Wine kit value for money

[Chippy_Tea]

I know they are not favoured by most on the forum but I started with 4 cheap 7 day kits (winebuddy, solGrund)

I think the WineBuddy kits are good we have made several of their Sav Blanc and chardonnay kits.

Here is my review from 2014 - WineBuddy Sauvignon Blanc - 30 bottle Kit

 

[Willshill1]

Sav BlanK , it’s the sav that I can’t spell and my predictive text doesn’t help either, maybe if I typed it correctly it would learn , but back to the thread I think white kit and I’ve only did one are great value for money by all accounts, the reds are not , I’ve did half a dozen and have yet to make one I’d pay for and buy a second time, I’m no wine snob but I won’t drink wine for the alcohol I want to enjoy the taste as well. Haven’t tried less water yet but that’s the next experiment,

 

[Grendel]

Alas my re-entry kit is a winebuddy merlot (and a solGrundy Apricot). Based on what I’m reading I think Beaverdale Rioja will be next...

 

[Grendel]

I think the WineBuddy kits are good we have made several of their Sav Blank and chardonnay kits.

Here is my review from 2014 - WineBuddy Sauvignon Blanc - 30 bottle Kit

I read most of your reviews they were very useful and a good read

 

[Chippy_Tea]

the reds are not

Red wine kits are discussed regularly and i think the only way to get a good one is pay top money.

 

[Grendel]

Got these two for £10 each. Merlot and apricot will be finished this week to free up the DJ. Once I have around 20 bottles and I’ve relearned the process I will move onto the 30 day kits.
Btw anyone had the winebuddy strawberry before?

 

[The Cat]

Very happy with my Solomon Grundy Chardonnay kit. My Mum usually buys Hardy's Crest for about £6 and said she preferred the kit wine so I'll be making more of that!

 

[nige]

I did a banana parsnip and sultana wine and within 4 months I'd drank the lot it was amazing. 23.5 % so it did the job to.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

How did you get it to 23.5% i was under the impression (as the article below says) 16% is pushing it though it can go higher occasionally.


First of all, when making a high alcohol wine, you have to resign yourself to the fact that you are fighting an uphill battle. This is because wine yeast has been bred for decades to produce wines that are 10 to 13 percent alcohol, just like the wines you'll find at the store. So when you attempt to make wines that are beyond 13%, you must understand that it is necessary to nurture the fermentation along.

You must also have a realistic view of how much alcohol you can expect to make. There have been times on rare occasions when 19 or 20 percent has been obtained, but in reality 15 or 16 percent is closer to the norm and 17 or 18 percent is usually considered a godsend. Also, be prepared for fermentations that just can't do much beyond 13 or 14 percent. Different fruits, mix of nutrients and overall fermentation environment contribute to the unpredictability of a fermentation.

https://eckraus.com/wine-making-high-alcohol/

 

[Grayhead]

Hi all, sorry have been away from this site for a while, although still brewing kits
I started on Wurzels (WOW) wines, but progressed to Beaverdale kits, having success with whites (Pinot Grigio (wife's favourite), Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc). I had limited success with reds, as lacked depth as others have found.
About 18 months ago, I decided to try the World Vineyards (about £10 more than Beaverdale kits). The whites were very good, and noticeably stronger, about 14%. However, after trying a standard Merlot, which was better, but not perfect, I tried the Australian Grenache Shiraz Mourvèdre with Grape Skins. It tasted good at bottling, but I gambled and decided to transfer to 5L demijohns with airlocks for 9 months to mature. Well, what can I say. This was the best red wine I had tasted. Complex, good body and tasted better than £10 per bottle wines. The grape skins really made that much difference.
Unfortunately, I went back to my local supplier, and have found that they have stopped making the kits with grape skins. If you are looking for a good red, then if you can find these kits with skins, I suggest you try them, they are worth the extra money.

 

[johncrobinson]

Hi Chippy.
I helped Nige with that particular wine last year,I cant vouch for the figure of 23.5% but it was a strong wine and the THEORETICAL 23.5% is the published alc tol of the yeast.

We ended up with quite a long thread on the brew

 

[Applesnmore]

Hi all, sorry have been away from this site for a while, although still brewing kits
I started on Wurzels (WOW) wines, but progressed to Beaverdale kits, having success with whites (Pinot Grigio (wife's favourite), Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc). I had limited success with reds, as lacked depth as others have found.
About 18 months ago, I decided to try the World Vineyards (about £10 more than Beaverdale kits). The whites were very good, and noticeably stronger, about 14%. However, after trying a standard Merlot, which was better, but not perfect, I tried the Australian Grenache Shiraz Mourvèdre with Grape Skins. It tasted good at bottling, but I gambled and decided to transfer to 5L demijohns with airlocks for 9 months to mature. Well, what can I say. This was the best red wine I had tasted. Complex, good body and tasted better than £10 per bottle wines. The grape skins really made that much difference.
Unfortunately, I went back to my local supplier, and have found that they have stopped making the kits with grape skins. If you are looking for a good red, then if you can find these kits with skins, I suggest you try them, they are worth the extra money.

