I have a BrewKing's Selection Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot in progress.
I added the betonite in 2 litres of water, stired, added the 15 litres of
juice, rinced the container with water and added it to the mix, and toped it
up to 23 litres. Added the oak. SG: 1.085. After 6 days, the SG was at
1.000, so I racked it in a 6 gallon carboy for 10 days. Then the SG was at
0.992, so I stabilized it.
Now, I have just racked it after 8 days of stabilisation as the instructions
says.

Is it normal that it's color and taste is rather weak at this time? It
doesn't LOOK like a quality wine, and almost taste like water and alcohol.
Did I miss something? Or everything is normal and color, texture and taste
will come with ageing Any comments would be appreciated.

This kit turned out great for me. I think you are just being over anxious.

Willie wrote:

>I have a BrewKing's Selection Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot in progress.
>I added the betonite in 2 litres of water, stired, added the 15 litres of
>juice, rinced the container with water and added it to the mix, and toped it
>up to 23 litres. Added the oak. SG: 1.085. After 6 days, the SG was at
>1.000, so I racked it in a 6 gallon carboy for 10 days. Then the SG was at
>0.992, so I stabilized it.
>Now, I have just racked it after 8 days of stabilisation as the instructions
>says.
>
When did you add the Bentonite? From your description above it would
appear that you have added it at the start of the fermentation process,
is that correct?

>Is it normal that it's color and taste is rather weak at this time? It
>doesn't LOOK like a quality wine, and almost taste like water and alcohol.
>Did I miss something? Or everything is normal and color, texture and taste
>will come with ageing Any comments would be appreciated.
>

Yes, that is what the instructions provided by BrewKing says.
Dissolve the betonite in two litres of water, then pour the juice into the
betonite solution, stir, top to 23 litres, then add the yeast.




"Ken Vale" > wrote in message
ble.rogers.com...
> Willie wrote:
>
> >I have a BrewKing's Selection Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot in progress.
> >I added the betonite in 2 litres of water, stired, added the 15 litres of
> >juice, rinced the container with water and added it to the mix, and toped
it
> >up to 23 litres. Added the oak. SG: 1.085. After 6 days, the SG was at
> >1.000, so I racked it in a 6 gallon carboy for 10 days. Then the SG was
at
> >0.992, so I stabilized it.
> >Now, I have just racked it after 8 days of stabilisation as the
instructions
> >says.
> >
> When did you add the Bentonite? From your description above it would
> appear that you have added it at the start of the fermentation process,
> is that correct?
>
> >Is it normal that it's color and taste is rather weak at this time? It
> >doesn't LOOK like a quality wine, and almost taste like water and
alcohol.
> >Did I miss something? Or everything is normal and color, texture and
taste
> >will come with ageing Any comments would be appreciated.
> >
>

Let the newsgroup scroll proclaim that "Willie" >
scribed upon its pages in
news
> Yes, that is what the instructions provided by BrewKing says.
> Dissolve the betonite in two litres of water, then pour the juice into
> the betonite solution, stir, top to 23 litres, then add the yeast.

>> >
>> When did you add the Bentonite? From your description above it
>> would
>> appear that you have added it at the start of the fermentation
>> process, is that correct?

If you added it at the start of fermentation, that's way too early.
Add it when SG is below 1.00, and allow it to clear.

--
Allen McBroom ><>
www.NPSTKD.com
Remove WOOF when replying by email

with wine kits, (Brew King, I can't speak for all brands) it is correct to add
the bentonite at the beginning.

If it's not crystal clear and a bit cloudy, the cloudy bit is yeast that
hasn't yet settled & cleared. Personally, I don't find that yeast tastes
particularily good! A young wine can start to taste drinkable after 2
months.. good after 6 and great after 12. Patience is a virtue in
winemaking!

LG

>I have a BrewKing's Selection Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot in progress.
>I added the betonite in 2 litres of water, stired, added the 15 litres of
>juice, rinced the container with water and added it to the mix, and toped it
>up to 23 litres. Added the oak. SG: 1.085. After 6 days, the SG was at
>1.000, so I racked it in a 6 gallon carboy for 10 days. Then the SG was at
>0.992, so I stabilized it.
>Now, I have just racked it after 8 days of stabilisation as the instructions
>says.
>
>Is it normal that it's color and taste is rather weak at this time? It
>doesn't LOOK like a quality wine, and almost taste like water and alcohol.
>Did I miss something? Or everything is normal and color, texture and taste
>will come with ageing Any comments would be appreciated.

Allen McBroom > wrote:

>>> When did you add the Bentonite? From your description above it
>>> would
>>> appear that you have added it at the start of the fermentation
>>> process, is that correct?
>
> If you added it at the start of fermentation, that's way too early.
>Add it when SG is below 1.00, and allow it to clear.

