Other Tweeking Cheap Kits

[BABRU]

Ok let us know how its working out for you , what size fermenter are you using?

Using 7.5 gallon ferment bucket. Should use larger but it works (barely) for 8 pounds of berries. When making 100% black raspberry it is really hard to get 6gallon of juice after removing spent berry bag that started with 18 - 24 pounds of berries.

 

[Chinook]

Joe I got asked to make an apple Island Mist kit. Was going to use some fresh apples and simple syrup to raise the abv some. What are your recommendations? Thank you.

I just did that bottled already. raised ABV to 1.088 added 6 lbs granny smith apples - (de-cored and sliced) Result is OK - tasty from small leftover testers. but still wait a few months to give a thorough tasting.
Used Pectic Enzyme 2 Tsp in primary, 1 tsp in secondary
I was going to add three liters apple juice but stopped short when I saw it contained Stevia - artificial sweetener, un-fermentable.
It was a mistake trying to use a blender for the apples - just clogs as applesauce a mess - next time I just slice or sautee as per Joeswine.
I simply added apples into the must , not need bag as no stems or anything acrid.
I used 80 percent of the F-Pack in last stage , ( I think - I forgot to make a note) 20 percent went into primary (I think. Possibly 250 ml)
The amount of F-Pack I used before bottling was 850 ml pretty sure that is exact calculation Even though it is a thick syrup Iwas able to account for it all.
Niagra Mist Green Apple

final ABV calculated = 12.8 percent.

 

[StreetGlide]

Thank you

 

[Chinook]

Thank you

I suppose you could even bump the number of pounds of apples - I don;t know by how much.
I just wanted to test tweaking a little I just used the same amount I might use for a Dragon Blood.
I've done Green Apple before , the exact way I outlined above: chapitalization, manipulating F-Pack, but without the apples ..and it turned out great a real taste of green apple from the F-Pack.
So this time I just tried to tweak it with the apples.

 

[StreetGlide]

I suppose you could even bump the number of pounds of apples - I don;t know by how much.
I just wanted to test tweaking a little I just used the same amount I might use for a Dragon Blood.
I've done Green Apple before , the exact way I outlined above: chapitalization, manipulating F-Pack, but without the apples ..and it turned out great a real taste of green apple from the F-Pack.
So this time I just tried to tweak it with the apples.

I also think using fresh fruit could only help. I’ll be doing this later today.

 

[joeswine]

Apples depending on the variety can be tart or sweet or lend nothing at all to the mix and yes always sautee them that starts the breakdown process and brings out the essence of the fruit.

 

[StreetGlide]

Apples depending on the variety can be tart or sweet or lend nothing at all to the mix and yes always sautee them that starts the breakdown process and brings out the essence of the fruit.

Would you recommend leaving them out all together? I was going to use Granny Smith green apples.

 

[Chinook]

I also think using fresh fruit could only help. I’ll be doing this later today.

I used granny smith green apples. From my testers, I think it worked well, Have to wait a few months for a full taste I don't think there is any point to using a squeeze bag I just toss them in. I want the full apple to merge.
But that Is, I've cored and de-stemmed them - nothing then in the must that doesn't belong.
..

In the case with peaches for the Sauvignon Blanc, they were out of season, so I used the Dole brand in plastic container They looked pretty good.

 

[joeswine]

Look its a matter of what you want to do, adding a few apples sautéed and sliced is how i would do it , remember to boost the ABV. that's the difference between making wine and making a cooler.
follow the instructions and before you add the Fpac that came with the kit ,Taste the Fpac and see first if tis just a sweetener or a taste enhancer, understand ?then make a decision on your next step to add or not. got it?

 

[Bill Pet]

Has anyone tried "the amazing wine kit" wines by bestwinesofamerica. They seem to be the cheapest kits on Amazon but have VERY few reviews.

 

[Chinook]

Started Diablo Rojo
Kit came with two packs oaks
* Put Oak Chips medium blend in primary (45gm)
* Plan to put Oak Chips French Heavy (45 gm ) in secondary.
SG's - at 6 gallon mark 1.086
Added 3 cups sugar and 750 ml water more (for overflow bottle to handle lees,ullage)
SG = 1.096
Add 600 gm of (used to be frozen ) Red Raspberries 1 1/2 packages - defrosted and sauteed
Packages are 400 gm each , 600 gm = 21 fl oz, 200 gm = 7 fl oz (approx)
SG = 1.092 but real SG is a guesstimate as sugar is still in raspberries
--------------------------------------
About to add 1 cup raisins in primary
French oak and remaining 200 gm raspberries slated for the secondary.
---------------------------------------
Joeswine, I saw previously you chapitalized a Diablo Rojo a similar kit, to 1.12 SG which seems to be 17.6 ABV (to .990) or 16.3 ABV (to 1.0 SG) Did that work well?
I am thinking I can still add sugar to my primary and I can still calculate the SG by formula if the Rojo can work well with a high ABV. It might be interesting.

