Other First time kit guidance

[rhenson]

I am new to wine making - still putting my initial equipment together, in fact.

I am beginning to research kits for my first run.

I would like my first kit to be a cab, but i expect that I have a lot to learn, and hate to put a lot of money into a kit that might not go so well just because it is my first time...I wonder if I can get guidance on a first kit? I hate to spend $150 when I have a lot of learning to do, but wonder if spending $50-75 will result in a bad wine, regardless of how i do...

 

[Putterrr]

Kit wine making is not as hard as you think. A bit of research here or watching u-tube videos will show you the basic steps. If you still have questions, just ask and someone will assist you.

My advice is to make the best wine kit you can afford (at least 15L premium). The better the kit the better the product. Aging will also make a difference but a young good kit will still be better than a cheap kit any day of the week.

Have fun with it.

 

[Rocky]

This is a question that just about everyone entering the hobby struggles with and they usually go for a less expensive kit. That is what I did with my first kit (after making wine for many years from grapes and juice) and I regretted the decision. It is simply that the better the ingredients you begin with, the better the wine results and it takes about the same amount of time and attention with a low end kit as it does with a high end kit. You will end up paying a couple dollars more per bottle but in my opinion, well worth the extra money. There are some great Cabernet Sauvignon kits out there and I recommend one of at least 16 liters of juice with a grape pack. A few you might consider, in no particular order, are: Cellar Craft Red Mountain Cab Sauv with grape pack, RJ Spagnol's Winery Series Cab Sauv with skins, RJ Spagnol's En Primeur Delu Ranch Woodbridge Cab Sauv. Good luck and wlecome to the madness.

 

[roadpupp]

I can agree with the others. On thing to consider is that grape pack kits are supposed to take longer to mature. As a new winemaker I am waiting patiently for my first 6 kits to be ready to drink. You might consider a quality kit without a grape pack. If you search for early drinkers on the forum you will see many suggestions. Nothing inspires like success! I do agree that pricier kits are worth the dough. When you compare cost per bottle it is a pittance and the same amount of work as a cheap kit.

I think I remember you saying you had made beer before so it's unlikely you will mess up and make undrinkable wine.

5 months ago I hadn't made wine and now I'm hooked and have many batches going and many plans!

 

[olusteebus]

here is my take on it. My first attempt at winemaking was a gallon of blackberry jam wine. I interrupted the fermentation ( I think) so I poured it out. I ordered a $50 kit from amazon next. That has really helped me to learn basic techniques in testing, transferring, clearing and other stuff. I myself highly reecommend that .

Note: I have not drunk that wine (or any other wine I have made) yet. Tasting seems to be coming around.

 

[rhenson]

Alright - thank you all for your input - much to consider!

 

[phat]

A couple of points for you to consider

1) definately I agree with everything said about kit quality.

2) I have found that the red kits with skins or grapes tend to be much better. But the time they will take depends on the wine. A blended red may take less time than a straight cab. Some alternative suggestions if you want something that will be good in 6 months might be a Merlot or Carmenere, or a blend like the rjs cellar craft super tuscan, or any one of several "meritage" type blends. A good cab will take a long time.

Whites also take less time than red, and at least to me, come out better from the cheaper kits than the reds do

 

[dmulligan]

There are good cheap kits to try. Such as the WE Mezza Luna red. It is fantastic for a 4 week kit, is ready to drink in only a few months and is worth the money spent yet not a lot compared to the expensive kits so the feeling of risk is lower. This is one I make to distract myself from the kits that need to age longer.

David

 

[rhenson]

Awesome - thanks David...this might help my wife catch the bug with me more than a 1 year wait!

 

[dmulligan]

Don't take my word for it alone, search for this kit here to see what others have said about it. I recall a recent thread where it was at least mentioned.

