WineXpert Winexpert Super Tuscan -- kinda thin

[ness]

I did my first kit wine in late 2022, a Winexpert Super Tuscan with the grape skin packet. I'm a fairly experienced wine/cider maker, so I don't think I did anything really stupid. I feel like I followed the directions.

We recently opened the first bottle (November 2023). Though I think it was pretty good, it was kinda thin and flabby. Just not a lot of body to it. There are no off flavors or aromas, it's just kinda blah. Doesn't seem to be something that will improve with age.

I don't think I did anything wrong, so I wonder if this is a common outcome. I've seen some comments about 'kit wine flavor', etc. but don't really know if that is what I have experienced.

Any thoughts or advice on how to get better results from kit wines would be greatly appreciated as I'd like to do more of them. Thanks,

John

 

[ness]

Hey John, take a look around here for hundreds of posts about this very thing.

 

[Joel81]

I usually only fill the juice up to 22 liters and then add the grape skins bag. When I remove the bag I squeeze out most of the liquid and I will still have over 23 liters of wine. This will make the wine a bit less watery.

 

[Tripled92]

I did my first kit wine in late 2022, a Winexpert Super Tuscan with the grape skin packet. I'm a fairly experienced wine/cider maker, so I don't think I did anything really stupid. I feel like I followed the directions.

We recently opened the first bottle (November 2023). Though I think it was pretty good, it was kinda thin and flabby. Just not a lot of body to it. There are no off flavors or aromas, it's just kinda blah. Doesn't seem to be something that will improve with age.

I don't think I did anything wrong, so I wonder if this is a common outcome. I've seen some comments about 'kit wine flavor', etc. but don't really know if that is what I have experienced.

Any thoughts or advice on how to get better results from kit wines would be greatly appreciated as I'd like to do more of them. Thanks,

John

This is just from my experience: if you made the wine kit a followed all the directions, and used everything that came in the kit. Most of them will come out like that. Light to medium body, because you have to understand WE rather you make a “safe and complete” wine so you don’t sue them, then altering the stuff in the kit and the directions to make a top notch wine but risk it not turning into wine. The kit ingredients and steps are make for people who want to make wine, but in any conditions (cold/hot, in the garage, outside etc)

Now for the fun stuff

We made our very first wine kit a WE classic Cabernet Sauvignon. Came out like you said low to medium body and light tasting, but still very good. Fast forward to us doing a bunch of research basically learning everything we can to get better for a year. on our 15th kit we make that same WE classic Cabernet Sauvignon. This time it’s full body, nicely oaked , super complex. Keep in mind this is just the classic level kit and blows any $30-$40 commerical bottle out the water. I’ll give you one hint and out like the 20 different changes we made: look at the kits oak chips and then actually go buy some oak chips online, notice the size difference…. You can thank me later

 

[wineview]

Another way to increase body is to make a five gallon batch instead of six. I’ve done that with a number of kits. Also, I just compared the kit oak chips to a bag of LD Carlson French chips and the size is the same. What kind of oak chips are you referring too? You said you made 20 changes. What are the other 19?

 

[Sailor323]

We made our very first wine kit a WE classic Cabernet Sauvignon. Came out like you said low to medium body and light tasting, but still very good. Fast forward to us doing a bunch of research basically learning everything we can to get better for a year. on our 15th kit we make that same WE classic Cabernet Sauvignon. This time it’s full body, nicely oaked , super complex. Keep in mind this is just the classic level kit and blows any $30-$40 commerical bottle out the water. I’ll give you one hint and out like the 20 different changes we made: look at the kits oak chips and then actually go buy some oak chips online, notice the size difference…. You can thank me later

So what did you do differently?

 

[wineview]

Hmmm…Radio silence. I was looking forward to Triple92’s 20 changes.

 

[Mekpdue]

I just looked at my 'wine book' after opening a bottle of WE Super Tuscan. I pitched it on Oct 24, 2021. I followed the instructions on this kit, with the exception of adding another ounce of American Oak chips after secondary. I bottled the wine Aug 1, 2022 so 9 months aging. My notes show it was still young (not surprisingly) with bitter taste and yeasty taste I'd call it all in all a 'kit taste'. At the Aug 2023 mark (1.9 years) it was still tasting 'young' but had some fruit flavors peeking through. Yesterday, we opened another bottle and it is coming into its own. I would say the color and pour lend it to a full-bodied wine, nice cherry taste, but a little 'oakey'. Nice aroma but could use a couple of more months to age. I may start drinking this one up, after airing it in a decanter for 45 minutes, or letting it age some more, but at this point I'd say it is pretty good.

I just started a FWK Super Tuscan (actually it is in the 'clearing' stage) and am looking forward to see how it ages.

 

[Joel81]

Another way to increase body is to make a five gallon batch instead of six. I’ve done that with a number of kits. Also, I just compared the kit oak chips to a bag of LD Carlson French chips and the size is the same. What kind of oak chips are you referring too? You said you made 20 changes. What are the other 19?

I think he's referring to a different kit, CS classic. I don't know what oak chips that kit has.