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adm5087

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I am new to wine making and I want to find a happy medium between kit wine processes and stemming and seeding grapes. Would that be using concentrates? And if so, where do I find good/quality ones (I. e. not Wal-Mart frozen cans) sorry for my prudence, still learning! Thanks!
 
adm5087 said:
I am new to wine making and I want to find a happy medium between kit wine processes and stemming and seeding grapes. Would that be using concentrates? And if so, where do I find good/quality ones (I. e. not Wal-Mart frozen cans) sorry for my prudence, still learning! Thanks!

A kit is a form of wine making from concentrates.

I think you'd be happy with wine from fresh juice. It is available from local wineries or your local brew supply store may carry it.
 
That's what I think I am looking for. I want something with a bit of challenge, not just a cookie cutter approach.
 
For a more 'hands on' experience than the wine kits, a pail of juice is the way to go. You should be able to get it @ your LHBS, or they can give you a local source. Be prepared to purchase all the other needed ingredients and weigh/measure them yourself! A good digital scale makes a world of difference.
 
Thanks for the idea. I talked to my LHBS today, he does a juice order in spring, which I will take him up on thanks to your tip.
 
I have made white grape/peach and white grape/ red raspberry from frozen juice in the grocery. Just picked up Cranberry/pomegranate and blueberry today on a buy one get one free for $5.79 for 2 bottles that are 101 oz each.
 
adm5087 said:
Thanks for the idea. I talked to my LHBS today, he does a juice order in spring, which I will take him up on thanks to your tip.

Remember, even if the supplier claims the juice was adjusted for sugar and acid, do your own tests. Also, some pails ferment in transit, so watch for freshness.
 
Just got my first starter kit today, and starting tomorrow. Thanks for all the feedback, it's why I love this forum.
 
Ok maybe I'm missing something here, sorry if this is a stupid question. We bought a Winexpert Pinot G. kit and everything seems to be going well. But I am confused, it says to allow the wine to ferment down to .996 SG which I understood to be a dry wine? We were anticipating/hoping this being a sweet wine.... Did we just assume wrong? Or am I missing something? Help appreciated!
 
Complete dryness is 0.990. You'll end up with something that's off dry. You can always add juice or sugar to sweeten it up if need be.
 
Ok, even 0.996 is dry to my palate..but there are a few definitions of dry out there.But if you need to sweeten up your PG kit, when it is down to 0.99_, add k-meta plus sorbate and backsweeten to taste.
 
Ok maybe I'm missing something here, sorry if this is a stupid question. We bought a Winexpert Pinot G. kit and everything seems to be going well. But I am confused, it says to allow the wine to ferment down to .996 SG which I understood to be a dry wine? We were anticipating/hoping this being a sweet wine.... Did we just assume wrong? Or am I missing something? Help appreciated!

Pinot noir is a dry red table wine. http://wine.about.com/od/redwines/g/PinotNoir.htm

If you want a sweet wine, you could buy a wine kit for a sweet wine to make it easier.

If you want to sweeten this wine, you can do so after the stabilizing/degassing/etc step before bottling. But I wouldn't. The idea of a sweet pinot noir just seems weird to me.

And yes, .996 is dry. Anything under about 1.000 is dry, with about 1.000 to 1.002 or so "off dry" a bit.
 
Yooper said:
Pinot noir is a dry red table wine. http://wine.about.com/od/redwines/g/PinotNoir.htm

If you want a sweet wine, you could buy a wine kit for a sweet wine to make it easier.

If you want to sweeten this wine, you can do so after the stabilizing/degassing/etc step before bottling. But I wouldn't. The idea of a sweet pinot noir just seems weird to me.

And yes, .996 is dry. Anything under about 1.000 is dry, with about 1.000 to 1.002 or so "off dry" a bit.

I stand corrected on the dryness scale.

However, I did have a Zinfindel finish at 0.996 and have had someone call it "sweet". It wasn't, but I think the fruity flavor came out as "sweetness". Moral of the story for our wine making friend, let fermentation run its course and taste the final product. I might surprise you.
 
I stand corrected on the dryness scale.

However, I did have a Zinfindel finish at 0.996 and have had someone call it "sweet". It wasn't, but I think the fruity flavor came out as "sweetness". Moral of the story for our wine making friend, let fermentation run its course and taste the final product. I might surprise you.

I know what you mean! I have a wonderful crabapple wine (recipe posted). It's dry- .990-.994 every single time I make it. I like dry table wines, so I never sweeten. But because it's so fruity, more than one person has called it "sweet". It's about the aroma, and the perception.

But when you measure it, it's dry with no residual sugar left.

This wine may surprise you. If you like pinor noir, which is always dry, then you will like the wine kit too.
 
Ok maybe I'm missing something here, sorry if this is a stupid question. We bought a Winexpert Pinot G. kit and everything seems to be going well. But I am confused, it says to allow the wine to ferment down to .996 SG which I understood to be a dry wine? We were anticipating/hoping this being a sweet wine.... Did we just assume wrong? Or am I missing something? Help appreciated!

I believe he is talking about the Pinot Grigio kit... (pinot g.) Which will finish out 'dry' but will have a light fruit characteristic. Not my thing, but it's a kit I've been told is good!
 
I believe he is talking about the Pinot Grigio kit... (pinot g.) Which will finish out 'dry' but will have a light fruit characteristic. Not my thing, but it's a kit I've been told is good!

Oh, I thought he was talking about pinot noir- sorry about that! Pinot grigio is also dry, but a white instead of red. It's fruity and acidic, so it's "crisp".
 
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