I followed the DB recipe to the letter, but used dark tart cherries instead of triple berry. It was a big hit! Just an idea.
Other Vintners Best - fruit wine base (fruit juice)
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I made the DB last year with triple berry, might have over sweetened, and its starter wine for kids.
I'm going to wait and see how my VB raspberry and black cherry turn out before committing to anything else. Dark tart cherries sounds very interesting! In 2022 I made an Island Mist black cherry and added 6oz of cherry flavoring and called it Black Cherry-Cherry which was a big hit.
Bottled half of my Vintners Best raspberry and find it a little tart. At fermentation I added a Global red juice pack and reconstituted to 23l. Started with 1.080 sg and ended with .998 sg using the whole Global juice pack, 2 cups of inverted sugar, and 2 tsp of yeast nutrient. Its young ... March of this year so at 4 months I'm guessing the remainder 3 gallons in bulk aging will improve by September. In the meantime, I have 14 bottles of raspberry to drink this supper. Love splitting these batches.
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I just bottled VB Peach and Strawberry. The peach is really good, the strawberry is good but needs more strawberry
flavor, it’s only 2 months old so maybe it’ll get better after a few more months. Have Blackberry and Elderberry fermenting now.
I just bottled VB Peach and Strawberry. The peach is really good, the strawberry is good but needs more strawberry
https://craftedseries.com/products/infused-beverage-syrups-strawberry-ea
I have used these several times for wine and dessert wine. I'm a fan. It was added after fermentation and before bulk aging. They contain potassium sorbate and potassium metabisulfate.
The Vintners Best fruit wines remind me of an old girlfriend I had. Fun to play with but not overly impressed for the long term.
Just ok. I'm gravitating to the dry reds now so maybe fruit wines won't be so important to me? IDK ... don't have the answer to my raspberry need yet.I added the brewers best peach to a VB peach wine and find it fairly undrinkable. It's very artificial tasting. I agree the crafted series is much better but I've only used once in their fruit kits. A little bit goes a long way. Unlike the mist type kits it can't be add during fermintation I guess.https://craftedseries.com/products/infused-beverage-syrups-strawberry-ea
I have used these several times for wine and dessert wine. I'm a fan. It was added after fermentation and before bulk aging. They contain potassium sorbate and potassium metabisulfate.
The Vintners Best fruit wines remind me of an old girlfriend I had. Fun to play with but not overly impressed for the long term.
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Agree ... BB flavorings were not good for me either so I turned to ABC Crafted Series. With my Vintners Best 2022 concord, 2023 raspberry and black cherry (and a few other choices) should give me enough wine options for this year. Would love to see FWK come out with a raspberry. I'm not a paid spokesman
but the FWK blackberry I made in Nov 2022 is now bottled and BAM ... its good.Desilvawineco
Junior
Hello, I’m new to it all. I’m from New Orleans and in the past I’ve made onlyHats off to you for trying to make it better or change the VB Cherry.
Tonight I had friends over for a celebration .... its Monday! We opened a bottle of the Concord I bottled a few days ago and everyone thought it was really good. After several glasses I thought it was pretty good too but I also thought I was faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.
Moon shine. Can you please tell me which yeast you pitched with the Vintners wine base. I’m having a hard time
Desilvawineco
Junior
Mines is similar. I have the Blueberry and strawberry. The blueberry taste really well after 8 weeks.
Welcome to WMT!
Desilvawineco
Junior
Thank you
I have used the Blackberry with good results, but I do not make Blackberry wine. Rather, I use it to give another red variety a background taste of blackberries by adding the gallon to my primary fermenter. I have done so successfully with both Zinfandel and Brunello.
Update, I made the VB Elderberry in June, I entered it into the State Fair and it took 2nd Place in Other Berry category. Took it to a birthday party and people loved it. Guess it’s hit and miss with the flavors. Dandelion and Elderberry seem to be the best 2 I’ve done.
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Thank you for sharing your "elderberry in detail" notes. Really useful information -- at least for me, as I contemplate making my first Vintner's Best fruit wine.
GretchenR .... odd you posted this today reviving an old post of mine from 7-8 months ago. Today cut some grass and later opened a bottle of the Vintners Best Raspberry from June 2023 to relax. Once again it reminded me of an old girlfriend and why I broke things off with her completely, because this wine just lacks a little something. My wine isn't horrible, in fact, it's very drinkable but I'm finding the Island Mist raspberry is much better. It might be the Island Mist flavor pack that adds the right about of sweetness which I haven't been able to duplicate yet.
I've made the VB raspberry twice and black cherry because they are a good value on sale for five gallons of wine but maybe it's just not for my taste. Good luck if you decide on the elderberry. It might be magical for you.
I've made the VB raspberry twice and black cherry because they are a good value on sale for five gallons of wine but maybe it's just not for my taste. Good luck if you decide on the elderberry. It might be magical for you.
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Couple questions for you. First, are you still liking the elderberry, or do you have the same feeling about it, seven or eight months on, that you have about the raspberry? Second, when you make the Island Mist raspberry, do you make it per the recipe or do you goose it up with sugar and a liter of grape concentrate? I made a pomegranate zinfandel with the additions, and I think it's pretty yummy.
joeswine
joeswine
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I made the Blueberry and it turned out really good, this is my is my take——adding. Tannins, fresh Blueberries makes all the difference and the color was excellent as well as the taste ,a good balance of fruit and Abv .
