Having never made wine before, we decided to give it a try, mainly because of the price of this kit. Once we purchased the wine-making equipment (fermenter, carboy, siphons, air locks, hydrometer, etc) from a home-brew supply company, we were ready to make this wine. We used Midwest Homebrewing and Winemaking Supply () for the equipment package. They have a starter kit that is reasonably priced. I would also recommend purchasing a wine thief (to take samples with) and a container to hold your samples in when testing them, in addition to an auto siphon and maybe some oak chips for this kit. All in all, we spent about $60 on the equipment we needed to use this wine kit.
Having read reviews about this wine-kit company's wines being "watery" I decided to make 5 gallons instead of 6. Later, I read that this can be VERY tricky with kits because they are specifically tailored for that particular volume of wine. Maybe I got lucky, but our batch came out pretty good. I also added some extra tannin, a little citric acid and I soaked some oak chips in it during the final phase. I was careful to keep everything sterile (with the sterilizer that came with my equipment packagenever use bleach or other household chemicals on wine equipment) and I also paid attention to the fermentation temperature, having read that two of the most important things in home winemaking are sterilization and temperature.
I just bottled 23 bottles of this wine a couple of days ago and we drank the 1/2 bottle that was left over. It tastes like an inexpensive table wine you'd get in a restaurant in Italy or France. Nothing special, so far. However, I've read that even a few months of aging in the bottle can do wonders for these kit wines so I'm eager to see how it tastes later this year. As of bottling it was clear (no haze) and had a nice, light raspberry color to it. It was semi-dry with lots of fruit undertones; decent legs and an okay nose. There was a faint hint of oak, probably from the chips, which soaked in the carboy for about 5 days before bottling.
All-in-all, I've paid more for wine that wasn't as good. I've already started my second batch (a Vinter's Reserve kit purchased locally) and today I started a small batch made from organic grape juice purchased at the grocery store (we'll see what happens there).
Warning, wine making can become addictiveit's one part science, one part art. I'd recommend this kit to a beginner who doesn't want to invest the $100 in a higher-end kit. Good luck!
If the wines are a little watery just make 5 gallon instead of 6, you will be plesantly suprised in the difference. Because, corks, labels, shipping is all free it's still around $2.00 per bottle. I always keep extra yeast in the refrigerator so if the date is expired I just grab 1 of them. I am rather impressed with the Vino Italiano brand.
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I have had several of these kits, and mostly they come out pretty thin. It has been suggested to cut back to 5 gallons. This still leaves a wine that is thin and lacks any acceptable mouth-feel. Here's how I do it with a red wine kit.
White wines are treated the same only I make them to the 5 gallons, not 4; still reserving some juice concentrate.
1. Pour off 1 1/2 cups of concentrate into a sterile Ball jar. Place this in the freezer.
2. Make the remainder up to 4 gallons. Do primary fermentation.
3. From primary, rack to secondary (for me that is a 3 gallon carboy and a one gallon jug) Top up with simple syrup (2 parts sugar to one part water OR up to 1/2 of your retained juice) This is where I would also add in the oak chips if I am using them.
4. This will not finish fermenting in the 4-6 week time frame. More like 8 to 16. I rack again at about 4 to 5 weeks.Clear, stablize and de-gas.
5. At bottling time (here is were I filter w my mini Boun-Vino)
6. Add 1/4 teaspoon Potassium Sorbate.
7. Pour the retained juice that has been thawed to room temp into the filtered wine before bottling.
Yes, I know. 4 gallons from a 6 gallon kit. But believe me, it is worth the loss.
This 4 gallon volume is still a great bargain, especially if you have an Amazon Prime membership to cut the shipping costs. It comes out so well that I have put this item on subscription to save even more.
Considering the fact that you get both corks and shrink cap (and labels, I suppose, I like to design my own) Even 4 is gallons cheaper (bottle for bottle) than a premium kit.
All that being said, it is still a kit with kit quality. Don't expect a great wine to come from this. But follow my method and you'll have a wine you would be proud to serve your friends.
(An additional note: I've also done this with Amazon's Reserve du Chateau kits, but adjusting the primary fermentation to 5 gallons because of the extra 3 pounds of juice in the kit. This comes out very well).
Read Best Reviews of Vino Italiano 4 Week Wine Kit, Cabernet Sauvignon, 15.5-Pound Box Here
I was very satisfied with this kit. I have made about 5 batches since the first try. Its very important to remember that young wine is not super tasty. Within 6 months of bottling the product is excellent and so far just keeps getting more tasty as it stabilizes. Im a fan, no need to pay a higher price for really good results.
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I liked the wine overall, so does my gf so that helps too. I thought it was a bit bubbly but maybe I didnt stir out the bubbles enough. Decent body and is definatly worth the money you pay for it and the lables are very good. Not something you could make up easily by yourself.
The tree was delayed until all chance of frost was over and it was well worth the wait. Packaging was perfection without a single styrofoam peanut and even new, tender growth was unharmed. The tree itself looks just like the photo and seems to be established in the pot. Large leaves are not common in the hobby but they are much smaller than they were when this was growing in the vineyard and next to the mature wide trunk it works well. Bonsai Boy was a pleasure to work with and I look forward to years of enjoyment with this tree.
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