(http://i.imgur.com/rTpTBxll.jpg)(http://i.imgur.com/QHFgKMZl.jpg)
HomeBrewWest (http://www.homebrewwest.ie/) recently launched a new line of wine kits called "Sadlers Reserve" and they kindly sent me their Sadlers Reserve "House Red" (http://www.homebrewwest.ie/sadlers-reserve-house-red-85-to-10-kg-wine-kit-3592-p.asp) wine kit to try out. They also threw in a fermenting vessel (http://www.homebrewwest.ie/brewferm-30-l-basic-brewingfermentation-bucket-2956-p.asp) which came in very handy after I donated my only other spare one to TOG (http://www.tog.ie/). I had to carve out a hole in the lid for the air lock which was no problem for the rotary tool which sliced though it with a router bit.
(http://i.imgur.com/h0vzR12l.jpg)
The wine kit contains the following items in the box:
8.5kg of red grape juice concentrate in double lined foil bladder
A: Wine Yeast including nutrient
B: Wine stabiliser (Combination of potassium sorbate and potassium metabisulphite)
C: Kieselsol – Clearing agent causing yeast/solids to drop out of solution
D: Chitsoan – Clearing agent and also aids in prevention of spoilage
My initial impressions of the kit were very positive with a very well designed set of equipment all the way from the box to the usefully laid out set of instructions. This contrasts sharply to some wine kits that look like something that was found on the side of the road.
The instructions are relatively straightforward in terms of making the batch.
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Clean equipment, sanitise equipment and tools by swirling the sanatiser around the inside of the bucket for a few minutes. I used starsan in this case so I didn't have to worry about rinsing but at the same time I had to concentrate to avoid "fearing the foam". The concentrate was understandably syrupy so I rinsed out the inside of the bladder a couple of times to get every bit of the juice out of there. I topped up to the 24L mark with tap water and then stir for five minutes which is tough going for someone with little office arms, I was tempted to get the oxygen tank! ;D
(http://i.imgur.com/RKlj2MIl.jpg)
The yeast is already combined with the nutrient and that can be seen in the form of semi transparent crystals that are mixed in though the yeast. I found the OG gravity to be approximately 1.095 which is pretty much bang on to the 22 Brix that they specify for 24L on the side of the box. I also noted that, unlike other wine kits I have made, the must was still very syrupy after topping up to 24L. I found other kits to be noticeably thin at this stage but that didn't seem to be the case here which was very encouraging.
I will continue to update this guide as things progress. Thanks again to HomeBrewWest and LordEoin.
You won't be disappointed by the resulting wine, and you'll be surprised with how fast it is to be ready for the bottle :)
Oh really? It doesn't need the full 3 weeks?
I had it bottled by day 19 exactly as the instructions said, but it was sat in primary for a few days with activity completely finished.
Normally the timeframe quoted on kits is a little 'optimistic'
And I'm used to waiting on wines for months ;D
Here's my timeline on this kit http://www.nationalhomebrewclub.com/forum/index.php/topic,5635.0.html
Great stuff! I'm just going to copy your timeline in that case, unless it hasn't ceased fermentation or something as I approach your times scales.
I'm not bottling though, its all going into two 10L vinotainers, will be interesting to see how they age.
I did my timeline as close to the instructions as possible.
The instructions are great! Wine kit instructions seem to be a lot better than beer kit instructions ;D
Yeah I was very impressed with the instructions, that reason alone is a reason to recommend a kit to a newcomer. Its bubbling away in the living room now but it seems slow enough, could be a bit on the cold side although I don't have any spare temperature control capacity. I saw what you did with the heat belt and temperature controller, I might add that configuration to my arsenal so that I can have several brews on at different temperatures.
It works a treat! stick the whole lot in a fridge hooked up to the cold socket and you're sorted for all your temp control needs ;)
Transferred to secondary tonight, I had planned to stabilise but I think it is too early yet. Gravity is down to 0.998 and I think it still tastes a bit sweet so I'm going to leave it anther week before adding the stabiliser. Should be down to 0.995 by then which I think will be much better as I generally prefer all my drinks to be on the drier side.
Still has a very prominant body and texture after the fermentation. Excited! :)
(http://i.imgur.com/hWdmJUll.jpg)
This kit looks good. Does it keep well (30 bottles is a lot for a beer drinker), and does it give you a crippling headache with the stabilisers?
It should keep well one the bottles are properly sanitized, and I think the stabilizer drops out with the finings, but I'm not sure about that.
Have you tried the finished product? What would it be similar to, grape wise? The missus is fussy as hell for a borderline alco!
Mine was the metlot/shiraz and that's how it tastes :)
Ah, I see now, house red is one of the options.
