Looking to buy a couple kits

[saylor]

Hi! I'm finishing up my first island mist kit (pomegranate zin) . I'm looking to purchase a couple more to start one and have one on hand(it's also cheaper to get two at once). I was looking at the VINO ITALIANO 4 week kits and the RESERVE DU CHATEAU 4 week kits. I see they all have pretty good reviews on amazon but I figured I would ask on here to anybody that has used either of them. Also how can you tell how much alcohol is in them? Thanks!!!
John

Also, I have a wine kit that includes a glass carboy and my primary bucket. ( would I need possibly another carboy to rack multiple times?)

 

[jswordy]

To rack multiple times with one carboy, siphon into your primary bucket, clean your carboy, siphon back into it. Not ideal but it works.

I have not done the kits you describe, but have not heard real good taste reviews of them, either. If they make 6 gallons, most people just make 5 instead to boost the flavor. I'm sure others will chime in.

One way to measure alcohol by volume (ABV) is with a hydrometer. Record your potential alcohol when you start and your final alcohol when you finish and are ready to bottle. Subtract. This gets you in the ballpark.

 

[ShelleyDickison]

Hi! I'm finishing up my first island mist kit (pomegranate zin) . I'm looking to purchase a couple more to start one and have one on hand(it's also cheaper to get two at once). I was looking at the VINO ITALIANO 4 week kits and the RESERVE DU CHATEAU 4 week kits. I see they all have pretty good reviews on amazon but I figured I would ask on here to anybody that has used either of them. Also how can you tell how much alcohol is in them? Thanks!!!
John

Also, I have a wine kit that includes a glass carboy and my primary bucket. ( would I need possibly another carboy to rack multiple times?)

I just did a racking of my pomegranate Zinfandel today along with a black raspberry merlot. Took a sneak taste today and they are really good. I added 2 lbs of sugar to each kit to up it just a bit. Hopefully I will be bottling sometime this week. I have never used the other kits you mentioned, mainly because I only have access to wine expert or RJS kits unless I order online.

 

[saylor]

Hey guys thanks a lot!! I'm not sure how to scale down a kit as I am new. Do you just top the primary fermenter to five gallon instead of six? Also my selection is very limited by my house also so I ventured online. If you look on amazon you can find a lot of kits. Most of them qualify for super saver free shipping. You should check it out!! I think based on the reviews that I'm gonna try it that way I'll know for sure and can maybe answer for somebody else someday. I'll be the lab rat!!! Thanks again for all your guys/ladies help!

John

 

[ShaunDanz]

Saylor, I've made several of the Reserve du Chateau kits to drink while I wait for my good kits to age. These kits age quickly and taste good in as little as four months. Because these kits taste a bit thin, I have experimented with them. They taste best to me when they are made to 5.5 gallons instead of 6 gallons. I also add a pound of raisins and oak chips and/or oak cubes. I picked up some tannin and pectic acid after reading the forums here and they help as well. 1/2 tsp tannin and 2 tsp pectic acid will give the wine more body. Those last two ingredients are optional, but if you plan on making a lot of these kits, I would recommend their purchase. The Italian Nero D'Avola Cabernet is my favorite so far.

 

[roblloyd]

If you can increase your budget can make a better wine with higher quality kits. Online is easy -
Site Sponsors:
High Gravity - linked to some good red wine kits
FineVine Wines
Brew and Wine Supply

If you prefer lighter reds then those are fine. If you like bolder, richer reds then the higher quality kits will make better wine - $8/bottle vs $15-20/bottle. If that makes any sense?

But to improve those you mentioned - stop at 5 gal, add extra sugar to bump up the alcohol levels and add raisins etc.

 

[saylor]

By saying stop at 5 gal, do you mean just fill the primary bucket to 5 gallon instead of six and use the rest of the ingredients as directed? Or do I have to reduce everything? As far as adding sugar and raisins and what not... At what point do I add that and when should I take the raisins out and how much ???Also do I just throw them in the bucket ? I have read some things about adding sugar and what not but nothing really specified when or how. I also was gonna order from high gravity but I couldn't stomach the 21 dollar fee to ship. They do seem to be better quality so if I get some extra cash I'll try some from there! I'm sorry if I'm bothersome, I'm just trying to figure out what's good so I can stick with it. Thanks again

John

 

[roblloyd]

Do you have a hydrometer? You would add enough sugar syrup to bring the SG up to 1.09. That would give you a 10% or so alcohol content instead of the 5-6.
When it says to add water to the 6 gallon mark, just stop at 5.
Raisins go in while fermenting and taken out when you rack it. You can just toss them in or if you can get a mesh bag that makes it easier to remove.

I thought the banner ad on top says they have $10 shipping?!

 

[ShaunDanz]

Do you have a hydrometer? You would add enough sugar syrup to bring the SG up to 1.09. That would give you a 10% or so alcohol content instead of the 5-6.
When it says to add water to the 6 gallon mark, just stop at 5.
Raisins go in while fermenting and taken out when you rack it. You can just toss them in or if you can get a mesh bag that makes it easier to remove.

I thought the banner ad on top says they have $10 shipping?!

I'm looking at my notes for my Reserve du Chateau BC Pinot Noir that I made to 5.5 gallons and added raisins. My starting SG was 1.094 (no sugar added) and ending was 0.0992. Doesn't that give me 13.86% alcohol?

