WineXpert WE California muscato kit

[wood1954]

Started a muscato kit yesterday. not my type of wine but so many friends and family like it so i thought i'd give it a try. tasted the juice before i pitched the yeast, it is certainly nothing to write home about. I hope the Fpak that came with helps it out. I'm strictly following the kit directions and will see if it is really drinkable over ice by August. Last time i made a white wine i didn't have my vacuum pump and over aerated it, also added golden raisins and too much SO2. Not such a good way to make wine.
I also picked up the WE Italian Pinot Grigio yesterday, my wife really likes Pinot Grigio, anybody else try these two wines?

 

[SouthernChemist]

The Moscato kit is pretty new...it only came out within the last month or two. Supposedly it is in the style of commercial Barefoot Moscato. Which exact Pinot Grigio kit did you get?

 

[David219]

I made the WE Pinot Grigio kit a couple years ago and gave it to my brother as part of my wedding gift. I am not much of a white wine drinker, but all the comments I got were very positive, and it received a silver medal in the 2011 Winemaker Wine Competition. It was like the fifth kit I ever made. For what it's worth...

 

[wood1954]

it is the world vineyard italian kit, cost me $71, the muscato cost me $82

 

[rickswine]

My WE California Muscato is about done. It's been two weeks since I put the F-Pack and finings in. I checked it today and it isn't clearing as well as I expected, so I'm going to give it another week.

Did do a taste test and it is a bit sweet. I added the whole F-Pack at the end. This is one where you might want to add part of the F-Pack in the fermentor (a quarter) and the rest at the end.

 

[SouthernChemist]

It appears the F-pack for this kit is fairly large. The directions ask you to remove 1.5 liters of wine from your carboy before adding the F-pack. Final gravity should be around 1.020 so, which would be sweet...or as the kit description says, "delightfully sweet".

 

[wood1954]

now i have a dilemma, my wine is in the carboy and still fermenting and i have to leave for two weeks. It must be almost done by now, i'm sure it will be by the time i get back. When i do get back do you think i still need to stir up the lees before i add the Fpack, chitosan, SO2 and pot.sorbate? I'm thinking it will be pretty clear by the time i get back. Also shouldn't i wait till the wine is clear of yeast before adding an Fpack? and pot sorbate?

 

[rickswine]

I think you should be fine, time wise. When you start degassing mix all the sediment back in before you add the f-pack and the other finings.

Mine finally cleared after adding a pack of Super-Kleer to it. I'm going to rack it to a clean carboy and let it sit for at least two more weeks before I bottle. It is pretty sweet but I suppose Moscato is suppose to be pretty sweet. That said it does have a very good taste. Hope my wife and her girl friends like it because I'm more of a dry red guy.

 

[nursejohn]

I too have been making the new Moscato kit. Did everything by the directions and am having trouble getting it to clear. It has been about 3 weeks since degassing and adding the Kieselsol. A few days ago I stirred everything again, still very cloudy. My question is would it hurt to add some Kieselsol again or would that not be a good idea? Maybe Bentonite? Any help with this matter would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, John.

 

[rickswine]

As I mentioned above, my Muscato didn't clear well either. The Super-Kleer pack did do the job and it is in the bottle now. It never did get to that super crystal clear (a very faint haze when held up to the light) but the taste is very good. I'm not very experienced but maybe the kit's acid balance could be a bit off.

I'm normally a red guy so dealing with whites is a bit new to me.

 

[nursejohn]

Ok, thanks. I thinks I will try the Kieselsol again and see if that works.

 

[SouthernChemist]

I wonder if the difficulty with clearing has to do with the rather large f-pack that this kit comes with.

 

[rickswine]

I'm far from an expert but could that cause an acid imbalance?

 

[wood1954]

when i got back from vacation the carboy was very clear so i racked it off and then added the stabilizers and clearing agent and F pack, in two days it's very clear. I use a vacuum pump to rack the wine and i racked it 5 times to degas, i sparged each carboy with CO2. It is very degassed, i think that really helps it clear. It tastes good already so I'm hoping it will be drinkable this summer.

 

[7oakacres]

I just purchased this kit also, My question is that it says that it should be around 70-75 degrees when making this kit. I have my house set at 80 and I have no basement... Will this be a problem???

 

[wineygirl]

Moscato is supposed to be very sweet. It is what I call a "Summer Afternoon" wine. It is soft and sweet and some even have a bit of effervescence. I can't wait for mine to get done. It seems the lighter the wine the longer it takes to clear. It is fine to let it go an extra week or so as long as exposure to air is very limited.

The most critical thing for me is catching it the moment the yeast is done fermenting. Last year I made a Malvasia Bianca from grapes instead of a kit. I went 1 day past recommended fermenting and I had to end up backsweetening because it was way too dry. It also took an extra 10 days to clear. If the FG should be 1.02 in 7 days start checking in 5 and check twice on day 6 and 7. I have no idea why it is so sensitive or why the window is so short but it is.

I just got the WEx Moscato kit and it was only $72 but I have found so many kits with different prices at different retailers it is crazy.

Please update this post as your kit progresses if you don't mind. I am very anxious to hear your results.

 

[wineygirl]

I just purchased this kit also, My question is that it says that it should be around 70-75 degrees when making this kit. I have my house set at 80 and I have no basement... Will this be a problem???

It will ferment way too fast. Try the coolest spot you can find and use a couple fans or a cool water bath. Use a big plastic tote and add a couple of those freezer packs you use for coolers a couple times a day. You can get a stick on temp gauge at lots of stores so you can control the temp to keep iy in correct range.

 

[ShelleyDickison]

I bought this kit when it first came out. It's been bottled about 3 weeks now and I think it's very good. I hadn't added any sugar but it definitely fomented dry and quick. The final ABV was 10.5%. It probably isn't what most consider a big dinner wine but its great for drinking out on the deck after a day spent in the boat fishing. I enjoy it so much for an easy drinker I bought another kit. I thought about splitting this and adding different flavors.

 

[SouthernChemist]

It's intended to ferment dry, and given that it's S.G. is lower than typical wine kits, it will finish faster than other kits. The large F-pack will cut the alcohol level down a little bit, and it will take care of the sweetness.

 

[saramc]

I bought this kit when it first came out. It's been bottled about 3 weeks now and I think it's very good. I hadn't added any sugar but it definitely fomented dry and quick. The final ABV was 10.5%. It probably isn't what most consider a big dinner wine but its great for drinking out on the deck after a day spent in the boat fishing. I enjoy it so much for an easy drinker I bought another kit. I thought about splitting this and adding different flavors.

Wait, are you saying your moscato is dry? I know the WE description says 'light bodied, deliciously sweet, and 8.5% alcohol'. And after clarifying, stabilizing & then adding f-pac the FG should come in around 1.015-1.020, makes me think the f-pac fermented especially since you did not tweak with addl sugar and your ACV is 10.5%. Hmm...