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As requested here is a list of wine kit lines by the major manufacturers in rough order of descending grade Vineco Wine Kits Cellar Craft Showcase (18 L red with skin pack, 16 L white, 6 week) Vineco Passport Series (18 L (some 16 L + 2 L grape skin reds), 8 week) Ultimate Estate Reserve...

Received this from my LHBS today: RJS CRAFT WINEMAKING UPDATE RJS Craft Winemaking has provided us with information regarding changes to their brand portfolio. They’ve decided to discontinue the Vino Del Vida and Cellar Classic brands and rebrand the Cellar Classic Winery Series into the...

I was racking two different kits today and inadvertently added the sulfite from a kit that needed it into another that was just 6 days old and should not have had any. The kit that got it was a Passport Pinot Noir using the included RC-212 that had fermented fast and was down to an SG of...

I am making a RJS EP Amarone by the instructions and with the included EC-1118 yeast. From the outset it was clear this was going to be a hot one as the juice alone came in at SG 1.111, and then adding 375 g of raisins at 60% sugar would bring it up to 1.115(!). After the first day I...

I made my first batch of frozen grape wine earlier this year. The must was 19 l (5 gal) of California Cabernet Sauvignon which measured at 24.1 brix, TA 5.1 g/l and pH 3.7 before fermentation. I wanted to bring the TA up to about 7.5 g/l so I added 30 g of tartaric acid and started fermenting...

I am interested in getting a barrel but don't yet have plans to make enough to keep it filled -- especially early on when things get over-oaked so quickly. One suggestion from @bzac was to ferment a lower-end kit in the barrel to break it in. I was at my LHBS and noticed the Cheeky Monkey LE...

I am looking at making some wine from either frozen or fresh crushed grapes. A press is often listed amongst the "necessary equipment" for making wine from grapes. However, since I prefer new world (fruitier) styles and definitely do not like harsh tannins, is a press really required? Could...

I finished my Passport Petit Verdot per the instructions, although the final racking was a few days early so I could free up the carboy. I now have half the batch bottled and the other half bulk aging with a medium french oak spiral. I took a sample from the leftover part bottle and to me it...

I have a cider, which appears to have undergone MLF, aging in a carboy. Next to it I have some kit wines aging. All carboys have airlocks installed. I do not have separate equipment for cider and wine so how cautious do I need to be about preventing the spread of MLB from one to the other...

Per a suggestion from another forum member I have recently degassed by vigorously shaking a part full carboy while under vacuum. The agitation in the presence of a good vacuum seems to be far more effective at removing CO2 than either method used alone. Typically I do this degassing...

I am considering trying winemaking from grapes and am looking at some frozen grape buckets from October 2012. Is over 2 years old too old if they were properly stored (kept frozen)?

I just bottled half a batch of MM Renaissance Amorosso (AKA Amarone) I started mid November. The other half is back in an 11.3 L carboy with an oak spiral for bulk aging and later comparison. However, what is notable about this kit is how overall good it is at just 2 months. This easily...

I placed the F-pack included in the Passport Pinot Gris on a scale and found it weighed nearly 1.1 kg. Assuming the bag w/cap don't weigh too much that is the better part of a liter of liquid. I read on one of the other threads that the Showcase Pinot Gris only has something like a 200 ml...

My LHBS called yesterday to inform me my Passport Pinot Gris LE kit was in stock. Curious to see what's in the box for this one.

My LHBS called today to inform me my Passport Petit Verdot LE kit was in stock. Looking forward to this one.

I just purchased 4 different glass carboys and measured their capacity by weight when full of water at 15 C. Here are the results if anyone is interested: 23 L Italian smooth: 29.36 kg full 5.860 kg empty 23.48 L 23 L Italian reinforced: 29.77 kg full 6.000 kg empty 23.75 L 18.9 L Mexican...

I have read that an oak barrel may be the best thing you can get to improve kit wines, and that sounds like a good thing. But looking into it more reveals there are a number of considerations. 1. Barrel aging not only micro oxygenates the wine and concentrates it somewhat due to water...

I have been following another thread about doing an extended time in secondary: http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f84/i-just-got-gsm-international-grenach-syrah-mourvedre-45548/ ...because I have a WE MLR on the go and it's also going to end up being about 3 weeks in secondary before I...

I made my first few kits at a local ferment-on-prem place. They make you bottle according to the manufacturer schedule -- 6 weeks in my case. At the 6 month mark I opened a split of RJS WS Super Tuscan and poured a glass through a vinturi since I figured it needed all the help it could get! I...

Tonight I tried a split of a Showcase Cabernet Red Mountain I made at a local FoP. It is now 6 months old, in the bottle for just over 4 of those, so obviously still young. However, it has changed little in those 4 months and still has the same prominent smell and taste of overripe bananas...