Welcome, Mike,
You'll find lots of knowledgeable winemakers here so you've come to
the right place. I'll chime in on a couple things you brought up.
First, the VR kits are the low end of the spectrum in terms of
quality. It's a good place to begin--that's where I began--but you
won't get a stunning wine out of it. You should get a pleasant wine
out of it however. That said, I think the whites tend to be a better
final product from the low end kits than the reds.
Your question about yeast is a good one. Yes, yeast can make some
difference in the final product, but from what I understand, it makes
a bigger difference with beer (I'm not a homebrewer though). Premier
Cuvee is a solid, strong yeast that almost always ferments to
completion which is why it is often included in kits. Not much risk
of a stuck fermentation as long as you follow basic temperature
guidelines. You can experiment with different yeasts with kits and
end up with different characteristics. For example, maybe you prefer
your Riesling to finish with some slight residual sugar and have
stronger fruit flavors. In that case you could try Epernay 2 (Cote
des Blancs). I love Cote des Blancs for fruity whites, but it
ferments quite slowly, especially at low temperatures. It does allow
you to stop a fermentation when the sugar level is where you want it
by chilling it down in some way (I use a full size refrigerator).
There are many, many strains which can provide slightly different
results, but you can't expect miracles. You can never convert
marginal fruit or juice into fantastic wine just by switching yeast.
A great place to read about different wine strains is on Jack Keller's
website. Jack contributes here frequently. Here is his yeast page:
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/strains.asp
Give your kit wine some time. It will improve, especially after a few
months in the bottle. Good luck...
"Michael Lawson" > wrote in message >...
> Hi Gang--
>
> Long time homebrewer (been a few years since I've
> been able to brew, tho), but a first time winemaker.
> Considering I like my wine as much as beer, I figure
> that it's past time that I started trying to make wine.
>
> Anyway, I decided to start slow and try one of
> the 7.5 liter kits, and went with a Vintner's Reserve
> Riesling. Things have gone well so far, although my
> 2yo son nearly dunked his head in the reconstituted
> juice during the initial stirring process. (It's a longer
> story than that, trust me.)
>
> My questions don't really focus on things like bulk
> aging so much as how the wine is coming together.
> I made a point of topping off with a commercial
> riesling so I didn't thin things out too much, and as
> I near the end of the clarifying stage (per the instruction
> manual), the wine is starting to taste much more like
> a riesling. That said, the wine does taste a bit thin
> with little aromatics. Typical at this stage (the 4 week
> point), I presume??
>
> In a VR kit, will bulk aging allow the wine to age better,
> or is bulk aging more beneficial to the VR reds and the
> 15-16 and whole juice kits? My assumption is that it
> would help some, but what would be a good rule of
> thumb for a VR 4-week kit?
>
> Second, from my homebrewing experience, matching
> the right yeast to the type of beer being brewed can
> be rather important. I'm wondering that if I had replaced
> the Red Star yeast (Premier Cuvee, I believe) with one
> from Wyeast/White Labs/Lalvin geared toward a
> riesling style whether it would have had a dramatic
> improvement in the outcome of the wine.
>
> Third, if one would use a Wyeast or White Labs yeast,
> do you use a starter amount of fresh juice or concentrate
> to get the yeast going before adding to the must?? I've
> used that successfully many times with homebrewing,
> but in that case, the default extra-light malt extract will
> fit in with most homebrewed beers, as opposed to a
> varietal for wine.
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> --Mike L.