Wine from kits

[timfromohio]

I received a catalogue from "Northern Brewer" the other day showcasing all of their wine kits. Has anybody tried these and how good is the resulting product? Similar equipment and process used for homebrewing of beer - you get a certain volume of liquid concentrate which I guess you mix with water, couple of fermentation stages, bottle, age, and hopefully enjoy. The cost savings is amazing - the kits are priced from around $70 to $120 and result in about 30, 750mL bottles. That works out to a pretty darn good price/bottle. The downside is you could be stuck with 30 bottle of nasty stuff that you'll never drink, thus my question.

As a reference, my wife and I typically enjoy a glass of wine several times a week sitting outside after work, while cooking, or when friends come over. We limit purchase price to under $10/bottle, so I guess we're somewhere in between wine snobs and wino's ...

Thanks for any opinions!

[AnnieinBC]

We make wine from kits often and it always works out well. We also make wine from fruits grown here, but we supplement with store bought kits.

Last Saturday, we managed to catch a huge sale on wine kits, $25 each. A kit makes 5 gallons. I've got one on the go right now.

We will often add Wine Conditioner at the Step 3 stage. It can take the edge off of the taste if you prefer.

Have fun!

[Ken Scharabok]

Comparison shop. Do a Google search on home winemaking.

Most folks I know make it up in 5-gallon batches, then syphon off to avoid the dregs. One guy I know who makes a lot of wine even combines the dregs to get a bit more wine out of them.

[wy_white_wolf]

I'm just learning and have my 2nd batch from kit fermenting now. They are easy to do and I think take about the same equipment as beer (but I've never made beer). I'm using Vino del Vida wine kits and they make 6 gallons (30 bottles) and cost @$60 locally. So $25 might be a real good deal.

For a 6 gallon batch you would need a 7 gallon or larger primary fermentor (plastic bucket) and a 6 gallon secondary fermentor (glass demi or better bottle), associated air locks, hydrometer, racking equipment, corker/corks, and bottles. The kit includes all ingredients and chemicals with instructions on when to add them. (except cleaning and sanitizing)

They take 4 to 6 weeks to bottle and another 2 to 6 months ageing unless you wish to add conditioner. As with most wine, the longer they age the better. Final cost runs about $3 a bottle after you get equipment and bottles.

WWW

[MoonRiver]

I have been making wine with kits for about 3 years. My favorite is the Cabernet Sauvignon. You get wine that is equivalent to about $12-$20 a bottle wine. Hopefully I will have enough grapes this year to try making wine from my own grapes.

[Randy Rooster]

go to this web site

http://www.winepress.us/forums/index.php?

and do a serch there on "skeeter pee"

it is a good and cheap and quick to make alternative to traditional wines, but still a very tasty summer treat. You can figure after a couple batches of this whether you are into the process and investment in the ( I think) overpriced kits.

when i can buy a (to my taste) decent bottle of cab or merlot at wally world for $3 it makes it very difficult if not impossible to justify the expense and time involved in making my own. Of course Im not a wine snob. ymmv

[clovis]

My cousin is an awesome small batch wine maker, and even won a reserve champion at the Indiana State Fair.

Pretty funny that he is so good. He lives in suburbia, and makes it in his garage. It is funny because their are several people he competes with that have spent serious money in order to finish far behind him in competitions.

He originally went to a wine making store, and they wanted $85 for a glass five gallon container. He bought the same thing at a store called Old Time Pottery for just $10.

He rigged up his own apparatus from stuff bought from Menards or Lowes.

The wine he makes is AWESOME. It really is. He generally gives it away, and they are coveted gifts.

It is even funnier that the rich and snooty in our town consider it to be the best wine they've ever drank.

[timfromohio]

So the general consensus is that you can make some decent tasting stuff, right?

WWW-what varieties are you trying out?

I have noticed I can get the necessary supplies (carbouys, etc.) much cheaper buying them locally - not sure about the kit prices. I'll check around.

Thanks for all of the responses!

[Witterbound]

Yep, you can make some really good wine. I tend to like the reds better.

[wy_white_wolf]

My first kit was a Cabernet Sauvignon and the current one is a Gewurztraminer. The Cabernet Sauvignon was OK but I prefer sweeter wines.

I also have 3 - 1gallon batches of mead (sweet, apple cyser, and peach) and a 3 gallon batch of orange/cinnamon/clove mead (JAOM) going.

