Red wine kit quality

[yellowbelly]

Funny this because I always found that my white kits always had a certain taste all very similar "homebrewie" ended up giving them away but my reds iv really enjoyed...

 

[tipsynurse]

Interesting to read. I do the Beaverdale kits and although they produce a drinkable red I still buy shop reds for a treat. I suspect that a lot of it is just age rather than an issue with the kit itself, I don't have anywhere cool to keep it so it tends to be drunk within weeks rather than months.

I am considering doing the Kenmore kits but I wonder if it will be a waste with effectively the same issue about aging.

 

[fleadavid]

Kenridge Classic Pinot Noir was just like shop red wine after 3 days in the bottle. I don't know if it will be worth trying cheaper kits if they don't turn out any good

 

[fixit9660]

Following on from my earlier posts: I've just bottled a 6 bottle California Connoisseur Shiraz kit, and first tasting seems a vast improvement on the earlier kit. I've put some bottles in the garage rack, (out-of-site, out-of-mind), in the hope they'll improve with age. It'll be a terrible irony if they mature brilliantly, only for me to find the recent wildfires in California have destroyed the vineyards they source the juice from.

 

[dattsbud]

I have to echo your feelings about the Beaverdale Shiraz. The words "indifferent" and "average" spring to mind when considering the quality of the end product. And it definitely didn't have any Shiraz-like qualities!
I can't fault their customer support mind you. My first brew tasted terrible and I contacted their customer support. They responded quickly and asked for details and a sample. I sent them a sample and their pronouncement was "mouse" and promptly supplied another kit in the post, which brewed fine!! Just a shame the product wasn't as good as I was expecting.
Am I expecting too much?

I've a Craft Range Sessions cab sav kitits in fv for 3 weeks on a 14 day kit. Temp is stable at 16 (had offer of heat belt but didn't want to fluctuate) and today I did test and gently raised temp to 20 for reading it has very slight fizz and hydrometer reads 0.996.
Do I leave longer in fv???? Stressed out!

 

[fixit9660]

I'm not an expert but I think 16 is a bit low. I've just bottled some DIY Prosecco and it took 35 days to finish fermenting, again in a cool kitchen around 16-17 degrees. It tastes fine, just took it's time.

As it's a kit, what do your instructions say to leave it to? 0.996 sounds as though it's pretty much finished to me though. The end reading will only affect the sweetness and strength.

 

[dattsbud]

I'm not an expert but I think 16 is a bit low. I've just bottled some DIY Prosecco and it took 35 days to finish fermenting, again in a cool kitchen around 16-17 degrees. It tastes fine, just took it's time.

As it's a kit, what do your instructions say to leave it to? 0.996 sounds as though it's pretty much finished to me though. The end reading will only affect the sweetness and strength.

All it says it to test after 12 days and if it reads same 3 days running, rack off and add timings.. but if it's fizzy, I can't see it's ready! I'm happy to be a bit patient and see.

 

[LED_ZEP]

someone posted this elsewhere looks an ideal and well priced solution for storing reds: https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/house...-lwc34b15-wine-cooler-black-10118632-pdt.html

 

[BarnBrian]

"mouse" ? Can you expand on that?

Ok. Expanded mouse = "Rat":laugh2: