Belvino wine kits

[Frogbrew]

Hi all, has anyone tried the above kit? I can't find any reviews for the white versions. Can anyone recommend?
I believe they're made from dried ingredients rather than concentrated grape juice which is new territory for me.

 

[Frogbrew]

Come on guys, someone must have tried this kit?
18.99 on eBay seems good for a 25-30 bottle kit but I don't want to waste my time if its c***p.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Looks like you may have to be the forum guinea pig.

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[Frogbrew]

Looks like you may have to be the forum guinea pig.

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Mmm, does doesn't it:)

 

[billmcc]

I have made lots of these (Chardonnay type) and they turn out pretty good they are a bit messy to make but using a grain bag for your dried fruit ect makes life a lot easier

 

[Vinotinto]

Be interested in how it turns out BUT general opinion and experience suggests you get what you pay for with wine kits.

 

[billmcc]

Nice to hear from you vino didn’t know you were on here as well
All the best

 

[Frogbrew]

I'm not too bothered as long as its drinkable as its the Mrs who drinks it not me. I'm just getting a bit tired of doing 6 bottle kits and 1gallon wows as I can't keep up with demand. I could do a larger wow batch I suppose but fancied trying out a dried fruit version for a change.
Thanks for your replies!

 

[billmcc]

Trying something new keeps your interest and it does make a Change with the dried fruit kit which also makes a nice drop of plonk especially if you let it age a bit
Cheers

 

[Gunge]

Well one of their Australian reds has just turned up via Royal Mail. Be knocking that up later today, and will report back consequently!

 

[Gunge]

I made the kit on Wednesday, and it was going like the clappers six hours later. Still going like the clappers now, and smells incredible. OG 1080, hoping for FG 995. Soon find out. Should be tipping this down the neck this time next week... stuff all that waiting around for 'maturation' cobblers.

 

[Gunge]

Well, Sunday and it's stopped. Call it 4 full days. That was quick! I'll leave it until I've got a few hours spare before moving on with it. Can't beat fast turnarounds!

 

[Frogbrew]

Well, Sunday and it's stopped. Call it 4 full days. That was quick! I'll leave it until I've got a few hours spare before moving on with it. Can't beat fast turnarounds!

What fg did you get gunge?

 

[Gunge]

What fg did you get gunge?

I got 0995, which is what I was hoping for / expecting, so around 11.5%. Tastes good but a tad dry so I chucked 15 saccharine tablets in along with the finings. There it now sits in a FV, waiting for bottling. Weekend maybe.

 

[Tonibee]

I've done a couple of these recently: the chardonnay and the classic red. The white turned out really nice - i was pleasantly surprised. The red not so much. I mean, it wasn't awful, but wasn't better than a cheaper kit. For a second batch of red, I mixed the fruit with boiling water and let it stand for a half a day to squeeze out more juice and flavour before continuing with the instructions. It has a richer colour, but is still in the bucket waiting to be racked for bottling.

 

[Frogbrew]

Well mines still in the fv, a month after making up. Down to 1015ish so still some way to go. Original yeast was a non starter so had to add a cml wine yeast after about a week of no movement.

 

[karakitten]

Just bottled the Belvino South African Red today & at tasting still a little dry , but flavour is there . Colour is light , more like a Rose . May try the Australian Red & wonder how much deeper in colour this kit is ? Any thoughts welcome on these , as could not resist 2 kits on offer recently @ £ 17.99 at Art of Brewing ! Will be trying Californian Classic white next .....

 

[Tonibee]

I really like these kits and have done a few more since my last post in April - my local homebrew shop always seems to have some cheap ones at half price (about £9). Never had any issues with non-starters or slow ferments. Typically they ferment to around 991 (white and red). The colour on the Australian is a little deeper, but I've found that all the kit reds I've done tend to be lighter in colour than shop bought reds. I found that leaving the dry ingredients to soak in hot water for a few hours, rather than the one hour recommended on the instructions, brings out more flavour and colour.

As for taste, the white tastes more like I think wine should than any other kit I've done. But the reds, all taste cheap. Personally, I just put it down to the fact that it's homebrew. But I'm not all that experienced and maybe there's other things I could be doing to improve things. I just follow the instructions and drink it!!

 

[karakitten]

Thanks for reply & will try soaking Fruit etc for longer than 1 hour ! The Cellar 7 ( 7 day kit ) Malbec took 3 weeks in total ( !! ) , lovely Dark Colour ... but taste was not so good ... personally not impressed !! Will try try the Australian Belvino & review !! (Next post is for fast fermenting beer kits eg Coopers Stout ! )

 

[Tonibee]

I think it's a matter of trying different stuff and seeing what works for you. I've never done a 7-day kit in 7 days. But I have done a Cooper's stout this year. I wouldn't call it fast though - it took 9 weeks and apparently that's quite normal for a stout. Decided to wait three months before drinking; I still have six weeks to wait... There a few threads on the forum about it. Unfortunately I delete my notification emails so can't quickly point you there.

Edit: It was a Sergeant's Stout not a Coopers, but I think the same applies generally to stouts as far as I can remember.