wine concentrate

[tmmii]

Anyone try one of the "normal wine" types? I'll order some fruits for sure, I've never had any of those.


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[cajunlte]

Does anyone deviate from the directions? Do you add yeast nutrient? I just put some of the blackberry is my carboy and am waiting for the temp to get down to room temp before pitching the 71b yeast.

 

[dralarms]

I don't follow their directions at all. I empty the concentrate into a bucket, add 4 gallons of water, add sugar to get to 1.090 to 1.100. And then top off to 5 gallons, also add the acid. Then pitch the yeast and let it go.

 

[cajunlte]

I added the 8lb's of sugar that it recommended and only got it to 1.070. Considering what I went through with my very first batch of wine this might be a good starting point for me. I can always back sweeten. I am just a tad concerned with the alc level.

 

[olusteebus]

I have made 5 gallons of the cab but I put in 5 jars of smuckers seedless blackberry jam. It is still in the carboy. I made 5 gallons using 2 cans of alexanders with the blackberry jam using a recipe from Longtrain here on the forum. It was excellent.

I anticipate the Homewinery to be even better.

I guess I should share the recipe from Longtrain. This is my recipe, I started it during the winter, it came out very good, however, I did get a stuck fermentation at about 1.010 or so, I blamed the Jam and the colder cellar temps ~55F, once it got warmer in the cellar the fermentation took off again and finished.

I have only bottled 2 gallons and transferred the remaining 4 gallons to jugs, this is really nice stuff, dry, with nice mouth feel and good blackberry notes. The oak really rounded the wine out well. Worth doing again.

Tony

Cabernet Sauvignon - Blackberry Wine

6 gallons

6 - 1 lb jars of Walmart Blackberry Seedless Jam
2 - 46oz cans Alexander's Cabernet Sauvignon Juice Concentrate (68 Brix)
1 tbl bentonite
1 ½ tbl yeast nutrient
2 ½ tsp pectic enzyme
1 ½ tsp tannin
10 ml K-Meta 10% solution
Powdered dextrose (SG to 1.090, approx 2 ½ lbs)
Spring water to bring volume to 6 gallons
1 packet Red Star Pasteur Champagne Yeast
1 packet of Oak chips, medium French Oak

For stabilizing after fermentation
25 ml K-Meta 10% solution (50 grams of K-Meta in 500 ml water)
2 ½ tsp potassium sorbate



Add 1/2 gallon of hot water to bottom of primary, stir in 1 tbl bentonite till completely mixed.
Add the contents of the jam to the PF, stir until dissolved.
Add 1 gallon of spring water, mix throughly.
Add Peptic Enzyme, mix.
Add Tannin powder, mix
Add Yeast Nutrient, mix
Add the contents of both cans of Alexander's Cabernet Sauvignon concentrate, mix throughly. Rinse cans with spring water and add to PF.
Add spring water to bring must to 6 gallon volume, mix very throughly.
Measure SG, add dextrose to bring SG to 1.090 ~ ABV 12%, mix well.
Cover PF and let it sit for ~ 24 hours
Pitch yeast
When SG drops to 1.010 rack to clean sanitized carboy, leaving settled solids.
When fermentation is FULLY complete < 1.000 and SG is stable, rack to a clean carboy
Add 25 ml 10% K-Meta solution.
Add 2.5 tsp potassium sorbate.
Stir vigorously to dissipate CO2.
Add SuperKleer
Top up carboy and reattach airlock.
Rack after 14 days to clean carboy
Add oak chips
Rack again in two months, further racking and bulk aging as deemed necessary.
Bottle

Here is the label I made for it.

 

[cajunlte]

There blackberry is off the hook. Strawberry is pretty good, elderberry is pretty good, their cal. red and cal.white are good too (even if I screwed it up), blueberry is good also. The red raspberry is good, the black raspberry not so much for me.

Now you have me thinking about my second batch. I am torn on which I should do now that the Blackberry is completing and almost ready to bottle. Has anyone used K-meta to make sure there is not further fermenting after bottling?

 

[dralarms]

I use k-meta on all mine.

 

[KatyDinkle]

This opens new doors for this frugal girl!

So is my thinking correct? I make mostly kits ranging from $65-$110. I age them longer than instructed so making "quick wine" isn't my goal. Instead, I could purchase concentrate from this vendor for half of that price (or less) and get the same results in the same time period?? Woot!

Is there a catch? Really high shipping costs?

I see more full carboys in my future.

 

[cintipam]

Hi Katy. I bought 6 in FEb/14 and was quoted shipping 4 concentrates $19.01, 6 concentrates $23.14. They use Fedex, and your price will vary depending on how close you are to the store. Do fridge them when they come tho. I didn't and lost one to explosion. I immediately fridged the rest and they worked out just fine. 6 in a box is heavy, like 3 gallons of milk.

Pam in cinti OH

 

[dralarms]

I keep mine frozen. They told me 6 months in fridge 3 years in freezer.

 

[cajunlte]

I use k-meta on all mine.

I don't have a SO2 test kit and want to add K-meta. How much do you usually add for 5 gallons?

 

[dralarms]

1/4 teaspoon. Then 1/8th every 3 months till bottling.

 

[olusteebus]

I will be ordering a chardonnay and a Voigner in a couple of weeks. I plan on treaking ala Joeswine with raisins and finishing tannin. I may use some gum arabic. Looking forward to it.

 

[kevinlfifer]

I used their Ruby red with Marquette skins to 4.5 gal. Took the SG to 1.10 added oak. I topped off to 5 gal with Cab Sav. to clear. One of the BEST wines in the cellar.

 

[DoctorCAD]

Katy, make no mistake, they do produce a pretty good wine, but they do not come close to a $110 kit. That has a lot to do with the lack of solids in the concentrate vs. the high dollar kit.

The seller is top knotch as far as customer service goes, so if you have any doubts or questions, give them a call.

I did have a half gallon come in foamy like it had already started to ferment in the jug, but I k-meta'd the crap out of it and pitched yeast the next day. Came out just fine.

 

[mtommins]

Has anyone tried the passion fruit? Sounds pretty tasty as wine, but I'm also curious about adding some of it to beer!

 

[dralarms]

It's pretty good.