Beaverdale Rojo Tinto

Review by Shirazzy

The kit I used was called Beaverdale Rioja but I believe this has been renamed as Rojo Tinto.

I bottled this kit on Saturday and by coincidence Mr S came home from work with a bottle of 2007 Rioja from a friend he'd done a favour for. As an experiment we decided to open both to have a taste test (well it was Saturday night...) not expecting the kit to be great but hoping for some promise.

After half hour breathing I poured a glass of each for Mr S to blind taste and the result was, though they were obviously different wines, he couldn't tell which was the kit and which was the 'real' wine.

As the evening went on the full oakyness of the Rioja came through but the Rojo held its own as a reasonable Tempranillo, it has an almost buttery flavour, smooth, quite fruity and slightly oak (I'd put it at about £4-£5 in the supermarket which isn't bad considering it had only been bottled 6 hours earlier) I actually preferred it as I'm not a fan of the very heavy oak in a Rioja but that's just personal taste.

In conclusion I'd say this will make a very nice Tempranillo, and I'm looking forward to it maturing as such. If you're after a full oak Rioja this won't hit the spot, however, I had put two 5lt Pets away to mature and so as an experiment I have added 2gms of oak chips to one to see if I can get more of the oak flavour that Mr S enjoys and will report back on my findings in a few months.

Finally I'll just say that of the kits I have tried so far this is the front runner to become our 'house red' but in future I will make it short to add a little bit more body.

Cheers

I try and let these kits sit in demijohns for 6-12 months and they do seem to improve

I am drinking the cab sauv which was in the fv for 9 months definately makes a difference :thumb: :thumb:

Just bottled this kit. Was my first ever kit wine and I must say it was very easy to do. Good instructions and everything went pretty much to plan.

I have stored 5 bottles but decided to drink one last night, just to taste. I was very pleased with the outcome. You can really taste the oak chippings and it's a nice full bodied red wine. I'm sure it will improve with age but I wouldn't be upset if I had paid £5 / £6 for it.

Will do this one again but first I think I'll try the Beaverdale Merlot, just to see what it's like.

cheers
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I have just bottled this wine, and must say I am very pleased with the result.

I received an email last week from WineExpert saying they were selling out of Beaverdale kits very quickly ,so if anyone's thinking of trying one , get in fast.

This was my first ever kit, its currently clearing :) from the few sips I had its quite nice, I'm sure after it matures it will be even better! :thumb:

I have just bottled this (or rather transferred it to a 20 litre plastic box...)

I started it on 17 feb and racked it initially last weekend, so just under a month. this in a room kept at about 21 degrees with a thermostat elecrtic heater.

I took a bottle round to my brother's and his wife, we managed to finish it off v quickly. Good feedback.

Very drinkable, the interesting thing is to compare it with the Wineworks superior Rioja I did 6 weeks ago or so (review on this site)

It has a much fuller flavour, less fruity, more 'wine' like than the wineworks if you know what I mean. The Beaverdale has some depth, a finish to the taste, unlike the Wineworks. Would be believeable that I bought this from the supermarket, unlike the wineworks (certainly in the first week after racking)

I do find it a little sweeter than I would like.

It is very smooth and has a depth of flavour the wineworks lacked. Also the 'acetone' smell is not present at all with the Beaverdale - and this ties in to my recollections of some beaverdale Rioja my mate date a few months ago. Perhaps this means the yeast is a better variety?

It is only early days, aged a week or so in the fermenter. But I suspect that it will mature very nicely over the next few weeks into a more complex and rewarding wine than the wineworks.

In some ways I preferred the wineworks (lighter, fruitier) but this is clearly a more quality product (no acetone, more depth).

I think that on balance the Wineworks is probably better if you are looking for a wine that is good and drinkable without aging, whilst you pay a little more for the Beaverdale but get a much more complex and interesting wine but which needs some ageing, i.e. a month or six.

But I will continue to update.

I did this last year. It definitely needed at least 1 month in the bottle to mature but it was a nice Tempranillo. Had positive comments from visitors and was polished off during a family gathering. :thumb:

I have since fermented Beaverdale Merlot and Pinot Noir so as a brand it's persuaded me to part with more cash for further experimentation.