Wine kits - making less with more?

[Srimmey]

Good afternoon,

I am contemplating my next endeavor and I thought back to some of those box wine kits that come with enough juice to make 6 gallons. My thought is, if it’s really is higher quality wine grape juice concentrate, why am I deluding it with so much water?

What if instead of using the concentrate to make 6 gallons, I only made 4-5 gallons? I aim to have a target OG of 1.120 (instead of 1.09 - 1.105), baby the yeast and hold the temp down so it ferments extra slowly.

The result would be a higher abv wine, but would it have superior flavors? Or would it just be too much acid/tannins/overwhelming flavor profiles. It would definitely need to be something that would age for 2-3 years. I would probably target a Pinot noir or Chardonnay kit.

 

[maenad]

Are you talking about a kit which also requires you to add sugar? I assume not but...

 

[SatchIce9]

I recently made a Beaverdale Chardonnay (Oaked) [a mid priced £55/$70, 30 bottle wine kit that doesn't require additional sugar]. The instructions said after adding water to the approx. 7 litres of grape juice to make it up to the 23l, the original gravity should be 1.075-1.082. Mine was at 1.083, so I added 500ml more water that brought it to 1.082. It fermented down to 0.989, making it 12.2% - 12.7% a.b.v (Alcohol By Volume ABV Calculator | Brewer's Friend depending whether you use 'Standard' equation or 'Alternate' equation respectively). 12% is typical of supermarket bought Chardonnay, although some can be as high as 14%.
Although using less water to make the original gravity higher means its less diluted, it might not necessarily make the final wine taste more fruity or flavourful because the much stronger a.b.v. might dominate the sensations in the mouth.
The other issue of diluting it less is that you end up with fewer bottles made from the kit (I got 27.5 bottles from my kit). If you're trying to get drunk quickly, just pour yourself a bigger glass of 12% ;-).
Aging it for at least 6 months (preferably 9-12 months) is the best way of having good results from these mid-priced kit wines, is my experience. I also sweeten kit wines a little bit before bottling (5g of white sugar per litre, say) because a bit of sweetness, even if you like dry wines, helps enhance the fruitiness.

 

[Srimmey]

Are you talking about a kit which also requires you to add sugar? I assume not but...

Nope, I go for the winexpert kits which is all grape juice concentrate

 

[Srimmey]

I recently made a Beaverdale Chardonnay (Oaked) [a mid priced £55/$70, 30 bottle wine kit that doesn't requre aditional sugar]. The instructions said after adding water to the approx. 7 litres of grape juice to make it up to the 23l, the original gravity should be 1.075-1.082. Mine was at 1.083, so I added 500ml more water that brought it to 1.082. It fermented down to 0.989, making it 12.2% - 12.7% a.b.v (Alcohol By Volume ABV Calculator | Brewer's Friend depending whether you use 'Standard' equation or 'Alternate' equation respectively). 12% is typical of supermarket bought Chardonnay, although some can be as high as 14%.
Although using less water to make the original gravity higher means its less diluted, it might not necessarily make the final wine taste more fruity or flavourful because the much stronger a.b.v. might dominate the sensations in the mouth.
The other issue of diluting it less is that you end up with fewer bottles made from the kit (I got 27.5 bottles from my kit). If you're trying to get drunk quickly, just pour yourself a bigger glass of 12% ;-).
Aging it for at least 6 months (preferably 9-12 months) is the best way of having good results from these mid-priced kit wines, is my experience. I also sweeten kit wines a little bit before bottling (5g of white sugar per litre, say) because a bit of sweetness, even if you like dry wines, helps enhance the fruitiness.

This kind of answers my questions. I’m not looking to intensify the abv, my goal is to improve the flavors.

If the alcohol gets in the way of that or the flavors become overwhelming or imbalanced, that’s what I am trying to avoid.

 

[bernardsmith]

My bet is if the kit maker is reputable and has a name that they need to be sure to protect, the concentrate that they suggest should be diluted to 1.090 or thereabouts makes it pretty much the same concentration as the juice was when they pressed it and if it is significantly different they have balanced the acidity, the tannin, the viscosity and the flavor richness. They know at least as well as any buyer of their kits, that wine making is first and last all about balance. And sure if you are really looking for a higher ABV wine than would typically be made from this kit, that's your call, but you will need to remember that acidity , tannin, viscosity etc will now all have to be recalibrated by you. Now, clearly, some more basic sources of pureed or processed fruits designed for wine makers will state that this package can make 5 gallons , or 3 and with that you know more seasoned wine makers will go for the 3 gallon version. But if your kit maker suggests that you aim for 1.090 (plus or minus) by adding X amount of water... they are telling you something, you might want to hear.