 

[joeswine]

I like my RED wines with good ABV. whites soft but still wines ,got it, its all what you like.
Most European reds are at a higher ABV> than ours ,but Are's are getting up there, check it out.

 

[Chinook]

I like my RED wines with good ABV. whites soft but still wines ,got it, its all what you like.
Most European reds are at a higher ABV> than ours ,but Are's are getting up there, check it out.

Sounds good. You sold me on giving this a try. I'll boost the ABV..

 

[sour_grapes]

Most European reds are at a higher ABV> than ours ,but Are's are getting up there, check it out.

I believe this to be factually incorrect. The US wine market is dominated by California, which tends to have high Brix and ABV levels. Cali winemakers are adding acidulated water, and northern European winemakers are Chaptalizing (which is forbidden in California).

 

[Swedeman]

Sour_grapes is correct, the allowed ABV levels from Chaptalizing in EU isn't high compared to what I have seen in wines from California. These are the levels allowed in EU (from wikipedia):

Zone	Allowable increase[2]	Maximum ABV from chaptalization[2]
A	3% ABV (24 g/l)[10]	11.5% (white), 12% (red)[11]
B	2% ABV (16 g/l)	12% (white), 12.5% (red)
C	1.5% ABV (12 g/l) Zero in Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Cyprus, and regions of southern France	12.5%–13.5% depending on region

Btw @sour_grapes northern Europe doesn't have any wine making producers of significance as northern Europe includes Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Finland, Denmark and by some definitions also the Baltic countries.

Nonetheless, zone A is the coldest and zone C the warmest zone.

 

[joeswine]

Not to argue the point because not to long ago I was shouted down when I said European wine have a on a n average a higher acholo content and i proved it go to your local liquors store and just go up and down any wine isle, you'll' find most European wine s are higher than American wine in acholo, I proved this out 2 years ago.
take a look at the wine kits from the last 2 to 3 years and you can see the acholo levels are being elevated upwards. RED WINES, 13 ABV is not uncommon now. you can find some higher end Italian wines in the 14% bracket as well as Spanish wines.

 

[Swedeman]

Joe, you're correct about wines from southern Italy and Spain, but that is not average level in Europe.

From Wine: From the Lightest to the Strongest | Wine Folly

If you live in the US, you might believe that these numbers seem a little low, but for the rest of the world 11.5%–13.5% ABV is the average. In fact, the US standard serving of wine is a glass (5 oz) of medium alcohol-content wine. Most European wines will be in this range, as well as American bargain wines.

13.5%–15% ABV
This is the average range of dry American wines and other warm climate growing regions including Argentina, Australia, Spain and Southern Italy. Regions with warmer climates will produce sweeter grapes which in turn increases the potential alcohol content of the wine.

 

[Chinook]

I like my RED wines with good ABV. whites soft but still wines ,got it, its all what you like.
Most European reds are at a higher ABV> than ours ,but Are's are getting up there, check it out.

Well, I must say I haven't been in a liquor store or a wine aisle for some years.
The idea of paying for some one else's wine seems mostly unnecessary though there are exceptions.
It would be nice to be in California or Europe somewhere where I think they have wine tasting counters-shops? (probably closed ATM) where you can sample and drink many different and high quality varietals.
...
So, I'm boosting my Diablo Rojo ABV from about `13.5 ABV to about 15.5 I'm just adding the sugar and will make a more precise calculation later. I do like high ABV myself but I just try to get the best taste of the grape as listening to the experience of others. Some say boosting some wine's ABV too high burns the taste or soemthing like that. It takes a long time to get the results of any wine making experiment.

 

[sour_grapes]

Btw @sour_grapes northern Europe doesn't have any wine making producers of significance as northern Europe includes Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Finland, Denmark and by some definitions also the Baltic countries.

Nonetheless, zone A is the coldest and zone C the warmest zone.

Sorry about my mangling definitions. I basically meant France & Germany, as opposed to Spain & Italy. I agree my usage was wrong.

 

[joeswine]

Stay with your plan thats the only way you'll learn for the next time .