The Bergamais is another great product from the Vintner's Reserve series from Winexpert. With fruity overtones, it's a great sipping wine (particularly on a spring or summer evening) but also goes well with pastas and salads. Unlike some reds, it's ready to drink within three months or so of bottling (although, like most good wines, it matures with age).I've been making wine from wine kits for six years, and I have never had a failure with the Vintner's Reserve kits. They come with clear and easy-to-follow instructions and the total process from start to finish takes no more than 6-8 weeks. Moreover, each step can be done quickly. The initial mixing in the primary fermenter, racking into the carboy, and stabilizing take no more than half an hour each (including sanitizing the equipment and cleanup), and the bottling process (including washing the bottles) takes about 45 minutes. This isn't a lot of work for approximately 30 750ML bottles. Plus, you can't argue with the cost: The finished product works out to about $2.50 a bottle, which isn't bad for such a high-quality wine.
A couple pointers: If possible, purchase a plastic carboy. Plastic carboys work just as well as do the traditional glass ones, and they weigh almost nothing. This makes a big difference when it comes to moving and lifting a carboy filled with six gallons of liquid. Also, if you use natural corks, make sure that you soak them for several hours or overnight before bottling.
