Feb 2017
Questions
February, 2017 Filed in: Wine making
We get many common questions that don’t warrant a whole article but are still worthy of answers in the newsletter. So for the next couple of months we will focus on them.
What is the difference to so-called 4 week and 6 week kits? Well the simple answer is how long it takes to make, but the real answer is ageing potential and body. You see, 6 week kits, like Selection have more solids in them because of their higher juice content. Because of this they generally have more body and more ageing potential. If, you intend to have all the wine consumed within 6 months, generally a 4 week kit like World Vineyard and Vintners Reserve would be suited for you. Essentially at 6 months, the wine from Selection wine kits will be superior in quality to a 4 week kit. So, if you tend to age your wines, we encourage you to make premium kits. You will be well rewarded for your patience.
I have to go away and by the instructions I have to do a step, what should I do? The only critical step is transferring the wine from the pail to the carboy. Don’t transfer it to soon, or leave it too long. After, it is the carboy, time is on your side. It is perfectly fine to leave your wine for longer periods of time. In fact there are some benefits to leaving it longer. For many, we leave it for as long as a year before bottling.
What colour of bottle should I put my wine into? Typically red wine goes into a green bottle and white wine in a clear bottle. The reason for this is most red wine is aged for longer periods of time. Direct sunlight can be harmful to wine, and thus the green bottle is looked upon favourably for red wine. However, realistically, most wine is stored in our basements and never sees direct sunlight. So, really then it makes no difference. We always say, the wine doesn’t care, so it is up to you what colour of bottle your wine goes into.
What is the difference to so-called 4 week and 6 week kits? Well the simple answer is how long it takes to make, but the real answer is ageing potential and body. You see, 6 week kits, like Selection have more solids in them because of their higher juice content. Because of this they generally have more body and more ageing potential. If, you intend to have all the wine consumed within 6 months, generally a 4 week kit like World Vineyard and Vintners Reserve would be suited for you. Essentially at 6 months, the wine from Selection wine kits will be superior in quality to a 4 week kit. So, if you tend to age your wines, we encourage you to make premium kits. You will be well rewarded for your patience.
I have to go away and by the instructions I have to do a step, what should I do? The only critical step is transferring the wine from the pail to the carboy. Don’t transfer it to soon, or leave it too long. After, it is the carboy, time is on your side. It is perfectly fine to leave your wine for longer periods of time. In fact there are some benefits to leaving it longer. For many, we leave it for as long as a year before bottling.
What colour of bottle should I put my wine into? Typically red wine goes into a green bottle and white wine in a clear bottle. The reason for this is most red wine is aged for longer periods of time. Direct sunlight can be harmful to wine, and thus the green bottle is looked upon favourably for red wine. However, realistically, most wine is stored in our basements and never sees direct sunlight. So, really then it makes no difference. We always say, the wine doesn’t care, so it is up to you what colour of bottle your wine goes into.