 

[saylor]

How much raisins should I add?? And when you say they go in when fermenting do you mean only during primary? Yes I do have a hydrometer. So after I dump the sugar in the primary, I mix it up and that's when my SG should be at that number you said?? Also I'm honestly ok with 9-11 percent alcohol I just don't like it around 6 ya know. It's like drinking sugar water. I did see the ten dollar shipping banner in there and that's why I was going to order from them but when it comes time for check out and you enter your address, it goes wayyyyy up. Prob depends where you live

 

[vernsgal]

I usually add a pound of raisons per gallon.So if stopping at the 5 gallon mark,add 5 lbs.Remove the raisons at 1st racking. The cheaper kits definitely come out better by downsizing. When adding the sugar,take the SG first,mark it down,then add about a cup at a time taking the SG between each.You should probably aim for 1.080 or higher.

 

[vernsgal]

I'm looking at my notes for my Reserve du Chateau BC Pinot Noir that I made to 5.5 gallons and added raisins. My starting SG was 1.094 (no sugar added) and ending was 0.0992. Doesn't that give me 13.86% alcohol?

You must mean ending at .992 which as you said,would give you alc.13.86%

 

[saylor]

Wow thank you so much! I got a kit on the way that was only 41 bucks so i think I'll try it on that one. Thank you so much for the specific instructions! Thanks everyone for all the help. I can't wait to get this started! Oh and should I still follow the instructions as far as times go? Like for example if it says in the instructions to let it sit for 7 days in the primary should I do that or will it take longer and ill have to let it get to a certain SG? I figure the time to rack will still be the same based on the SG it just may take longer to get there??

 

[ShaunDanz]

You must mean ending at .992 which as you said,would give you alc.13.86%

Have you seen the movie "Office Space"? There is a scene where he complains that he is always putting the decimal point in the wrong place. Same here! Although, I checked my wine making spreadsheet and it's in the correct place.

Saylor, don't add sugar if you don't need to. Also, keep in mind that if you only make this to 5 gallons, you are going to need a gallon of wine to top off with when you rack it to your secondary fermenter. Unless you have a 5 gallon carboy.

I'm assuming you are making the Nero D'Avola Cab. Mine turned out wonderfully at 5.5 gallons. If you can get your hands on some American Oak, that would be nice to add to the secondary.

I had mine in primary for 7 days
Secondary for 10 days
Racked on day 40
Racked again on day 80
Bottled on day 90

Others will have other opinions. Mine is now 184 days old and tastes wonderful. I made this one so I could let my Stagg's Leap Merlot age. The Stagg's Leap is better, but costs three times as much.

 

[saylor]

You guessed it ! That's the one I'm making. I will look for the oak which I can prob find because my local store has A LOT of supplies. When you say add it to the secondary you mean put it in the mesh bag and let it sit in the carboy?? And does racking it those couple extra times add to clarity?? Or is that just where you let it age? And how do you get a gallon of wine ?from the store of a similar variety and dump it in?

 

[ShaunDanz]

I just add my oak to the carboy before racking from primary into secondary. I will boil the oak in some water and then add the oak and water to the carboy.

Time and racking will give you a nice clear wine. If you add raisins to the primary, you will get a lot of sediment, so letting the wine sit in the carboy for a long period of time will allow it to drop out. I have six carboys now because I like to let my wine sit for 90 days. I'd like to age it even longer, but that takes even more carboys.

Boxed Wine is what I used to use for topping up but now I have enough wine that I just uncork a few bottles and top up. Target sells decent boxed wine that you can use.

 

[vernsgal]

Sorry Saylor if there was a misunderstanding. I wasn't saying to add sugar or raisons. Just helping on how and when,if using.
I have never tried the kit you are trying so whether to use raisons or not? And as ShaunDanz has pointed out, one of the great things about this forum is that you'll get plenty of advice and "opinions". It'll all depend on your individual taste

 

[saylor]

Yea this is one of the top two forums i belong too. The other one is for smoking and curing meat. You guys have a ton of ideas and tips to share and I love it. Thanks everyone for being patient with me!

John

 

[saylor]

Ok I'm sorry but I have three more simple questions and I'll leave you guys alone haha. 1- do you smash raisins in mesh bag or just put them in whole? 2- when and if adding sugar, do you mix the sugar in the liquid or just dump it in? 3- when adding the oak into secondary, do you just plop it in or should it be in some sort of bag also?

 

[vernsgal]

Hahaha,There's always more questions. I'm fairly new here myself for making fruit wines. I have now made well over 50 kits so I like to think I might be able to give back some of my learnings 1-raisons,I always in the past have bought my raisons for my kits from wine supply shops,in which I just put them in netting and threw them in. Since joining this forum, I now buy my raisons from a health food store(no sulphites)chop them up a bit, throw them in a stocking and add to carboy.2- sugar, if you search this forum you will find simple syrups ( which I believe are 2 parts boiled water to 1 part sugar) not positive on that one so search a bit. Myself, I add 1 cup at a time stirring and letting it rest 10 minutes, stir again ,then take SG.Continue until you get the SG you're looking for. Having made kool aid for 5 kids for about 20 years I learned that some sugar will settle after about 10 minutes and needs an extra stir. You get a better SG reading.3- Oak, I just "plop it in" I don't find it to cumbersome when racking. As for the bags to use, there is lots of options, if I don't have any on hand from a wine supplier I just use a good old pair of pantyhose . good luck and enjoy! I find the learning is part of the fun