Red Wine Kits - Worried

[ubewty]

Hi All, i'm new to the forum and i'm a relative novice to wine making (I started about 5 months ago) and whilst i've had a lot of success with WOW's and Strawberry Ribena Wine i'm less happy with the results of my red wine kits. I don't know whether this is down to me (although i followed the instructions) or whether it's unrealistic to expect to be able to create a good quality red wine from a kit.

I started with a Wilkinson's kit (which i didn't expect much from) and ended up with a Cabernet Sauvignon which was very very thin, almost Rose'ish. I've since done a Beaverdale Merlot and a California Connoisseur Rioja, both of which seem to have had reasonable reviews and quite good reviews on the forum. I bottled the merlot 2 months ago and (being impatient!) i opened a bottle this weekend to see how it was coming along. It was terrible, thin and sharp :cry: . I don't see any way that it can improve enough by being left in the bottle for another 6 months to make it into a good wine, but i'm hoping that i'm wrong and that other people will have had a similar experience (and basically that my impatience is the problem :whistle: ). Has anyone got any advice with regards to red wine kits and how to get the most out of them to get a decent bottle of red?

 

[bobsbeer]

Welcome to the forum. My experience with Beverdale kits has been good. I usually leave for about 4-6 months. I usually make them up to 21lt and then add 2lt red grape juice. SG has been around 1.085-1.090 and finish around .992-.995. All I can say is be patient and try another. I have had good results with Barolo and Rioja. Just trying a Kenridge Classic Shiraz. First impressions are good. Only got it going today.

 

[ubewty]

Thanks Bob. My kit was 6 bottle, i'll try and be patient :) . I've also got a Beaverdale Barolo kit (30 bottle) that i've finished and which i've left to clear in the 'cask' and which i've resisted the urge to touch. i'm hoping that if i bottle in November it'll make a good wine for Christmas.

Does anyone have any experience about the difference between 'aging' wines in the bottle vs the demijohn/cask? :hmm:

 

[Brewtrog]

A good tip is to brew short, certainly with the 30 bottle kits, between 2 and 5 bottles is little price for a better wine. I've found with my latest red kit it has definitely improved with age, remarkably so, it's all bottle aged though, I couldn't give any advice over bulk aging as I don't have the space to try it out.

 

[chris1643]

As above , I'm new to this and just tasted a red from Wineworks (Superior Red) which said it would be ready in 4 weeks which have now passed. Upon tasting the wine tastes very thin and has a 'home brewed' flavour (similar to the stuff my mom used to brew in the 1980's, you had to be there) its a Shiraz/Merlot and is sooooo dry it stripped my teeth (if you know what I mean). Will it really get better with age???? or have I been sold a pup and how long should I wait!

 

[Brewtrog]

The thinness I don't know if there is a cure to but the dryness is easily solved with either sugar (if the wine has been stabalised - kit stuff usually is), or artificial sweetener if not, just add the sugar/sweetener to taste. But seriously age does have a surprising effect on wine, if you can just be patient and leave it.

 

[Pearlfisher]

Just trying a Kenridge Classic Shiraz. First impressions are good. Only got it going today.

I made this kit and it was good , but not as good as the Kenridge Showcase Cabernet/Shiraz I've just made which is almost as good as the Selection Chateau Du Roi ,but then again it's only been bottled 3 weeks!

 

[chris1643]

Following advice I added some grape juice and a little granulated sugar (although on reflection possibly too much) this has both given the wine some body and rounded it off quite nicely. Thanks guys.

 

[chris1643]

Forget the above, sugar now settled right down and grape juice added body, really good brew. For info dryness caused by yeast eating all the sugar, no worries though as you just add more as stated above. Hope this helps others with same issues? I put 3 table spoons of white sugar in to 23 litres of really dry wine, tasted too sweet at first but settled now. Week on week this wine just gets better, my problem is i'm inpatient, common fail of newbies!

 

[Madmin]

Just trying a Kenridge Classic Shiraz. First impressions are good. Only got it going today.

I made this kit and it was good , but not as good as the Kenridge Showcase Cabernet/Shiraz I've just made which is almost as good as the Selection Chateau Du Roi ,but then again it's only been bottled 3 weeks!

Wait a few years just had a bottle today about 4 years old went very nice with roast lamb
The selection Luna rossa is very good too drank young or old,and Rioja needs ageing though, I have done a crushendo but it was ****
I found the kenridge shiraz needs ageing a few years but if your a Shiraz lover try the selection Luna rossa

 

[bobsbeer]

Thanks for those tips. My Beverdales done to date have been good from about 4 months and didn't really improve up to a year. So I must try to keep some of the Shiraz back to age a bit longer. :grin: