Other Wine Lovers brand Gamay Kit- Questions

[Kantuckid]

I'm ready to start my Gamay kit soon. It's called a medium bodied wine and instructions are set up for 4 weeks +/-. It's called for volume makes a typical 23 litres/6 gallons. I'm leaning toward doing it as a 5gallon kit to enhance flavors.
My question is toward the S.G. I should look for if I reduce the water?

Kit info. says .996 as the stabilizing SG with day one @1.080-1.100 at start. I've made a number of kits and from scratch as well but never have I cut the water in a recipe.
Thanks for sharing your expertise!

 

[oppyland]

I have a Wine Lovers Shiraz kit just about ready to bottle. Starting SG was 1.094 after I added water to just over 5 1/2 gals (went by SG as opposed to volume). I did add an fpac of 1 lb frozen blackberries and raisins to give it a little boost. I'll get to sneak a taste when I bottle later this week - hopefully the tweaks improved it.

 

[Sailor323]

Where did you find the Gamay kit? I used to find Bergamais and it made a very nice, fast maturing light wine similar to Gamay (Beaujolais). No one sells it now.

 

[Kantuckid]

Like the title says- Wine Lovers branded kit, comes from Canada-ABC Crafted Series. Bought on their website- www.wineloversonline.com
I got a great deal and bought two kits the other is a Zinfandel blush which hasn't been made either.

 

[rustbucket]

@Kantuckid, I bought the Wine Lovers Gamay kit also during their Black Friday sale. For less than $70 for a 16L of juice kit, it was a bargain that I couldn't pass up. The only other ABC Cork company kit I've made, a Bordeaux blend, was purchased under their Fontana brand name in 2016. That wine was OK but not great. I thought the tannins were a little too much for my taste but others I served it too liked it.

I'll be starting my kit in January, after I get a carboy freed up, and will make it in accordance with the instructions with the exception of substituting Lalvin 71B for the kit yeast. I'm hoping for an easy drinking fruit forward wine. Time will tell.

 

[Sailor323]

Thanks to everyone for the info. I was not aware of Winelovers. I'm intrigued by their offerings. How do the medium body kits compare to the heavy bodied kits? How does either of them compare to Wine expert and RJS kits. 5.3 l of concentrate compared to 16 litres is quite a difference. And Wine Extert Classic kits have 8 litres of concentrate. I'm ready to order a Gamay medium body and a Grenache medium body with addl raisins.

 

[Kantuckid]

FYI, back in May when I bought my two kits I paid $55 each as they had a special then.
I'm wondering if I have run onto a good wine kit additive-wild grapes, not the brand but really wild, as in mother nature's brand. I was grading our private entry road this a.m. and took a second to pick up a bunch of berries, grapes whatever and they were all over they were all over the ground in small bunches, bit withered but not mushy/nasty looking. I looked high overhead and saw lots more about 15-20' up on a vine. I'll go back in the a.m. and pick them up.