Some people add it at the beginning, claiming that it will help clearing,
and that the bentonine will ride like comets on the CO2 coming off the
bottom from the primary fermentation process. It's not how I do it, but
it's not totally wrong either. Maybe it helps if you are in a super big
rush, since the clearing will be starting from day one, not later! This
must be a kit thing. Why do people insist on demanding kits where you rush
things in a few short weeks?! If people want to rush, they should get
themselves a kit of Riesling or Gwertz that has half of chance of tasting OK
after 2 months. And why add bentonite to a red at all? Throw out the kit
instructions and buy some patience, or maybe some Claro K-C.

LG

Is the bentonite problem the reason of the poor results, even if the maximum
potential has been obtained: SG: 0,992 ?

The manufacturer's instructions are at
http://www.brewking.com/answerbox/fi...ection0101.pdf

Any Idea where I can find better instructions for that kit?


> If you added it at the start of fermentation, that's way too early.
> Add it when SG is below 1.00, and allow it to clear.
>

If I read your post correctly. This wine is still in the carboy and only 24
days from the beginning of fermentation. Don't you think you're jumping the gun
a bit? These kits don't even go to the bottle for 6-8 weeks.

You will not find better instructions for the kit per se!
The manufacturers instructions work absolutely perfectly every time. However
with a little experience it is quite possible to vary these and change some
of the intended wines attributes. I personally normally use a yeast of my
own selection and I sometimes adjust the starting SG a little. I rarely, if
ever, use the finings and prefer this to be achieved naturally during the
bulk aging process. I don't use the potassium Sorbate but I do adjust the
SO2 for its period of bulk aging. However having said all that if you follow
the kits instructions to the letter you will produce a wine which will rank
very much at the top end of quality wine kits. You have only to actually
indulge in a little reading of this NG to find other opinions than mine of
the subject of kit wines. You must also appreciate the any kit wine has been
specifically researched and "designed" to produce the same result every
time for a whole variety of abilities of wine makers. It is unwise when
beginning a new type to make radical changes without previous experience.
My own experience in wine make only goes back about 30 years and I still
make blunders occasionally and wonder what I did wrong.

I am extremely surprised about your comments with regard to wateriness and
lack of taste. I haven't made a Selection Cab/Merlot but I have made, over
the last couple of years, well over a dozen different Selection kits from
the Selection, Selection International and Limited Edition and Selection
Estate, -- all Red wines.
While I find that they still have some short comings when compared to
commercially produced red wines I cannot in any way attribute the qualities
of taste and flavour of which you complain.
I can only suggest that you are sampling the wine at a most vulnerable
moment. It has just been racked , degassed(?), fined (?) and generally
knocked about a bit. Surprisingly the old wives tales of "bruising" and
"bottleshock" aren't old wives tales! I would suggest that you rack to your
bulk aging carboy, adjust the SO2 , top up to the neck, cap with a
fermentation lock and let it sit and rest for 6 months in a dark storage
area.

--
Trevor A Panther
In South Yorkshire, England
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"Willie" > wrote in message
.. .
> Is the bentonite problem the reason of the poor results, even if the
maximum
> potential has been obtained: SG: 0,992 ?
>
> The manufacturer's instructions are at
> http://www.brewking.com/answerbox/fi...ection0101.pdf
>
> Any Idea where I can find better instructions for that kit?
>
>
> > If you added it at the start of fermentation, that's way too early.
> > Add it when SG is below 1.00, and allow it to clear.
> >
>
>

PS. I don't own or have any shares in Brew King!!!!!!!!!!!

--
Trevor A Panther
In South Yorkshire, England
Remove "SPAMLESS" from my address line to reply.
All outgoing mail is scanned by Norton
Anti Virus for your protection too!
"Pinky" > wrote in message
...
> You will not find better instructions for the kit per se!
<snip> <snip>

Willie wrote:

>Is the bentonite problem the reason of the poor results, even if the maximum
>potential has been obtained: SG: 0,992 ?
>
>The manufacturer's instructions are at
>http://www.brewking.com/answerbox/fi...ection0101.pdf
>
>Any Idea where I can find better instructions for that kit?
>
>
I've never made anything from a kit, so I would say follow the
instructions that came with the kit. That said I had never before heard
of bentonite being used at the beginning of a fermentation, although I
can see that many people think it is ok to do so. *shrug* I don't use
bentonite for fining/clearing so I don't really know much about it, the
fining agents I used are added at the end, which is why I asked.
I will add that red wines take a while to reach full potential and
that you shouldn't sample them too soon, so I would let it age for a
while, the instructions provided with the kit should have a
recommendation as to how long (most likely a few months). Sample it once
a suitable time has passed and make any judgements about quality then.
Ken

Absolutly, I was expecting a dark color and strong tanin taste at this time.
But I found the opposite, a light red with no taste. I just wanted to know
if the results I have were normal or not at this step. It is my very first
batch.

"Brewser83" > wrote in message
...
> If I read your post correctly. This wine is still in the carboy and only
24
> days from the beginning of fermentation. Don't you think you're jumping
the gun
> a bit? These kits don't even go to the bottle for 6-8 weeks.