Wine Expert Island mist peach/apricot

[Donatelo]

I just received this wine kit via UPS. Does anyone have experience with this kit. The kit weighs 18 lbs. and includes a f-pack of peach/ apricot. The instructions state that the wine should start at SG of 1.048 / 1,060 and end at <.996. This would only yield an ABV of 6.83 to 8.40%. I'm afraid that would be a little light for my taste. I generally drink wines around 12% to 15%. Do these cheaper kits turn out better with a higher starting SG?

Semper Fi , troops. Smoke em if you got em!

 

[cmason1957]

They do turn out somewhat better, I wouldn't go much about 12% with them, the alcohol overwhelms the taste, I think. I often add about 4 lbs of sugar to these things, gets it to about 10 1/2 - 11% ABV, and add about two bottles of white (or red) 100% grape juice from a local grocery store for some extra body. Some cut back the water to about 5 or 5.5 gallons to start. Some add extra tannins for body and some add part or most of the f-pack to the beginning. All these things void your warranty.

 

[Donatelo]

Well, I'm not real big on warranty for a cheap wine kit.
I think what I'm going to do is add sugar syrup to it to bring the Sg up to 1.075/ 1.080 or so. 10.5 or 11% seems like a good ABV to shoot for. I've several days left before I plan to start this kit. I'm not in a hurry about my wines any more. Got too many ageing in the cellar.

 

[joeswine]

I did this kit before SG @1.09 ,by adding one quart of simple syrup,but in the primary I made a Fpac of fresh apricots,if you go to making an fpac you'll see the prcproc it creater a better body and balances of the higher ABV.

 

[Donatelo]

This wine came with it's own F-pack.

 

[Tess]

These little kits are fun to play with while you're aging your really good wines. I always add half the fpack up front in the fermentor. I save the rest for the end when I Back sweeten and finish. It's too sweet for me and more of a wine cooler if you don't. I also add 5 cups of sugar to up the Achihole content up front. After I rack the first time I add all kinds of fun stuff. I just added some cloves and Apple extract to an apple kit. These are fun and tasteful

 

[Tess]

You can add anything to these after they ferment for flavor.. Have fun with it

 

[Donatelo]

I'll be happy just to get a full bodied apricot wine with a decent ABV. Thanks for all of y'alls replies.

 

[joeswine]

I understand that the kit came with a Fpac if you want more body then add a fresh fruit fpac in the primary, then you can add what ever you want in the end.It creates a smooth texture with out distorting the overall finish.

 

[jgmann67]

This was my fist Mist kit. I added white grape concentrate and 1/2 the fpac up front for 11-12% ABV and improved body.

If I did this one again, I think I'd try a fresh peach fpac in the primary like Joe suggests.

 

[GaDawg]

What was you starting SG?

 

[jgmann67]

What was you starting SG?

In the neighborhood of 1.080 from what I recall.

 

[joeswine]

I understand that the kit came with a Fpac if you want more body then add a fresh fruit fpac in the primary, then you can add what ever you want in the end.It creates a smooth texture with out distorting the overall finish.

 

[joeswine]

When you add the fresh fpac to the primary the mix becomes a partnership,if you add to the fpac to the secondary the flavor profile then becomes a background flavoring.Over doing of the ABV. Can cause a problem ( 1 06/08) not a problem with the overall taste, remember these are party wine's. I posted a thead tittled the partnership between adding to the primary or the secondary . everyone makes wine the way they want to and that's ok. But it's also a sience to a certain extent,this defines balance, structure as well as flavor.Adding flavoring has been around for centuries, trial and error with a touch of hands on.,

 

[Donatelo]

I haven't started this yet , but When I do, I'll probably follow pretty close to the original instructions, but raise the starting SG to 1.080 or so.

 

[Donatelo]

I racked this off the lees today. Had to have a little glass of it. I said Well, if that ain't just peachy. Turned ot pretty nice. When I bottle it I have the name.