Sorry to go a little off topic, but can you recommend a 6 bottle kit/manufacturer, then I'll leave you alone.
http://www.homebrewwest.ie/6-bottle-wine-kits-223-c.asp
Tom don't worry about going off topic, I remember when I was looking for a wine kit years ago it was very difficult to find information about them so I think its great to chat about this stuff!
I don't see it in the list but I made the Beaverdale Merlot 6 bottle kit. I added oak chips along with the other ingredients. I found it a little thin but the last two bottles tasted very nice as they had been in the bottle for 2 or 3 months. I might use less water the next time to increase the body a little bit.
I think with the 6 bottle kits they sometimes end up thinner because we fill the demijohn instead of stopping at the 4.5L mark... ;D
So pay attention to the fill and Beaverdale are OK?
It'd be nice to dip the toe in with a 6 bottle kit, rather than an eye-watering 30 bottle.
Yeah I would definitely recommend trying the 6 bottle kit. Gives you are real feel for the process which is easy but certain things are a bit more difficult with larger batches. Degassing being one example.
hi folks
hope you dont mind a newbie jumping in here with a few questions..
I got the sadlers reserver cabernet sauvignon and had it in primary for about 2 or 3 weeks (am useless for writing stuff down) and then I racked it off and have left it about another 2 weeks. during this time I shook it a couple of times to help degass it. I added the other three sachets this evening to ensure fermentation has stopped, stabalise it and clear it. I'd added some oak chips while in primary and added some more again after transferring into secondary. I've a couple of questions I'm hoping ye can help me out with
- the oak chips...I added them straight out of the bag and fear this may have been a mistake, should I have sanitised first?? (am afraid of the answer..)
- the three sachets I added this evening, could I have done without adding these? Are these the artifical additives to an otherwise pure concentrate that I couldve done without?
- rather than bottling, I'd spotted a 20ltr water container with a tap at the bottom in the local co-op. Could I just use this rather than bottling. I'd probably bottle 7 or 8 bottles regardless o store for longer but wouldnt mind having the rest in a bigger container like this to fill a glass when i like rather than opening a bottle etc. would the air in the container affect the freshness of the wine?
thanks for any advice.
marc
- the oak chips. should I have sanitised first?? - yes, a quick boil or soak in vodka. don't worry about it now, lets hope for the best
- the three sachets I added this evening, could I have done without adding these? - they're there for a reason, they make better wine. most of it drops out anyway
- rather than bottling, I'd spotted a 20ltr water container with a tap at the bottom in the local co-op. Could I just use this rather than bottling. would the air in the container affect the freshness of the wine? - as the wine empties it lets air in, this will spoil your wine. if you want to have one big container, use something like a winebox that has a shrinking bladder
nuts...fingers crossed on the oak chips then..
probably knock that water container idea on the head as well then.
thanks
No Problem, I hope it works out well for you :)
Was too impatient to wait a week :P, checked the gravity again and it hasn't changed that much since I last checked it. A drop of one point at most. The sweetness as lessened slightly with a mildly bitter after-taste although the body is retained and a lot of fruitiness. I have just added the B sachet to kill the yeast and another sachet C to begin the clearing process. Would highly recommend having one of the degasser tools that attach to your drill to mix it, makes it very simple.
(http://i.imgur.com/HgrnnPHl.jpg)(http://i.imgur.com/Eq6E5ndl.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/7zUYTMjl.jpg)(http://i.imgur.com/tYKDpnvl.jpg)
that degasser looks the business.
I've always been scared to use them though in case i scratch the FV or something nasty falls off the drill.
"Bottled" the wine this week, it has a sharp, bitter taste off it currently but I expect that to dissipate with age. Now the wait begins!
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Absolutely worth the money to not have to bottle these, the capacity of those things are supposed to be 10L each but I got 23L into them so either the bucket volume is off or they have a bit of extra space.
Just lost one of the vinotainers to a very small leak which I didn't notice until now. I don't know what caused it, potentially the weather, but the thing is infested. It was in a dark space ageing so I wasn't checking it that often and didn't notice the growth. I had tasted it a couple of weeks ago and it wasn't in that state!! Fucking raging. >:(
(http://i.imgur.com/cYWMo1ml.jpg)
Its out of the box and in the bath and even when I push on the bag there is no leak.
That's a balls.
Not really sure whether the wine itself is salvageable or not, as all the mould is on the box rather than the wine itself. Not mad about drinking mould tbh!
Could you try bottling it?
If the wine was ok I would just leave it inside the plastic pouch. I managed to get the lid to turn another 1/4 turn so it must definitely be the weather. I nearly drew blood from my fingers when I tightened them initially.