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I remember thinking this had a funky, odd taste when bottling at one year old. I opened one last weekend and even now, after only several more months in the bottle, I'm starting to see what this may taste like, and it's good. It's not ready yet, but I can tell with tile it will be great.

Finally got around to starting this one. My initial sg after letting sit on the skin pack overnight was 1.094, just where I want it. @jgmann67 did you do your shortened EM? I am also considering not messing with a good thing, and doing it more or less by the book. Does this one benefit from...

Definitely let the EM complete. The only reason not to would be if you're worried about oxygen exposure during transport somehow.

All the Master Vintner kits I've done have come out very light in color, like a Pinot, as you suggest. Im curious to hear more about the taste of this one, which I've been considering.

I completely agree with this. Works with acid too. Had a juice bucket wine, at 2 years now, that I added a bit too much acid to. Could taste the tartness when I opened a bottle a few nights ago. Tonight, after being open a few days, totally different wine. The acid faded into balance, and the...

I'm glad to hear this. I bottled this a couple months ago after a year in the carboy. Tasted ok, but had a funny orange color to it. Will wait patiently on this one. Good thing I have lots of other wine to drink in the meantime

Seems to me that vacuum racking as a means of degassing (like what is done with the AIO) is going to result in a much lower vacuum than if you simply seal up your carboy and pull a vacuum on it. Since the wine is continually filling in the void made by the pump. So much lower probability of...

Yeah and some places have higher price but free shipping, others have lower price but you pay for shipping. Makes it a little confusing to compare. Ultimately I think I prefer the latter, a little more transparent what you're actually paying for.

I was thinking the same thing! About RJS, of course, not the other part...

I was happy to get the AIO pump because I had problems getting all the gas out by whipping. I tried warming the wine up first, buying new, more efficient whips, etc. Often had detectable CO2 left. I've never understood how people get away with whip degassing for less than 5 minutes. Never worked...

Thanks. I'm really happy with it, and it was pretty easy to build. Copy away.

Clever design, berrycrush, from a space optimization standpoint. Using the space "inside" the 2x4s to hold the bottles. Though, it looks like it would be a bit tight to slide bottles in without hitting the row above. Perhaps that's just the angle in the picture.

I made this also, behind where you guys are by several months. I also did not add the fpack, worried about the sweetness. It has been in a carboy for a couple months and tastes pretty good, considering the price.

I bottled it about a month or two ago. It was about a year after pitching yeast (I used 212, didn't need extra nutrients). I did chop up the raisins and I left them sit a good while longer in the wine (forget off the top if my head how long). I put the supplied oak chips in with the raisins. I...

I built this out of 2x10s for the sides, 2x4s for the horizontals (front and back) and furring strips for the individual bottle holders. Screwed the 2xs together and glued the furring strips in place. Altogether less than $40, holds over 126 bottles, about $0.30/bottle. It's not much of a...

I have done it multiple ways. But unless you are tweaking it in any way (more oak, tannin, etc.) bottling it after 8 weeks is just fine. These days I tend to add extra oak to almost every kit, so they are naturally in the carboy longer while the oak infuses. First time I did this Shiraz kit I...

I've found that immediately after using oak (I use the cubes) I almost always get a heightened oak flavor that tends to be overpowering. After 6 months in the bottles, give or take, it fades, and the wines really start to differ.

Yeah, fair enough. This is of prime importance to me at the moment, as I still haven't started this kit yet either. Was hoping to do so around Christmas. I will probably go for the EM, even if it's just for the sake of simplicity. Let me know what you decide.

What would be the argument against? Could it hurt in any way?

I have done this kit a couple times. It's one of the better Winemaker Reserve kits from MV. Especially if you give it a year to age.