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Here's a few pics, from the start to the end....note that I don't have a filter, so when it's time to bottle I leave the carboy a day or two on my island, then rack it over to a bucket, then bottle it, I get rid of 99% of the sediment.....

Just bottled the merlot kit after sitting in the carboy for about 4 1/2 months. It's good, surprisingly good.....I just started two Costco Shiraz kits, added tannins, blackberry, blueberry, red berry and about a cup of sugar......starting sg was 1.10 so expecting about 14% alcohol when it's done.

Alright, been a while, bottled the merlot Costco kit a few days ago, to recap, kit was started in November, added tannins, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and a cup of sugar to the kit. I wanted to start some new batches so decided to bottle this one as it sat in the carboy for a little...

Gonna start a Shiraz after Xmas, I'll keep that in mind! How much you put in? When do you add it?

I'm thinking it'll be fine once I add the fining agents, it's still really early yet, had another little taste tonight while checking the SG, and I gotta say, is tasting pretty good, and after only ever making kits without tweaking them, or knowing to test the sg rather than just going by the...

Recently started two kits, a Chardonnay, and a Merlot. The kits alone are alright but a little bland on the flavor side. I decided after reading various threads on here to start adding fruits or berries to enhance the wine I'm making. The Merlot I added a berry blend of raspberries, blackberries...

I've got cheesecloth which I think should work well filtering the seeds and such. Merlot kit started Nov 17 with a sg of 1.100, today is at 1.030, wondering what sg you aim for before racking into the carboy for secondary fermentation? UPDATE* after reading something you posted in another...

Great, thanks. Was reading the yeast section in tutorials, for most reds including Merlot it recommends an rc 212 yeast, my kits came with ec 1118 which it says are better for whites. Is it worth my while to buy the rc 212 or would the difference be minimal???

Are there any threads related to adding fruit and such to different wines, what works and what doesn't? I haven't seen anything thus far, but there are tons of threads...

started a kit this evening, was $5 for a big bottle of water, I have another kit that was tap water so I'll be able to compare in a few months:db

I also decided to heat some pears and green apples in a sauce pan and added it to the gf's chardonnay (once it cooled) that is still in primary fermentation to add a little extra flavor....I'm hoping it helps.

Started a Costco Merlot Started the Merlot kit, added about 1 and 1/2 cups of berries, blackberries, raspberries, dried cranberries and about 1 and 1/2 cups of dextrose.... Filled to about 22 liters, SG was 1.140, seemed a little high????? Added a little water and got it down to 1.100. covered...

I was thinking of using bottled water, one of those big jugs from the grocery store instead of tap water, good idea of waste of time?????

Once you get below 1.000 irregardless of your starting sg?

Oh, I've been doing some reading, 56 pages worth to be exact...... As soon as I start my kit, I put the top on with the air lock, I've noticed people using towels for the first week of fermentation.....should I be doing that? My first costco wine was low in alcohol, so the next kit I start...

I'm on page 9 of this thread, have a few questions before I forget as I keep reading........simple sugar....just regular brewing sugar? If not, can I use it? A quart per batch? I'm brewing a merlot which was put on two weeks ago, still bubbling a little, is it too late to add dried raisins to ad...

Two packets of yeast didn't result in a yeasty taste in the wine?

And I'll be going to my local wine store after work to see what they have for tannins, oak chips etc.

Another quick thought, wondering if anyone has tried, the kit calls to be filled to 23 liters, might it be a better to just fill to say 20 liters instead for a filler tasting wine?

looks like I've got some reading to do, thanks for the help