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Ok .... here is full disclosure.
I've made numerous Vintners Best and have not had the greatest results but those are my results. There are tons of wine makers who love the Vintners Best fruit wine base.
My Island Mist kits since 2016 have always come out about the same with just a little change or tweak. I make two Island Mist kits at once and buy the Global red juice concentrate and split it between two kits. I also add around 5 ½ cups of sugar (heated to dissolve) to each kit but more importantly the hydrometer tells me when the juice is right. At 1.080 or 1.084 sg is the sweet spot for me and this has turned out some pretty good kit wine. I've got a buddy who says most vintner mistakes are trying to make a good wine better and he has forgotten more about wine making than I know but I continually screw with the Island Mist kit recipe.
I racked an Island Mist raspberry yesterday with a full Gobal concentrate and 5+ cups of sugar to give 1.084 sg. it was obvious to me yesterday the juice had more "structure" or "body" or "thicker". I also purchased a Crafted Series raspberry infusion 16oz ($7.00) to boost the flavor. Today, I put in the Island Mist flavor pack and clearing agents so in two weeks I'll rack again into clean glass. At that point I'll add the raspberry infusion 8-16 oz depending on what I think it needs for added flavor. It will sit for 6 months in glass before bottling.
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Thank you for the info. I'm going to contemplate my options for a while, perhaps while sipping my pomegranate zinfandel. Enjoy your raspberry and please give us an update at bottling time.Ok .... here is full disclosure.
I've made numerous Vintners Best and have not had the greatest results but those are my results. There are tons of wine makers who love the Vintners Best fruit wine base.
My Island Mist kits since 2016 have always come out about the same with just a little change or tweak. I make two Island Mist kits at once and buy the Global red juice concentrate and split it between two kits. I also add around 5 ½ cups of sugar (heated to dissolve) to each kit but more importantly the hydrometer tells me when the juice is right. At 1.080 or 1.084 sg is the sweet spot for me and this has turned out some pretty good kit wine. I've got a buddy who says most vintner mistakes are trying to make a good wine better and he has forgotten more about wine making than I know but I continually screw with the Island Mist kit recipe.
I racked an Island Mist raspberry yesterday with a full Gobal concentrate and 5+ cups of sugar to give 1.084 sg. it was obvious to me yesterday the juice had more "structure" or "body" or "thicker". I also purchased a Crafted Series raspberry infusion 16oz ($7.00) to boost the flavor. Today, I put in the Island Mist flavor pack and clearing agents so in two weeks I'll rack again into clean glass. At that point I'll add the raspberry infusion 8-16 oz depending on what I think it needs for added flavor. It will sit for 6 months in glass before bottling.
IMO the important thing when making any wine is understanding what your base materials are, and having an idea of what you want to produce, and figuring out before you start, how to get from the base materials to the goal.
With Vintners Best, the first ingredient on the label is apple or pear juice. It's not pure "whatever is on the label", so it's not going to make the same wine as 100% concentrate. This is not bad, just different.
Just as important, this concentrate is designed to be reconstituted to 5 US gallons (19 liters). Diluting it more makes a weaker tasting wine. Thinking "well, I need just a bit more volume" is not a good idea. When making any wine, I generally add things, not take away (too much dilution is "taking away" in this context, as it dilutes body and flavor).
My last time with VB, I made Elderberry, which I extended to 26.5 liters (7 US gallons) with 1 liter each red and white grape concentrate. At bottling time I lightly backsweetened and added glycerin to improve body and mouthfeel. My target audience is my DIL and her mom, and they are very happy with the wine. It's not quite as heavy as what I'd make for myself, but I like it and drink it on occasion, so I hit my goal.
Scott (@Shurt1073) used a flavored concentrate to bump up the flavor in an Island Mist kit. That's a good way to add to any wine, although it's a good idea to test on a small amount of wine, as some flavorings my impart an artificial flavor.
Ditto with food coloring to improve a weakly colored wine, as it makes the wine look odd. I have pocketed a tip from @BigDaveK, so the next time I make a wine like Strawberry I'm going to add a couple oz of hibiscus flowers to add color.
With Vintners Best, the first ingredient on the label is apple or pear juice. It's not pure "whatever is on the label", so it's not going to make the same wine as 100% concentrate. This is not bad, just different.
Just as important, this concentrate is designed to be reconstituted to 5 US gallons (19 liters). Diluting it more makes a weaker tasting wine. Thinking "well, I need just a bit more volume" is not a good idea. When making any wine, I generally add things, not take away (too much dilution is "taking away" in this context, as it dilutes body and flavor).
My last time with VB, I made Elderberry, which I extended to 26.5 liters (7 US gallons) with 1 liter each red and white grape concentrate. At bottling time I lightly backsweetened and added glycerin to improve body and mouthfeel. My target audience is my DIL and her mom, and they are very happy with the wine. It's not quite as heavy as what I'd make for myself, but I like it and drink it on occasion, so I hit my goal.
Scott (@Shurt1073) used a flavored concentrate to bump up the flavor in an Island Mist kit. That's a good way to add to any wine, although it's a good idea to test on a small amount of wine, as some flavorings my impart an artificial flavor.
Ditto with food coloring to improve a weakly colored wine, as it makes the wine look odd. I have pocketed a tip from @BigDaveK, so the next time I make a wine like Strawberry I'm going to add a couple oz of hibiscus flowers to add color.
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