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Now you know why I didn't mention 'them'. :)

Labelpeelers is my goto for WineXpert kits. They're next door in Pennsylvania so shipping is only $16 a kit for me. I also like Finevinewines and Morewine for other kits. Enjoy your new passion, it's addictive.

If you don't care for Yellow tail or Bogle then I don't think you will be happy with the Vintners. Give it a shot, I may be wrong. I made one Vintner's Reserve and a couple other mid kits and they never came around for me. As for it being a shame to drink a high end kit at 6 months here's my...

No problem, but you may not like my answer to this one. In short I believe that high end kits taste better than mid tier kits at any age. No doubt there are exceptions and tweaks that you can do, but I'd rather drink a 3 month old Eclipse kit than a year old Vintners Reserve kit. I don't...

My current go to batch is a Nov 2015 Lodi Ranch 11 and it is very good now. It has enough nose (not great by any means, but is has a nose), nice structure, good taste and is smooth. I'm very happy with it. I will probably drink it till I have a dozen bottles left, them move them to my...

That's a good question, but with everyone's sense of taste and suitability being unique one that I can't answer for you. In general, and for me, I would say that high end kit red wine, made with skins packs, aged over two years is certainly comparable with $15-20 wines in many cases. The nose...

My first year of winemaking I made the wine by the kit instructions, to include bottling at 8 weeks. My oldest batch is a WineXpert Eclipse Lodi Ranch 11 which will be three years next month. I am drinking a couple batches that are over two years now as well, all made by the book. They are...

So cool seeing something unique and positive

There are many threads on this subject. For now, pour two glasses. Then stir one with a fork for a minute of so. Let it set for a couple minutes then try them. If the 'green' taste is gone from the one you stirred, then it was probably CO2.

@riverrat Are you sure that your wine is fully degassed? That is a major problem for many kit makers and something that will absolutely ruin the taste of wine, and not get better with time. But this that can be overcome with proper degassing. Have you done some degassing tests on your wine?

Jim, I haven't heard about that. Thanks for lead, I may look into it.

On-line is nice for some things, but nothing beats being able to run to the store and get it right now. I hope something opens up for you soon. I'm spoiled, I have Maryland Home Brew 15 minutes from home and Flying Barrel in Frederick, MD 7 minutes away from work.

That's my LHBS. They're good folks with a good supply of equipment.

Most of my reds have fermented dry in primary after 5-7 days. It won't affect the outcome, so don't worry about that. Another thought on aging wine. My experience mentioned above is for WE Eclipse Kits, generally with skin packs. As far as lower end kits without skin packs, I really...

Everyone's taste is different. No doubt there is a big difference between a 12 month old Eclipse Red versus a just bottled one. There is. But I'm talking real magic, a major transformation, which for me happens at about 18-20 months. Don't think that doesn't make a 12 month Eclipse Lodi Cab...

Congrats on this milestone. I make mostly WE Eclipse kits and my experience with their big reds are that the first real magic happens at about 18-20 months. The next major leap is somewhere just after two years. By then they have a good nose and the mouthfeel and taste is great. Properly...

Cat, good job. Maybe Sour_Grapes or Ibglowin will chime in on the science of your theory, but here's my layman's thought on it. Lower temps can be associated with lower atmospheric pressure. If you increase the temperature of the must I think you might also increase it's local pressure...

Pragmatic.

I recommend that you top that up to the neck of the carboy. I have 8 six gallon carboys and some are right at 23L and some are like yours that require nearly another bottle to top it up. Just something I get used to. It's not so bad when you've made enough wine to just 'donate' a bottle from...

It always seems like things pile up on us just when we need a little calm before the planned storm. Sorry about the challenges and you have my best wishes for success with the grapes and plumbing. Perhaps some playful names are in order for your wines this year, though with sewage backup I'm...