Other Tweeking Cheap Kits

[RocketBee]

Sir, yes sir! Walking away.

 

[joeswine]

Try this 7 days walk back and check the SG. Should be close,of real close rack it to the carboy ,finish degassing.2 weeks, then reracked and add chems .
Simple process.

 

[Jim612]

Outstanding,, grasshopper.

Just transferred to secondary. Smells great rich full mouth feeling but lacks a lot of flavor
Just bought 3 more kits and open to suggestions
1-Wine Expert Blood Orange Sangria. Comes with a flavor pack
No oak in kit. Was think grapefruit zest to secondary. Not sure about any other fruit to add to fermenter or secondary. Oak or tannins to fermenter or secondary?
2-Master Vitner Troical Bliss Raspberry Merlot. No oak but does have flavor pack. Thinking about adding Blackberries. Not sure about oak or tannins to fermenter or secondary
3-Master Vitner Tropical Bliss Green apple Reislign. No oak but has flavor pack. Thinking about adding Granny Smith apples to primary. Oak or tannins to fermenter or secondary
Any input from anyone who has done these kits or like kits is appreciated.

 

[Mismost]

Started a Fontana cabernet sauvignon about 2 1/2 weeks ago. From previous kits I knew it takes 5-6 cups sugar to bring the final product up to 1.1 (12.5-13%) alcohol. Intending to use a 2 cup measure, I started to put in 3 full cups. By mistake I had picked up a 4 cup measure and didn't catch my mistake until I had put in 8 cups of sugar. I was afraid that would be way too much alcohol for the amount of juice so I thought maybe adding raisins might add more body and flavor. I put in 1 1/2 lb of chopped raisins. Success! Secondary is finished and stabilized. I just had a taste and it has much more body and better flavor than any of my previous Fontana CS and shiraz kits. The color is more intense also. I'll be adding raisins to future kits.

I did this way overshot the SG and it was a terrible Cab....but was also real good sweet red table wine.

 

[joeswine]

JIM 612:: #1 add ORANGE ZEST to the primary, AND A hand full of OAK (not much)..
#2 more RASSPBERRIES TO THE PRIMARY ABOUT 16 OZS. simmered down with 2 cups of the base.
#3 either GRANNY SMITHS apples 2 to the primary simmered down with two cups of the base.

take your SG readings with out the fruit in the mix that way you can control the ABV, you want it to be around 12% on all three. not less. this will balance out the process.
try to use simple syurp its easies to control and once you've made some it will keep.

 

[joeswine]

Note: these kits are into them selves you can't reprogram the base wine.

 

[Jim612]

JIM 612:: #1 add ORANGE ZEST to the primary, AND A hand full of OAK (not much)..
#2 more RASSPBERRIES TO THE PRIMARY ABOUT 16 OZS. simmered down with 2 cups of the base.
#3 either GRANNY SMITHS apples 2 to the primary simmered down with two cups of the base.

take your SG readings with out the fruit in the mix that way you can control the ABV, you want it to be around 12% on all three. not less. this will balance out the process.
try to use simple syurp its easies to control and once you've made some it will keep.

Thanks Joe. Sounds about what I was thinking. Oak only to Blood Orange Sangria. Thanks. I’ll let you know how they progress.
Jim

 

[RocketBee]

I suppose everyone's noticed, but in case not, @joeswine made the 2,000th post to this thread last Friday. I'd like to personally thank @joeswine for being the driving force behind this thread and also all the others who've injected their experience, technical knowhow and humor. Four years of accumulated knowledge and experience...it's been quite the benefit to a newbie like me. I think that the biggest thanks going to Joe should however be coming from the ABC Cork Company in London, Ontario, the makers of the Fontana kits.

 

[Jim612]

Thanks Joe. Sounds about what I was thinking. Oak only to Blood Orange Sangria. Thanks. I’ll let you know how they progress.
Jim

Leave peel on apples or not?

 

[joeswine]

Jim612 leave them on ......make sure you always rinse your raw product. keep in mind clearing might take longer have some pectin enzyme handy if needed..
Thank you Rocketbee for the compliment .If you read the first paragraphs it was about making a cheap kit into a decent wine for everyday drinking at a low price,keeping in mind that all wine making is subjective to each individuals taste preference's ,it can work .The key is planning and timing.

 

[RocketBee]

If you read the first paragraphs it was about making a cheap kit into a decent wine for everyday drinking at a low price,keeping in mind that all wine making is subjective to each individuals taste preference's ,it can work .The key is planning and timing.

That first paragraph is what hooked me in!

 

[RocketBee]

Tonight is the first racking on my Fontana Chardonnay kit, from the bucket to the glass carboy. The instructions say nothing directly about what to do with the gross lees. It does say, "...siphon the wine into a sanitized 23 liter carboy taking care not to disturb the sediment." I assume that the last phrase means leave the gross lees behind. Also, checked the SG Tuesday night (7 days after yeast added) and it was about 1.006 so looks like everything is on schedule. I am amazed how quickly that EC1118 shredded the sugars...1.095 down to 1.006 in 7 days.

 

[Rocky]

Tonight is the first racking on my Fontana Chardonnay kit, from the bucket to the glass carboy. The instructions say nothing directly about what to do with the gross lees. It does say, "...siphon the wine into a sanitized 23 liter carboy taking care not to disturb the sediment." I assume that the last phrase means leave the gross lees behind. Also, checked the SG Tuesday night (7 days after yeast added) and it was about 1.006 so looks like everything is on schedule. I am amazed how quickly that EC1118 shredded the sugars...1.095 down to 1.006 in 7 days.

Yes, siphon off the gross lees and leave them behind. When you clean out that carboy, they get the "deep six."

 

[joeswine]

CORRECT.
Keep the process simple but well planned.
.

 

[RocketBee]

Fontana Chardonnay is racked into the carboy, gross lees into the compost pile.

 

[Rocky]

Fontana Chardonnay is racked into the carboy, gross lees into the compost pile.

The raccoons will love you...

 

[joeswine]

racking away ...............................I think were the #1 site on tweaking wine kits on the internet....

 

[sugar]

Hello to everyone.
Been out for a year and missed it all.
Was trying to find info on using 2 kinds of yeast strains making a decision on out the box.
Came across your thread from 2013.. interested me to try.
So, I started a Wild Grapes Merlot kit with Cotes de Blanc's yeast.
48 oz. Of blueberries and 3/4 cup of lemon juice and pull. Simple syrup boiled with 3 clove removed after boil
AG 1.102.
Plan to add the Work Horse yeast after 4 days..let it run its course .
Will keep you posted.
Any and all thoughts are always welcome.
Sugar

 

[RocketBee]

@sugar that was my very first kit! I followed the instructions to the letter and was quite disappointed with my results. So I'm very interested to follow your modifications and hear about your results!

 

[joeswine]

Hi Sugar,and welcome to the thread ,your plan sounds good next time use lemon Zest. Not reconstruction juice.
Read a thread ( making a fpac); very helpful.
Keep in touch