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I highly recommend watching a few videos. My Dad has mentored me well, and yet some of the simple videos from Tim Vandergrift were still incredibly helpful and made me feel much more confident in just going for it with my first kit. Here's one where he reviews the process (start to finish) for...

I have made many kits now, and only 2 of them had the starting S.G. reading that I wanted to see (a Cabernet and a Merlot). The fruit varieties I have made are intended to be lower alcohol (or "mist" wines) in many cases, so I understand those are supposed to have lower initial S.G. readings...

Just a note - those are stabilizing agents that are specifically used to stop fermentation and to prevent yeast from replicating. Those would never be added until fermentation is complete, as evidenced by a S.G. reading at or below 0.998 for most kits. if you added those and are having a heck of...

I have these in my 'Wish List' through my Northern Brewer account. They are taking pre-orders at $199 (includes shipping). I'm hoping to order the Nero D'Avola eventually. My husband is not going to like that price tag though. I agree the labels are tacky... they could have done a much better...

Weighing in on this - I've done several full-size and small batch kits now, and end up with beautifully clear wine in as little as 4 weeks. The kits generally use Bentonite at the start, then Kieselsol and Chitosan when racking to degas and clear. That regimen really clears the wine very well. I...

This is good advice, with the caveat that many kit wines have added instructions if you intend to age a year or more (the addition of extra potassium metabisulfite, for example). Also, fruit wine kits ("mist" or "cooler" style) are meant to be consumed fairly young and I would not keep those...

Hi there! I've been doing a lot of kits so I may be able to answer this. Simpler kits will have you transfer to the carboy after fermentation is complete. This is when you want to top up to eliminate too much head space in the carboy. This is also when they usually have you do the degassing...

For residue... a homemade substitute for 'Goo Gone' that is food safe, can be made by mixing coconut oil with baking soda. It works really well.

You could also get simple pH test strips, fairly cheap (under ten bucks) for 100-pack. I use these only out of curiosity (to learn as I begin tampering with my processes). As I only make wines from kits at this point I do not feel the need to do anything more involved or pricier.

I've only done kits thus far, and not a ton of them at that. But here's what I can contribute to this thread: (1) Increase S.G. right out of the gate, particularly for sweeter fruit wine varietals, by adding in a portion of the F-pack before pitching the yeast. Add a bit of sugar too if not at...