My first attempt at brewing

My dad has been brewing fruit wines for some time and i wanted to get into the hobby. He bought me a basic kit for christmas, and i just recently purchased the blueberry pinot noir island mist kit.

i went with this kit because it was fairly inexpensive and figured if i messed something up i wouldnt feel too bad.

Anyways, kit should be in this evening so i will probably put it together soon. I just purchased 2.5lbs of corn sugar to add when mixing, most reviews say this brand is lighter on the alcohol content.

Any tips or possible ways to improve on just the basic wine kit?

For my next wine (if this one goes well) i am looking at one fo the grape skin kits or something that will have more depth of flavor, more alcohol, and takes some time to get to a drinkable state. If anyone has any recommendations i would love to hear them.

ill continue browsing this site, its a wealth of knowledge.

Thanks!

Tip Number One:

One year is minimum for wines. (Exception is Island Mist)

Tip Number Two:

Don't try to change the recipe until you make a few kits.

Don't add sugar for more alcohol, the Island Mist kits are a great way to get someone that doesn't really like wine into trying it. They are very fruit-forward and the wine flavor is intentionally masked. Adding sugar will only make the kit "hot" and not improve its flavor.

Next time, get a higher end kit. They are pretty much idiot-proof. Just follow the recipe and do what the instructions tell you to do. Leave the tampering for the third or fourth kit.

notes taken, thanks!

i just want to boost the alcohol a tad, nothing to where it will feel "hot".

any suggestions ont he higher end kits?

Rhineeaux said:

notes taken, thanks!

i just want to boost the alcohol a tad, nothing to where it will feel "hot".

any suggestions ont he higher end kits?

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I'd leave the Island Mist kits alone, and not even try to boost the alcohol. It'll just throw of the balance and be weird.

I like Cellar Craft kits- I have done some very nice kits from them. I've done others called "Cru Select" series.

I did some cheaper kits from Winexpert that were "ok".

RJ Spagnols Cru Select are good kits. Look for the ones that come with grape skins, seems to make a big difference in the body of the finished wine.