[starlady]

The Selection Estate Pinot Noir I made from a kit a couple of years ago was some of the best wine I or my family/friends have ever had. People still request it -- "Are you still making that great wine?" I've got about a gallon from the second of these kits (I went back and bought the only one the store had left after the first kit turned out so good) that I've been bulk aging -- I'm going to bottle it this summer for some special Christmas presents this winter. The only other kit I've tried was the Selection Estate Luna Bianca -- came out sort of like a Chardonnay, but a bit too strong for a white wine. I usually served it with a jug of water so that people could water it down to their taste. After that I switched to buying straight juice (and honey for mead), so those are the only kits I've tried -- but the Selection kits are easy to make and turn out really excellent wine. The Selection kits are more expensive than most of the other brands -- reds run about $125 or so for a 6-gallon kit -- but I think you get what you pay for. If you just want an everyday wine, the other brands might be fine, but I like to give wine as gifts as well so I wanted something higher quality.

[MoonRiver]

If you do start making your own wine, now is the time to ask friends to save their wine bottles for you. Before long you're likely to have 100 bottles of wine stashed away. I consider it prepping!

[kyweaver]

We do it.
There are some good wine kits out there (make sure its REAL grape juice).
Just like in beer brewing (you already do that?), sanitation is paramount. Also, follow the directions exactly your first time. I find that wine making is less work than beer, you don't have to worry about boiling the wort, mashing in, etc.
Also, think about mead. It's made out of honey, and if you can find a good source of honey, it can be cheaper than the wine kits. We made six gallons of sourwood mead. It was ready to drink in less than six months and the most divine liquid on the face of this earth.

[timfromohio]

MoonRiver - thanks for the suggestion - will do that.

Kyweaver - nope, haven't made beer - learning how to make both wine and beer are on the list of new things to learn for the year. I originally thought I'd start with beer, but am thinking will start with wine first since it must age for a longer time period.

[timfromohio]

Starlady - thanks for the review - I believe that the Northern Brewer catalogue sells some of the Selection Estates kits. A $130 kit still works out to less than $5/bottle which is a good deal for good wine.

[okiemom]

FIL made homemade muscidine wine a few years ago and it was good. One batch was perfect and the other was way too sweet. It was so much fun watching the process.

We are growing grapes and maybe someday we will try it. I will look into the kits that sounds like fun too.

ps What is the difference between mead and beer? Do they sell mead at stores?

[timfromohio]

Mead is made from honey. Beer from grain/hops.

[doc623]

Tim to answer your question directly; you can make very good wine from kits.
It is not that difficult and the mfg included instructions in the kits are almost fool proof.
I have used kits, pure juice from wineries, and/or my own fruit to make wine for the last 15-20 years.
Depending where you are in Ohio; you could probably save money by making a trip to Amish country - Berlin, Ohio and save a bunch of money.
Go to Orme Hardware Store in Berlin,Oh. They may even have a web site.
They have a very good section of wine/beer/and ale kits at $50.00 for 5 gal and up. They are very knowledgable, helpful, and have about any kit or equipment or book that you would need.They even have a wine exchange and are home to a wine maker's club.
If they don't know the answer they have several sources to find the answer.
This is a way to not pay shipping and get information.
The typical 5 gal kit makes about 24-25 bottles. The 6 gal kit makes more. Figure about 4 bottles (750ml) per gallon.
This figures to be around $2.00/bottle after you figure in everything necessary to make wine without figuring a labor cost.
If you or any one has any specific questions you may PM me or just ask.
If there is a mistake to be make concerning making wine I have probably already made it in the last 15-20 years. And therefore may help someone from making the same mistakes.
We are currently enjoying a very nice peach apricot chardonney from a kit from Orme Hardware.

[wy_white_wolf]

Originally Posted by okiemom

....ps What is the difference between mead and beer? Do they sell mead at stores?

Mead is honey based wine. Yes, you can buy it in stores but may be a little hard to find. I've also ordered it online thru www.hiddenlegendwinery.com/

timfromohio - I made the same mistake in starting with wine. Start with beer, it'll give you something to drink while your waiting on the wine.

[timfromohio]

doc623 - thanks very much for the tip! We are located in west Akron (right on the Medina/Summit county border) so Amish country is around an hour or so away - this is a great suggestion.