Wining

[Jim]

Following my first successful foray into modern wine kits, I'm looking for a quality 30 bottle kit for my next brew. Quality is more important than price.

I'm into reds mainly, and would prefer something akin to Cabernet Sauvignon - something with a reasonable body to it as well.

Any recommendations?

[Andy]

Mr Hillbilly is yer man here isn't he ?

[Jim]

Mr Hillbilly is yer man here isn't he ?

Yes, but where is he!

A couple of people on twitter have suggested Beaverdale, which I'd not heard of before. They're about £45, so not cheap, but would be worth it if the wine was up to snuff.

[a-slayer]

When I used to make wine Beaverdale was always the best, the reds came out very well and improved with keeping.

[Chicken Dipper]

I did a Barolo by Beaversale last year which was the best yet, the Zinfandel was good too, can't remember which brand that was though!

[Cully]

Was looking in to making a Barolo myself. Beaverdale good then?

[Horden Hillbilly]

Mr Hillbilly is yer man here isn't he ?

Yes, but where is he!

A couple of people on twitter have suggested Beaverdale, which I'd not heard of before. They're about £45, so not cheap, but would be worth it if the wine was up to snuff.

He's here!

Beaverdale kits are a good starting point imo, no added sugar to the kits & named varieties. Personally, I feel that the reds lack a little body, although I still sometimes make one for the summer months. I prefer a lighter wine for the summer months & a more robust wine such as Vintners/Selection kit during the winter months.

Just a suggestion Jim, you can get a 6 bottle Beaverdale kit, why not try one of those first & if it's to your taste, then go for a 30 bottle kit.

I got one of these a couple of weeks ago, worth every penny imo.

[Jim]

...Just a suggestion Jim, you can get a 6 bottle Beaverdale kit, why not try one of those first & if it's to your taste, then go for a 30 bottle kit....

Sounds like a good plan!

...I got one of these a couple of weeks ago, worth every penny imo.

Wow, that's some price! Although still only about £2.70 a bottle, compared to a fiver for a 'standard' bottle in ASDA, so if the wine is good, it's worth it.

[Horden Hillbilly]

My sister & her husband know more about wine & prices than I do, they tend to buy decent wines & after sampling one of my Selection red wine, Rioja iirc, they both said that you would pay in the £12-£15 region to get a bottle of wine of the same quality of a Selection kit.

[Jim]

My sister & her husband know more about wine & prices than I do, they tend to buy decent wines & after sampling one of my Selection red wine, Rioja iirc, they both said that you would pay in the £12-£15 region to get a bottle of wine of the same quality of a Selection kit.

Impressive! Do you just use all the yeast etc that comes with the kit, or do you 'customise' it at all?

[Horden Hillbilly]

Everything you need is included with the beaverdale/vintners/selection kits. True to type yeast, finings, stabiliser, etc. I've never had to buy anything extra for those kits. You also get an optional oak chippings sachet which you can add to your wine while it's fermenting if you prefer an "oakey" wine flavour.

[rootsbrew]

Wondering whether anyone might be able to point me in the right direction, as well...
I'm looking for six-bottle kits to get started with, on the wine front. The styles of wines I would like to make are
- something gutsy and quite aromatic, like a Barossa Shiraz or Coonawarra Cabernet.
- a fruity but acidic white, which will lend itself to being carbonated, like Chardonnay a de-skinned Pinot Noir - i.e. Blanc de Blancs or Blanc de Noirs.

It seems like only the lesser kits are available in 6 bottle size. Is that a false impression? I'm after good results, so don't mind a few extra quid. But, FVs are full of beer, so need to go for demi-john size at the moment.

...I've never had to buy anything extra for those kits...

That makes them quite good value. Does that go for instructions, too? With beer kits, they're often best filed in the bin, so I'd be very impressed if wines don't need much external advice/input. Is that Roija you mention made with one of those kits that come with grape skins?

[Doingatun]

I've never bothered with the cheaper red 30 bottle kits after trying a few 6 bottle kits with poor results, finding most premium kits poor if drunk early, certainly worth bottling and ageing 12 months, I add 1/4tsp of Potassium metabisulfite to the 23L after filtering, as some instructions suggest if aging longer than 6 months. Enjoyed California Connoiseur, Beaverdale, Kentridge, keeping around the £40-£50 price range.

Received an email from H & G a while ago for these Ultra Premium now I would find making these kits up too stressful and mess it up for sure.

[Horden Hillbilly]

...I've never had to buy anything extra for those kits...

That makes them quite good value. Does that go for instructions, too? With beer kits, they're often best filed in the bin, so I'd be very impressed if wines don't need much external advice/input. Is that Roija you mention made with one of those kits that come with grape skins?

It was this Rioja which I made. The kits that come with grape sking are £110+, therefore out of my price range. The instructions with those kits are ok.

[rootsbrew]

Thanks for info...

I've never bothered with the cheaper red 30 bottle kits after trying a few 6 bottle kits with poor results, finding most premium kits poor if drunk early, certainly worth bottling and ageing 12 months, I add 1/4tsp of Potassium metabisulfite to the 23L after filtering, as some instructions suggest if aging longer than 6 months. Enjoyed California Connoiseur, Beaverdale, Kentridge, keeping around the £40-£50 price range.

Good to know Cal Con kits are ok - think I'll give one of the 1 gal kits a punt soon. seems like CC and Beaverdale are about as good as it gets for 1 gal kits. OK, so one has to be patient (6+ months) with the better kits - guess I better get my skills up and clear one of the FVs for a 5 gal kit.

Received an email from H & G a while ago for these Ultra Premium now I would find making these kits up too stressful and mess it up for sure.

Yeah - very stressful! Think I'd need to practise with some less expensive ones first.

It was this Rioja which I made.

Thanks. Sounds very tasty - might be one of the first larger kits I try.

The kits that come with grape sking are £110+, therefore out of my price range. The instructions with those kits are ok.

Alhough a £120 kit, still works out at just £4/bottle*, it's more a matter of if one messes it up, it's quite a lot of cash to throw away - I'd need to know I was going to make something really good before I tried one of these!

* assuming it actually makes 30 bottles of wine, but price doesn't include the bottles or corks.