Beefing up a red wine kit

[NickW]

Hi all,

I'm thinking of doing some red wine (got a fad on it at the moment!). But I don't want to buy a fancy £70 kit.

I was thinking, is it a good idea to get a decent kit (£20ish) and use grape juice (red or white?) to replace the required amount of sugar? I don't like the idea of adding sugar to a kit as I feel it'll reduce the body and flavour of the wine...

Any thoughts welcomed :

 

[narmour]

IMO £20 does not get you a decent kit wine.

I follow the SISO (**** In, **** Out) principle with most of my edible enterprises... ie. if you want a good product use good quality ingredients. The only way to get a decent red wine is to use the best quality grape juice, and that is NOT dessert grape juice. Even at £70 that's still only £2.30 a bottle. Can't say I've tried what you are proposing, but the only budget range kit I have tried went down the drain. And it wasn't a problem that would've been fixed with cartons of grape juice. It was the awful synthetic flavour that the flavour packs imparted to the wine to try and mask the fact that there was bugger all wine grape juice in there.

 

[NickW]

Cheers mate, this was the answer I was expecting :lol:

Thanks for the input :thumb:

 

[bobsbeer]

Rather than go with the bottom end kits why not try a Beverdale or Cal Conn? Both are around £40-50, and you get a decent table wine. No sugar to add.

 

[tonyhibbett]

I am very pleased with results of beefing up a Winebuddy cabernet sauvignon kit with extra gjc, dried elderberries and apple juice. In my case, I was using up leftovers and my own apples, so the extra cost was small. I have found the Cellar 7 red kits produce good results for little extra cost.

 

[sam51]

not red wine, but after a few good reviews, I brought a 30 bottle white wine kit from the range.
£20, followed there instructions, but added 1lt of an apple juice I like,
and a bottle of coppela apple juice. after the finishing, I left it for a month,
bottled it, and it was superb, my wife dosnt even drink anymore,but loved it,
my daughter in law only likes rose wine,
but drank a whole bottle, im more of a red wine drinker,
but will be making more of this,
it depends what you like, also a bit of experimenting can sometimes pay dividends.

 

[NickW]

Well this is getting interesting!

What kit was that Sam?

 

[krazypara3165]

By the sounds of it just the standard white kit from the range

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Well this is getting interesting!

What kit was that Sam?

By the sounds of it just the standard white kit from the range

I have made the Rosé version many times, they also have a red version and the white mentioned above, full review here - viewtopic.php?f=59&t=39942

 

[graysalchemy]

The problem with red wine compared to white wine is that there is no substitute for proper red wine grape varieties, were as with white wine you can substitute other juices with red wine you simply can't if you are wanting a full bodied red. many of the cheaper kits use apple juice or different grape varieties not usually associated with red wine.

I personally have had good results with beaverdale cab sauv and the vintners reserve cab sauv. For about £1.50 a you get a bottle of wine similar to a £5 bottle from the supermarket which is perfectly acceptable to drink IMHO.

:thumb:

 

[Chippy_Tea]

This is what the Range website says about the Range Red (and the other two)

 

[graysalchemy]

light bodied, fruity, easy drinking table wine

Personally not my Idea of a red wine but each to their own. :whistle: :whistle:

 

[sam51]

yes just the standard range white wine.
mine worked out about 10% very nice and easy drinkable.
I never was a big white wine drinker,as brought too many ***** bottles.
so well pleased with this one,worked out about 70 pence bottle,
happy days. :

 

[Boatbrewer]

Have to agree with the above.

You can make a reasonable white from a budget kit. A budget red will fail every time.

 

[BIGJIM72]

A budget red will fail every time.

I wouldn't say fail-it will make wine thats coloured red,but is just very,very thin-to suit my taste anyway.

Its your choice-personally I'd rather pay the extra couple of quid & have something special,than go cheap & have 20 odd bottles of something meh.

Not seem them for a while but Wine Expert used to make 6 bottle kits, but they have ruined most other red wine kits for me as they just don't compare in quality.

If you don't want to spend cash out,get your blackberrying/elderberry gear ready for the summer.
I'd far rather drink a well made hedgerow wine over a cheap kit any day.

 

[Boatbrewer]

Maybe that was a bit of a sweeping statement, but once you have bought and made a quality kit, it is difficult to look favourably on a budget one. I meet so many people in Wilkinsons who want to try this great hobby and pick up a red wine kit. You just know they will never make another. Shame.

Or like you say, make the most of the free stuff.

 

[BIGJIM72]

I agree totally- the Wine Expert kits have ruined the Beaverdale/Cal Con kits for me forever.

 

[Winchester]

This is what the Range website says about the Range Red (and the other two)

Hi all,

Is it possible to add fruit (pref raspberries) to a kit to improve/change the result?

Thanks.

 

[Tim_Crowhurst]

Hi all,

Is it possible to add fruit (pref raspberries) to a kit to improve/change the result?

Thanks.

Yes. Good ones are raspberries, strawberries, blackcurrants, gooseberries, passionfruit, grapefruit and elderberries.

 

[rosie]

Young's Merlot contains red grape juice @ £22.99 for 30 bottles I was pleased with the result the second time round -Instead of using the flavour pack D which was just another sachet of red grape concentrate in at the end of fermention and after the stabilizer. I held the stabilizer back put the flavour pack D:F- in with a table spoon of sugar and let it ferment away.

List of contents
For concentrate pack:
Grape fruit concentrate, citric acid, colour from grape skin. (Anthocyanin). Preservatives Potassium metabisulphite, Potassium sorbate).
Pack D:F-pack. Grape juice concentrate, Cherry concentrate, Flavourings, colour from grape skins, (Anthocyanin) Preservative (sodium metabisuphite).
For other satchets:: Chitosan, Silica Sol, Yeast Nutriant, Yeast. Oak chips. Antifoaming agent.
Warning contains products of crustacea.

A Grape based reasonably priced Red.