Beginner Questions

[stewart194]

I've been brewing beer for a year and a half and am really enjoying it. Just for fun I started reading the wine forum today, and I should NOT have done that! Now I'm excited to give this a try also.

1. Can you recommend a good Cabernet Sauvignon wine kit to try first?

2. Do they really turn out to be comparable to the commercial versions available at the store?

3. Can you give me a really quick breakdown / timeline on making a batch? Is it basically 4 weeks in a bucket, 2 months in a carboy transferring back and forth between two carboys a few times to get the sediment out, then bottle and wait a year?

Thanks!

 

[DoctorCAD]

1. Lots of kits to choose from, Eclipse seem to make the best, but they cost the most.

2. Yes and no, depends on how you make the kit.

3. 2 weeks in a bucket, 2 weeks in a carboy, bottle and drink in 3 months. OR 2 weeks in a bucket, 12 months in the carboy and 2 years until drinking. OR anything in between, oh, and some people put their wine in a barrel for a while too.

 

[stewart194]

1. Lots of kits to choose from, Eclipse seem to make the best, but they cost the most.

2. Yes and no, depends on how you make the kit.

3. 2 weeks in a bucket, 2 weeks in a carboy, bottle and drink in 3 months. OR 2 weeks in a bucket, 12 months in the carboy and 2 years until drinking. OR anything in between, oh, and some people put their wine in a barrel for a while too.

Thanks! I'll look into the Eclipse kit. And maybe I'll do one cheaper kit to start off with, just so I don't ruin 6 gallons of good wine.

When you say it depends on how you make it, are you saying that you can't just follow the kit instructions? Do you need to add some other things to make it great? Or age it in an oak barrel?

And I'd rather not tie up a carboy for an entire year. What are the pros and cons of bottling early? What's the advantage to keeping it in a carboy for a year?

One more thing, I don't have a wine cellar. Will storing the bottles at room temp damage the wine?

Thanks again!

 

[Yooper]

Thanks! I'll look into the Eclipse kit. And maybe I'll do one cheaper kit to start off with, just so I don't ruin 6 gallons of good wine.

When you say it depends on how you make it, are you saying that you can't just follow the kit instructions? Do you need to add some other things to make it great? Or age it in an oak barrel?

And I'd rather not tie up a carboy for an entire year. What are the pros and cons of bottling early? What's the advantage to keeping it in a carboy for a year?

One more thing, I don't have a wine cellar. Will storing the bottles at room temp damage the wine?

Thanks again!

With wine kits, you really do get what you pay for. The best quality kits are the most expensive, but they are worth it if you like good wine.

I do a mix of kits every year, along with other wines. I do a couple of ultra-premium kits, then a few medium priced kits, and a couple of cheaper ones, so that I always have some various wines to drink. The cheaper kits are ready faster, as they aren't complex and don't need time to age and they are probably comparable to a $5 bottle of wine. Not bad, and definitely drinkable, but not the kind you'd serve proudly to guests who are wine aficianados. The ultra premium kits can be like a $20+ bottle when finished- and I've made some that were fantastic.

You don't have to age them a year in a carboy- just about 6-8 weeks in a carboy is fine. Ideally, you'd have a place to age them that would be dark and cool but if not the wine will be ok for quite a while at room temperature.

You need a 6 gallon carboy to do wine kits, as the wine kits make 6 gallons and must be in a carboy after primary. Other things, like wine degassing whips for your drill, are handy and nice to have but not required.

 

[stewart194]

Thanks Yooper. That clears up a few things for sure. My wife and I rarely spend more than $20 on a bottle of wine these days. I used to have a client who would tip me with $30 bottles of wine every now and then, and they were really amazing. Her son started his own winery called Figge Cellars in Monterey. They make a Chardonnay, a Pinot Noir, and a Sryah.

But we have found a few cheaper ones that we like...Smoking Loon, Gnarly Head, Cycles Gladiator. I think they are usually around $8. And honestly, the boxed wine from Bota Box are pretty tasty also. That equates to about $5 per bottle which is hard to beat. Since I already have most of the equipment, and tackling wine would be fun anyway, I think I'll give it try sometime. But I was also kind of hoping to create a decent wine comparable to the cheaper ones listed above at half the store price! Probably not realistic.

Thanks again!

 

[Yooper]

Thanks Yooper. That clears up a few things for sure. My wife and I rarely spend more than $20 on a bottle of wine these days. I used to have a client who would tip me with $30 bottles of wine every now and then, and they were really amazing. Her son started his own winery called Figge Cellars in Monterey. They make a Chardonnay, a Pinot Noir, and a Sryah.

But we have found a few cheaper ones that we like...Smoking Loon, Gnarly Head, Cycles Gladiator. I think they are usually around $8. And honestly, the boxed wine from Bota Box are pretty tasty also. That equates to about $5 per bottle which is hard to beat. Since I already have most of the equipment, and tackling wine would be fun anyway, I think I'll give it try sometime. But I was also kind of hoping to create a decent wine comparable to the cheaper ones listed above at half the store price! Probably not realistic.

Thanks again!

Probably not half the price- but maybe fairly close. If you can find a LHBS with a wine kit locally, at a good price, you may be able to get a decent kit for $70. Shipping is a killer, though- so it'd have be local or someplace with free shipping. A kit makes 30 bottles, so you're looking at adding some corks (everything else is included) so you can probably make it for $2.50 /bottle if you shop carefully. If you get a kit for $90, then you're right at $3/bottle.

 

[DoctorCAD]

It is possible to make a very good wine from a kit or juice. My Williams Merlot and Pinot Noir are truly good, and a Zin I made a few years ago, and took to a wine tasting at a winery, made the owner rethink kit wines. Not all of them are great, but aside from a juice bucket carmenere I have, they are MINE, and thst makes them so much better than lots of commercial wines.

 

[stewart194]

Probably not half the price- but maybe fairly close. If you can find a LHBS with a wine kit locally, at a good price, you may be able to get a decent kit for $70. Shipping is a killer, though- so it'd have be local or someplace with free shipping. A kit makes 30 bottles, so you're looking at adding some corks (everything else is included) so you can probably make it for $2.50 /bottle if you shop carefully. If you get a kit for $90, then you're right at $3/bottle.

Wow. I didn't realize that they made 30 bottles. But I guess 6 gallons would be 30 750ml bottles. Thanks again! I'll definitely give this a try sometime.

 

[stewart194]

It is possible to make a very good wine from a kit or juice. My Williams Merlot and Pinot Noir are truly good, and a Zin I made a few years ago, and took to a wine tasting at a winery, made the owner rethink kit wines. Not all of them are great, but aside from a juice bucket carmenere I have, they are MINE, and thst makes them so much better than lots of commercial wines.

Thanks again. I know what you mean. That's how I feel about making my own beer.