2012 Orange Chocolate Port

February 2012I spotted this kit in American Brewmaster, heavily discounted. I checked the label and it was 1.5 years old. Yikes! But a voice inside me said, “go for it!” and I did. [This was the first aged kit I purchased, but certainly not the last!]


Ingredients

Kit RJ Spagnols Orange Chocolate Port kit
Bentonite yes
Yeast whatever came with the kit, didn’t record it
Sulfite yes
Sorbate yes
Kieselsol yes
Chitosan yes

Method

Added juice concentrate to the fermenter, stirred in bentonite. Sprinkled yeast on top. 02/11/2012
SG 1.112
Racked the wine into a fresh primary fermenter. 02/23/2012
SG 0.998
Added sulfite, potassium sorbate, stirred with powered stirring rod.

Added F Pack and stirred well.

Added kieselsol and stirred, then added chitosan and stirred.

Racked into 3-1/2 gallon carboy.

02/23/2012
SG 1.030
This one is sweet! Racked the wine into a fermenter, and bottled in 31 splits. 03/24/2012
SG 1.030

Notes

Yield 15.5 bottles, in 31 split bottles
Alcohol 15.5%
Residual Sugar 7.6%
09/24/2012 The kit may have been old, but it did not affect the quality of the wine. This came out fantastic! When I’m done to my last half dozen bottles, which will take a while as I don’t drink it often, I will spend the money to buy another port kit.
01/04/2014 This kit is aging incredibly well. This is not an authentic port, but it’s a delicious dessert wine, and it has done well for cooking. However, I’d rather spend the money on an inexpensive marsala than use this for cooking. I can always get more marsala but will eventually run out of bottles of this one!
04/26/2014 Unfortunately this wine is disappearing faster than I’d like. I need to make another one! Or at least something like it.