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Note that you now leave the kit in primary for 2 weeks. I discovered this years ago. In fact, 3-4 weeks is even better.

Some kits have labels supplied with them that come off easily, while others can be the SINGLE WORST NIGHTMARE in winemaking!! I can't understand why a kit maker would supply labels that literally won't come off the bottle without soaking and/or scraping and then lots of glue remover. The last...

I do something that goes against my character. Yesterday I was at Costco and bought a Kirkland brand Malbec (Mendoza, Argentina). I thought for $6.99 how could I go wrong? Supposedly an 87 rated wine so I didn't expect a lot... but YUCK! I mean, what did these guys do to those poor grapes...

The RJS offerings are out, and the Mosti Mondiale Meglioli line is taking shape http://mostimondiale.com/products/?filter_collection=meglioli&mc_cid=229694757c&mc_eid=b892360bae I've never had a bad (or even mediocre) batch from either of these lines. The Mosti Mondiale Meglioli are...

It’s been 10 years since I started making wine kits, and no regrets so far! My advice to others is simple; once you have some experience with your process and sanitation you’re ready to move up. Buy some really good wine kits, bottle them with really good corks, and let them age 3+ years. Some...

Two of my credit cards have been compromised in the past 3 months. I just wanted to say that using PayPal, Visa Checkout or another similar service that doesn't directly expose your Credit Card info is the better way to do online business. I'm in the IT business and I can tell you that a lot...

One batch of toasted caramel, one batch of coffee, and a 3rd batch that was toasted caramel infused with some homemade coffee extract.

I just started my kits today. I was a little surprised to find that they don't have any chaptilization sugar and only start at an SG of 1.115 so they will likely dry out completely to ~16% ABV. The f-packs don't look very large so I'm guessing the FG in the bottle will be 1.010 give or take...

There's always the obvious; buy a better kit. And your process... take your time, practice good sanitation, watch the SG. But one thing frequently goes over looked. FEED THE YEAST! Grape juice isn't the perfect environment for yeast propagation, without a little help. I highly recommend...

Anyone have any experience with this kit? I added half the f-pack up front plus a pound of sugar which gave an OG of 1.081, and it fermented to dry at 0.995 (11.3% ABV). It's about time to bottle and I'm not tasting anything remotely like blueberry. I haven't sweetened it, so that might be a big...

I ordered 2 caramel port kits, and one of them I plan to add a coffee extract too. I plan to make the coffee extract with very high proof clear alcohol (rum, vodka or everclear) and freshly ground coffee. My question is, how much coffee extract should I make, and what proportions of alcohol and...

Just a word to the wise about using finishing and/or cellaring tannins... be careful because they tend to make all your wines taste the same. What I mean is, they all have the same finish. I've tried Tannin Riche, Tannin Rich Extra, Tan'Cor Grand Cru and the ubiquitous "wine tannin" chestnut...

I'm interested in the Home Winery brand kits I read about in another thread. I googled them and all they seem to sell in WE kits. Anyone?

During a recent thread, I asked my wife how many kits we've done to date. My guess was 40+ and her guess was more like 60. It started to bug me that I didn't know, but this morning I was in the basement preparing to bottle a Chilean Carmenere when I realized I've saved the clarifying agents...

Does anyone have any experience with both of these? I'm generally impressed with the MM kits, and the 2 Megs I've made are progressing very nicely. But I don't know about the Master's Edition kits (and I can't find much about them either).

I've made about 40 kits now and tried a lot of treatments to improve the wines finish, including a whole array of oaks and tannins. Still, I can't seem to find the magic ingredient to add a bit of a bite (astringency) to my wine. I'm pretty sure the kit makers purposely keep the finish pretty...

My favorites read like an Italian geography lesson. Nebbiolo (Barolo) Sangiovese (Brunello) Barbera (Barbaresco) Super Tuscan Amarone Nero D'Avola Now I'm looking for kits that are predominately Montepulciano and another that's Friulano (white).

We enjoyed a bottle of this wine last night... so much so that I went to buy another kit this morning only to find they are gone! Does MM change it's line up regularly? I'm kind of bummed.

Hi Guys, I've been trying my luck with Tan'cor Grand Cru, Tannin Riche and Tannin Riche Extra. So far, I'm detecting a little extra complexity but very little "spice" or "bite" after 6 months or so. I've been trying to stay at 3g Tan'cor Grand Cru, or 3.5g Tannin Riche or 4.5g Tannin...

The best thing about bottling day is the obligatory sampling... even at 9am! :r This happens to be a mighty tasty batch indeed!!