David

 

[Dokki]

I've made the WE Mezza Luna Red, turned out pretty good for a first time red batch. Just a general observation about my experiences with it, let it sit and age in the carboy longer than the few weeks the directions say. That is unless you own a vacuum pump. I don't own one and bottled this batch too soon (because the directions told me to) and the wine is still fine, but I don't think it was fully de-gassed and it comes out a little bubbly when first poured into a glass. If you let it sit for 10-15 minutes before drinking, it fixes itself, otherwise it feels a little funny drinking it with the CO2 still trying to come out of solution.

 

[tonyt]

Rhenson
+Everything already said. Buy the highest quality 15, 16, 18 ltr kit you can afford. Skip the 23ltr for now. Skins and raisin packs are great but an extra step you could avoid first time out. Consider an R J Spagnols En Premeur cab.
Most importantly consider a brand with the best instructions. IMHO R J Spagnols and Wine Expert have the clearest and detailed instructions and both have great high end kits. Mosti Mondaile instructions are fair but MM has limited distribution. Cellar Craft makes great kits but their new instructions are lacking IMO. You could try CC next time. Hopefully others will chime in on instructions.

 

[BMac]

I'll prob be the only person here to say get a cheap kit (10L or less) for your first batch. My view is, if a mistake is going to happen, it'll be on your first kit. Better to have that happen to a $50 kit vs. $100 kit. Also, it will be ready to drink sooner, and once you get the hang of everything, you will truly appreciate the quality of the bigger kits.

Thats just my view. I make everything from the big 18L kits down to the 10L, they all serve a purpose.

 

[terroirdejeroir]

I just started earlier this year and I will give you some advice I haven't seen anyone else offer yet. Kit wines require degassing to remove the excess CO2 left over from fermentation. The directions on degassing for most of the kits I have seen are insufficient. I would highly recommend either a drill-mounted stirring device like a Mix-Stir or some sort of vacuum degassing device. The vacuum option is better, but also more expensive if you want a quality solution. Don't plan to just getting by stirring with the butt end of a spoon - it will take a lot of the fun out of the process and not work very well either.

 

[tonyt]

I just started earlier this year and I will give you some advice I haven't seen anyone else offer yet. Kit wines require degassing to remove the excess CO2 left over from fermentation. The directions on degassing for most of the kits I have seen are insufficien. . . .

This is just one of the reasons I believe the RJ Spagnols Winery and EP kits are great first time kits. This quote is taken from the printed and on line instructions.

"6. Degas wine vigorously for 5 minutes by stirring with the handle of a spoon or with a drill mounted stirring device. INSUFFICIENT STIRRING WILL PREVENT THE WINE FROMCLEARING ADEQUATELY."

 

[lbwines]

My first kit was Wash. Columbia Valley Riesling - Selection Estate my wife got me for Christmas along with a starter kit. Came out great. 2nd kit was California Zinfandel / Shiraz I think is pretty awesome, and I really not a red wine kinda guy. Have done 2 other kits. White Zinfandel and White Angel. Now I've gone outside the 'box', but I'm itchin to do another kit. Love this hobby

 

[rhenson]

Thanks for the advice everyone!

I just purchased my equipment kit, so I've got one foot in the door.

Just incase any other new people are reading, check out the vendor forum for deals. Northern Brewer has a 40% off code for their equipment kits that is good until the 4th, I believe.

 

[SuperDave1969]

I'm still new to it all myself, but I started making wine kits about a year ago. I thought of giving wine as Christmas gifts and would get a jump start on things. I went with a cheaper kit at first, a raspberry merlot. Not alot of aging needed and that's a good thing. I found myself wanting to try this new product I had created and the sooner the better. Once I had a few bottles to keep me going, I tried a more ambitious kit. I went with a Yakima Chardonnay and knew that one will need to age. Then I got my hands on the Red Mtn. Cabernet. This has a grape pack and was the one I was most worried about due to my being new at everything.

I have to say, I might agree with a previous poster that going with a cheaper priced kit for your first time out might be a good idea. Not just in case you make a mistake, but these kits are usually quick drinkers. So the sooner you can taste the "fruit" of your labor so to speak.