Recommendations on Red wine kits

RATM

I'm coming to the end of my second beer kit brew and want to do a run of red wine next. I'm after a quality red that is the equivalent of something that would cost €12-20 in the supermarkets. I'm not in any particular rush to drink it, I can let it mature for a good 3 months before drinking it, quality, not speed, is the aim of the game.

Has anyone tried any of the DOC or the Magum Ultimate ranges ? At €30 and €40 respectively they seem like good value for 30 bottles. But I'm wondering can you only get real quality in the €50-60 range ?

Khannie

RATM wrote: »

But I'm wondering can you only get real quality in the €50-60 range ?

I would imagine so tbh. 30 bottles at 1 euro a bottle doesn't add up to a 12 - 20 euro wine even after all the mark ups and time costs etc. I might splash out with my next wine kit and get the really high end ones (in the 80+ euro range). It's still ridiculously cheap per bottle and you're avoiding a heap load of tax. Obviously there's some effort involved, but feck it, I think we must actually love it.

Devi

Don’t mean to hijack the thread but I was thinking of doing a white wine kit for the missus and would like recommendations on the €40-€60 range, didn’t want to get a really cheap one and put her off. I was thinking about one of the Vintners Reserve 10 Litre kit for €56. Anybody ever try it out? She wouldn’t have mad expensive tastes in wine, maybe €6-€10 range when she buys in the shop.

Sky King

RATM wrote: »

Has anyone tried any of the DOC or the Magum Ultimate ranges ?

Hiya,

I made the DOC red wine. Not particularly impressed though the result is drinkable. It tastes a wee bit sweet - as it it's not fully fermented - though I left it in the primary for 3 weeks and the secondary for a further two, and kept it between 18 and 20 pretty much all the time. Result on the hydro was just under 1000 though my hydro is a piece of s**t!!

I thought I was quite careful making it but maybe I made a balls of something.

howamidifferent

Maybe I'm a philistine but I did one one of the Cantina whites for €42 and it tasted just fine to me. Couldn't tell it was home brew...But then I'm not a wine buff.

Sky King

Im no wine buff wither but this tasted worse than the 5 euro Aldi red I compared it to

Devi

Sky King wrote: »

Im no wine buff wither but this tasted worse than the 5 euro Aldi red I compared it to

Which one, the Cantina whites?

Sky King

It was a Doc cab sauv.

Sky King

Update: Taste has improved considerably in the last week. It must have just been immature. It now tastes as good as a wine you would buy.

Devi

Sky King wrote: »

Update: Taste has improved considerably in the last week. It must have just been immature. It now tastes as good as a wine you would buy.

Thats good, so about 6 weeks for it to become drinkable? Is it absolutely necessary to have a large fermenter and a drill degasser?

bigjoe

Like any wine you will need to pick the grape you want.

I have done the DOCs Merlot, I would not be a big Merlot fan as I find it sweet but I had the time and I knew my wife would like it. I have to say it turned out to be a very nice wine and after 6 weeks bottled it is much better. I would put it at about a 12-16 Euro bottle.

Sky King

Devi wrote: »

Thats good, so about 6 weeks for it to become drinkable? Is it absolutely necessary to have a large fermenter and a drill degasser?

My fermenter is small and a 23L batch fills it pretty high so if you're buying one pay the extra few bob and get some headspace in it.

I borrowed a drill. I recommend it.

Primary 3 weeks
Secondary 2 weeks (including finings etc)
Then bottled.
After 1 week in the bottle - quite rough
After 2 weeks - drinkable
After 3 weeks - getting much nicer

giftgrub

My second kit is currently on the go. The first was an Australian Blend Merlot, as it was my first time, i got a 7 day kit.

It took a LOT longer than 7 days, mainly due to the coolness of the room I was using.

Like Sky king it was a bit rough straight after bottling, 2-3 weeks in it was pretty drinkable.

I'll be looking for a more expensive kit soon, the California Conniseur ones look good.

Sky King

I actually can't get over the difference a couple of weeks made tbh.

Rezident

This makes me want to get back into home brew. Used to make a perfectly quaffable white wine in college, i think it was called Solomon Grundy. It only took a week, their slogan was something like 'Solomon Grundy, brewed on monday, drunk on sunday'. We were too.

adamski8

Just made two conisseiur 6 bottle kits, no drill needed and bottling didnt take long. Very impressed when i drank them at bottling yesterday (1month from start date). The thing about the conisseur 6 bottles is you dont add any sugar which is meant to be a much better wine (why bother wasting all that time for a few euro and get a crap wine)