I mostly make wine from kits... I'm an engineer, so directions are meaningless to me, LOL. Finer Wine kits is my usual go to.
I started mixing their old vine Zinfadel with Cab. It was awesome
Next year (2023) I used bourbon soaked oak cubes in secondary, and OMFG, it was moar better
Owner of Finer Wine Kits is now offering the cab/zin kits based on my recommendation
This year (2024), I followed the 2023 plan, with one seemingly minor change, I went with a different yeast. One that is kind of off the beaten path. OMFG, it is off the charts outstanding tasty. It's sitting in a carboy for now bulk aging over the winter. I'm hoping I can let this sit for at least three years, but I don't think the 2023 version will last that long.
I love to experiment, and since I usually do batches in "twos", it will allow me to A/B comparisons. I usually blend A & B together at bottling time. I did a water source experiment this year, invited 5 friends over to do a single blind taste test. 3.5 people like A over B. I made it absolutely clear, it made zero difference which one my friends chose. I was more interested in hearing the narrative. Three like A. One like B, and he's mostly a beer drinker. He said it had more "bite" that he prefers. The person on the fence was most interesting. She liked B over A, because A was too smooth and she'd drink more of it. This experiment results took me completely by surprise. I agreed with the assessment that A was better.
I'm now adding nutrients while pitching yeast, and at two other specific points in the process. I still struggle with temperature control, and haven't been get it under control as much as I'd like. I've seen the difference when getting temp under control. I may add a room air conditioner to that room, which is already the coldest room in the house... just not cold enough.
It's gotten so bad, that I have trouble even ordering any wine, no matter the cost in a restaurant. Although, I had one Chardonnay in a restaurant, house brand, that was so good, I'm trying to duplicate it. So far, not having success. Owner of finer wines is specifically following this project, as he's extremely interested in how this turns out. So far, it's a meh, but I'm also bulk aging this batch over the winter.
I did a fresh fruit cherry wine in 2023 is good, but it's a bit on the sweet side for me. when I bottled it, I almost dumped it. Let it sit in the bottles over the winter, and it is actually really good, albeit still too sweet. 2024 version, less sweet, but we'll see. 2024 Blueberry wine, not quite sure how that is going to play out either, but if I do it again, going to make some major changes to how it's processed.
Best part, my wife is my muse, and she's not shy. We have some very interesting labels for our wine.
I started mixing their old vine Zinfadel with Cab. It was awesome
Next year (2023) I used bourbon soaked oak cubes in secondary, and OMFG, it was moar better
Owner of Finer Wine Kits is now offering the cab/zin kits based on my recommendationThis year (2024), I followed the 2023 plan, with one seemingly minor change, I went with a different yeast. One that is kind of off the beaten path. OMFG, it is off the charts outstanding tasty. It's sitting in a carboy for now bulk aging over the winter. I'm hoping I can let this sit for at least three years, but I don't think the 2023 version will last that long.
I love to experiment, and since I usually do batches in "twos", it will allow me to A/B comparisons. I usually blend A & B together at bottling time. I did a water source experiment this year, invited 5 friends over to do a single blind taste test. 3.5 people like A over B. I made it absolutely clear, it made zero difference which one my friends chose. I was more interested in hearing the narrative. Three like A. One like B, and he's mostly a beer drinker. He said it had more "bite" that he prefers. The person on the fence was most interesting. She liked B over A, because A was too smooth and she'd drink more of it. This experiment results took me completely by surprise. I agreed with the assessment that A was better.
I'm now adding nutrients while pitching yeast, and at two other specific points in the process. I still struggle with temperature control, and haven't been get it under control as much as I'd like. I've seen the difference when getting temp under control. I may add a room air conditioner to that room, which is already the coldest room in the house... just not cold enough.
It's gotten so bad, that I have trouble even ordering any wine, no matter the cost in a restaurant. Although, I had one Chardonnay in a restaurant, house brand, that was so good, I'm trying to duplicate it. So far, not having success. Owner of finer wines is specifically following this project, as he's extremely interested in how this turns out. So far, it's a meh, but I'm also bulk aging this batch over the winter.
I did a fresh fruit cherry wine in 2023 is good, but it's a bit on the sweet side for me. when I bottled it, I almost dumped it. Let it sit in the bottles over the winter, and it is actually really good, albeit still too sweet. 2024 version, less sweet, but we'll see. 2024 Blueberry wine, not quite sure how that is going to play out either, but if I do it again, going to make some major changes to how it's processed.
Best part, my wife is my muse, and she's not shy. We have some very interesting labels for our wine.
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