Other Tweeking Cheap Kits

[David Taylor]

Ok, so here is my Shiraz tweak 11/20/18

• 1 cup french oak simmered 10 minutes in 1/2 water (used both)
• 1 lb fresh frozen raspberries made into a FPAC per Joe's method.
• 1 Q Simple syrup
• 1 T Tannin in primary
• SG: 1.15

My Fontana Merlot is bulk aging and will bottle it by the end of the year. I tasted it when I did my second racking and liked the fresh blackcurrant FPAC I added.

So this wine is aging in a 5 gallon carboy. It has been sitting for over a month and I added clarifier last night. I tasted it and my wife thought it was a bit sour/tart. Wondering if I should back sweeten or let it sit. I am in no rush. Thanks.

 

[Johnd]

So this wine is aging in a 5 gallon carboy. It has been sitting for over a month and I added clarifier last night. I tasted it and my wife thought it was a bit sour/tart. Wondering if I should back sweeten or let it sit. I am in no rush. Thanks.

With time, many of those newly made wine tastes begin to fade, mellow, meld together, and become harmonious. This isn't true if you have a fault in your wine, but if it's well made, give it some time to show you the love. As Joe has mentioned, kits made like this get ready much faster than their premium kit / grape wine counterparts, so if you are in no rush, then let it sit a bit.

 

[David Taylor]

Thanks John.

 

[rca]

I added the Fpac after topping the juice up to 5 gallons and my SG was 1.104. I did not need to add any simple syrup to get the SG up, does that sound correct?

 

[cmason1957]

I added the Fpac after topping the juice up to 5 gallons and my SG was 1.104. I did not need to add any simple syrup to get the SG up, does that sound correct?

Am I reading that you added the entire contents of the fpac prior to fermentation? That may have been a not so good choice. Not knowing what you are making, but generally the fpac is what gives the lower end kits their final taste. I would certainly increase the volume up to 6 gallons with water to cut the alcohol back some.

 

[rca]

Sorry, thought I had posted my information recently. I made a Fontana Merlot:

Added juice and water to 5 gallons
Fpac made with blackberries to the must
1 cup oak chips
1 tbsp tannin
pitched RC212

Currently have active fermentation.

 

[Trick]

Here is an interesting watch about how to tweak an expensive kit:

You can see some good information: such as skipping chemicals and reducing volume.
In this guy's channel, you can also find a very good video about tweaking cheap kit as well. I found it quite helpful.

 

[rca]

Got almost 24 bottles of Fontana Malbec bottled today. Thanks Joe!

 

[jpwatkins9]

Bottled my Rose kit, got 29 bottles. I had put some Grapefruit and Lemon zest in along with 1 1/4 Tbsp of wine Tannin. Just tried it from the last bottle (some sediment from tipping) and shared it with Wife and Daughter, we all thought it wash very good. Should be outstanding after a few more months in the bottle. Will be just right for Summer.

 

[joeswine]

This is the best thread on tweaking cheap wine kits as well as on Google and the most viewed.
The rest just copy.,.

 

[jpwatkins9]

Lots of really great tips and methods on this thread, very glad that I found it. I especially like the detail of how to go about tweaking, and the variety of the different wines being made. Thanks Joe

 

[joeswine]

Thanks

 

[jpwatkins9]

Just put on my 1 gallon Chardonnay sparkling wine kit. Added 1/4 tsp of wine tannin and about 1/8 Grapefruit zest. Have 5 Champagne bottles ready. Have done one of these with no tweaking, but couldn’t resist the temptation to play with this one. I have also taken 1 gallon of my Rose kit that had some tweaking and am doing the in-bottle carbonation using 5 Champagne bottles. Will let you know how this turns out. The first batch should be ready for the first bottle to be opened shortly.

 

[Zintrigue]

Just got a Cru California Syrah with skins. Way more than I usually spend on a kit, nervous about doing a bad job. Not sure if I'm gonna tweak it down or not, I'll take SG reading around 5 gallons and see where I'm at.

I've been kit winemaking for about 2 years now, and I'd kinda like to branch out a bit and take things up a notch. Is MLF something worth considering for kit wines, or do they pretty much have all that they need? Thanks.

 

[sour_grapes]

No, conventional wisdom is that you should never attempt MLF on a kit. One theory is that they use malic acid to balance the acid levels. Tim Vandergrift's oft-cited line is that any such attempt "will wind up in tears. "

 

[joeswine]

That's correct, there are things that we can tweak and there are things that we cannot. Definitely not one.
if you follow this thread from the beginning to the end you'll never see me once mention okay never

 

[Zintrigue]

No, conventional wisdom is that you should never attempt MLF on a kit. One theory is that they use malic acid to balance the acid levels. Tim Vandergrift's oft-cited line is that any such attempt "will wind up in tears. "

Ah, good to know. Also, what a relief; I didn't want to mess with MLF.

 

[Kiazer]

You won't find them in the US Costco for some reason. They are a Canadian item.

Canada brings them in on mass at Costco....great value and left at the front door
UPS two days . Double kit or 60 bottles..Argentina ridge kits come complete with labels and sleeves

 

[WineJake]

Bottled my first Malbec Tweak from the Fontana kit. It is slightly tart (just hints of sour apple). I am hoping that it will mellow in 6 weeks or so. Thanks Joe for you insight and encouragement on this thread. I will report back once we do further tastings.

 

[WineJake]