bite or acidity,zest can be added to any stage of the operation before bottling.

 

[wineforfun]

I always add zest in the primary,unless I find in the clearing stage the wine lacks bite or acidity,����zest can be added to any stage of the operation before bottling.

Ok, primary it is, thanks.

 

[wineforfun]

@joeswine Do you always use EC-1118 with the Fontana Chardonnay or what other yeast would you recommend?

 

[joeswine]

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