Wholly agree with the Grenache Shiraz Mourvèdre, got one from Brew2Bottle in May, has had a few months in the bottle and am very happy with it. The Tempranillo in the Wine Expert range came out good too, no skins in this one, lighter in body. Have done 2 kits now that came with skins. Local hbs suggested re using the skin pack in another kit. So after the 10 day primary, transferred to a KenRidge Nebbiolo. Certainly enhanced to the finished wine. Made me think of past threads re dried grape powder as an addition to achieve similar effect

 

[kimosabby]

Wholly agree with the Grenache Shiraz Mourvèdre, got one from Brew2Bottle in May, has had a few months in the bottle and am very happy with it. The Tempranillo in the Wine Expert range came out good too, no skins in this one, lighter in body. Have done 2 kits now that came with skins. Local hbs suggested re using the skin pack in another kit. So after the 10 day primary, transferred to a KenRidge Nebbiolo. Certainly enhanced to the finished wine. Made me think of past threads re dried grape powder as an addition to achieve similar effect

where and when do the skins go in; also can you get skins from sources?

 

[Grayhead]

Hi Kimosabby, the grape skins come with the wine kit and are in an airtight sealed container, When the juice is in the container (mixed with water to 23L), the skins are placed into a muslin bag, which is tied to stop it getting into the juice, and placed in the juice for 10 days. After 10 days, the bag is removed and discarded, although I like Applesnmore's idea of using immediately in another brew.
I have not come across anywhere selling skins on their own as yet.

 

[Applesnmore]

where and when do the skins go in; also can you get skins from sources?

As @Grayhead says. The skins are in their own vac pack, like the juice, but it is more akin to jam. The distructions say to stir every day, they float. As the yeast goes to work it you can use a paddle stirrer to massage the juice through the pack.
Dont know of any sources of the skins on their own. There was a thread a while ago regarding grape powder on ebay, ex www.garffen.co.uk which may be a useful substitute

 

[kimosabby]

The skins sound the way forward; are there any kits on the market which come with them (which are in stock)?

I made a California Connoisseur red Cabernet 4.5l kit recently and it was undrinkable. Reviews on Brew UK were indicating that this kit was equivalent to a £6 to £8 bottle of wine. I'm not sure where people got that (mental) idea and agree with previous comments that price starts to become less relevant as you go higher. It was not even table wine and I had to bin it. I've got a Beaverdale Shiraz 4.5l on the go but don't hold for any success when it matures as I like it full bodied but you have to try things for yourself. Brewed short by .5l which is 12% less final volume.

I recently did a Beaverdale Chardonnay Semillon 4.5l and brewed it short to 4l. Came out at 14% alcohol and was impressive for a white. I've just bottled the full 23l same kit but didn't brew it short and it definitely hasn't got as much after taste so going short is the way to go for me in the future for whites.

Question - what top tweaks have people done with white (or red) that has made a significant difference? I note someone above added supermarket grape juice

Kimosabby

 

[Grayhead]

I have asked at my local supplier if there was any grape skins to be bought on their own, but nothing going.

I was wondering if anybody had tried buying, say 2Kg, of red grapes from supermarket. Crushed them to just leave the skins, then adding in a muslin bag to a lower cost red kit to see what it would do.

 

[kelper]

I was wondering if anybody had tried buying, say 2Kg, of red grapes from supermarket. Crushed them to just leave the skins, then adding in a muslin bag to a lower cost red kit to see what it would do.

You could add the juice with skins to a demijohn and filter when racking off?

 

[Applesnmore]

A bit of hunting might get you a World Vineyard AustralianGrenache Shiraz Mourvedre Wine Kit with Grape skins
It is in the old style of Wine Expert World Vineyard packaging.
The LE19 Cape Blend came with a skin pack top. Skin packs are not common and would try a kit that came with one. At £70-100, they cost more (say 2x Beaverdale) yet still only £3 a bottle, so have to keep in perspective.

 

[Willshill1]

I have asked at my local supplier if there was any grape skins to be bought on their own, but nothing going.

I was wondering if anybody had tried buying, say 2Kg, of red grapes from supermarket. Crushed them to just leave the skins, then adding in a muslin bag to a lower cost red kit to see what it would do.

Spitting Feathers home brew do Mosti Mondiale skin pack, used one loose in fermenter in July, have only tasted stirring spoon but it very different than other kits I’ve done, my wine is ageing now in carboy, I’m now ageing for at least a year if I can resist it, then ageing in oak barrel for a few months, this is my attempt to create wine similar to shop bought red wine.