Winexpert Classic - Italian Pinto Grigio

[buddsy]

As the Beaverdale Merlot 30 bottle kit I brewed turned out really well I taken the plunge on a white.

The red was pretty good to start but has definitely aged really well. Im now down to maybe 10 bottles.

I gone for the slightly more expensive Winexpert kit which has 8L of juice over the 6L of the Beaverdale.

Should be getting this one started in a couple of weeks when the beer in my fermentation fridge is done.

Ill keep you posted.


buddsy

 

[buddsy]

Got this one underway last night.

Now just starting to see some action in the air lock.

buddsy

 

[buddsy]

When I made this last night considering the levels of discussion we have talking about yeast in beer making I was slightly surprised to find a small pack of yeast which had "pizza" yeast written on it. Seems to be doing the job so far as its now bubbling away with a fair amount of vigor.

Fingers crossed.

buddsy

 

[buddsy]

Im sure we all love it when fermentation gets underway. Hypnotic!



buddsy

 

[itry]

i did their neobolio from the private reserve and left it for a year. it was amazing. ive done their rose and whites they are always good. best wine kits you can get in my opinion. Ive currently got a chardonnay in the fermentor. This im going to have a go at making in to fizzy wine. i also have another from the private reserve under the stairs for next Christmas.

 

[buddsy]

i did their neobolio from the private reserve and left it for a year. it was amazing. ive done their rose and whites they are always good. best wine kits you can get in my opinion. Ive currently got a chardonnay in the fermentor. This im going to have a go at making in to fizzy wine. i also have another from the private reserve under the stairs for next Christmas.

Nice one! I guess Im building up confidence for these kits.

The private reserve kits do look impressive but £120 is quite a lot. That said £4 a bottle doesnt seem so bad but the finished wine needs to be better than a £5 shop bought bottle.

My Beaverdale kit was up there with the bottles for a fiver so maybe I will have confidence at some point to make the jump to the more expensive kits.

The private reserve kits come with grape skins dont they? How do you get on with that?

buddsy

 

[itry]

its just like a normal kit. you just add them in. they are worth the money

 

[buddsy]

Day 10 in the fermenter and I can report its still bubbling away nicely. Not as vigorous as it was at the start but still happily doing its thing.

buddsy

 

[buddsy]

So the wine appeared to have finished fermention a few days ago after about 12 days. I could see the yeast has dropped out to settle at the bottom.

Today being day 18. I checked the SG which was 0.993 which I thinks give me approx 12.7% alcohol. As per instructions racked off into a clean Carboy. Added the pack of Sulphite/Sorbate degassed and added kieselsol.

In the Carboy it looks a little on the yellow side but in the test jar it looked very clear. Obviously didnt want the test sample to go to waste so had a little drink. Have to say wine tastes very pleasing, beautifully fruity. Really feels like a quality wine. I hope my next stages dont have any negative impact on the wine I already have!

buddsy

 

[buddsy]

just about clear now. Im going to transfer to a clean carboy for a month or so before I bottle.

buddsy

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

just about clear now. Im going to transfer to a clean carboy for a month or so before I bottle.

View attachment 43244

buddsy

Wow that looks fantastic
OK I'm convinced - going to try one of the Winexpert kits.
Those carboys look like a very good option for brewing in... I like the clarity of them. Might see if I can find somewhere I can get a couple of those too. Do you need any specific fittings to fit an airlock to them?

 

[buddsy]

They just use the standard rubber demijohn fittings. They are nice. Ive bought a couple second hand. One came with a metal handle that fits around the neck which is handy. They are very good to see the sediment and how your wine/ beer is clearing.

buddsy

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

Managed to find and order one with a slightly wider neck, which looks as if it might be easier to clean ... bit pricier than a HDPE bucket but probably worth it :-)

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

Also took the plunge and ordered one of these kits. Wish me luck...!

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Shirley Bassett]

I’ve done the Chilean Malbec x 2 and Sangiovese in that series. Both turned out very drinkable. The second Malbec turned out much better. I degassed this one with one of Chippy’s home made plastic coat hanger degassers and a battery drill.

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

stuff all arrived today so I'm avidly reading the instructions (and many apologies @buddsy for hijacking your thread)

 

[buddsy]

many apologies @buddsy for hijacking your thread

No worries my friend. Anything on the wine side of the forum to get a little more traffic is good.

You will have to let us know how the plastic carboys work out. I love my glass ones although obviously harder to clean and they do give me the fear when I have to move them around when full. That said they do look awesome!

buddsy

 

[GazzaW57]

I’m really interested in doing one of the Winexpert 30 bottle kits, but I’m unsure of a couple of things and would appreciate some advice, namely:

1. Is it ok to use a standard 25 litre brewing bucket when starting off the wine? I ask this, as I’m expecting the wine to ‘froth’ a bit, and wondered whether I’d be better off with a 30 litre bucket.
2. I see some people have advocate using carboys to rack the wine into. I have none of those, but have another 25 litre brewing bucket. Will that suffice?

I should add that both brewing buckets have the requisite holes for airlocks!

Thanks,

Gaz

 

[Poochops]

I’m really interested in doing one of the Winexpert 30 bottle kits, but I’m unsure of a couple of things and would appreciate some advice, namely:

1. Is it ok to use a standard 25 litre brewing bucket when starting off the wine? I ask this, as I’m expecting the wine to ‘froth’ a bit, and wondered whether I’d be better off with a 30 litre bucket.
2. I see some people have advocate using carboys to rack the wine into. I have none of those, but have another 25 litre brewing bucket. Will that suffice?

I should add that both brewing buckets have the requisite holes for airlocks!

Thanks,

Gaz

I’ve done a number of 5 gallon wine kits this year as a departure from beer, I brew in my 30l buckets, but you could hold back 5l of water for a few days if you’re concerned about frothing, just make sure what you top up with is a similar temp so as not to shock the yeast.
I rack into demijohns so as to have negligible headspace, most I’ve picked up for £3 or less off FB marketplace, just need a bit of patience for them to come along at the right price. I leave it months in those to completely clear, then rack again for maturing.
once fermentation is finished it’s recommended to rack into something with a low surface area at the neck to avoid oxidising the wine as it ages. None of my buckets have airlocks these days but I use them for my first racking in the DJs to release any residual gases