Our first wine was made from a Cabernet Sauvignon wine kit that Kathy gave me for Christmas 2007. The kit sat, unopened for several months while I gathered the courage to open it and make wine. Thinking back I spent hours reading and rereading the directions. It also took hours to try to read a hydrometer. Now it only takes seconds and if I make a dry red wine from a kit, I wouldn’t bother reading or following the directions.
For the longest time I thought the wine was plonk. I picked up the unforgiveable geranium smell that I disliked. For the next couple years the wine was relegated for use as a mulled wine during the holidays. Add enough brandy, spices and orange slices and the wine actually tasted good. With only four bottles left I decided to try one during the summer. The wine has been in a bottle for three years now. It was a dark red color without any garnet hues. That’s a good sign. It has a bit of a wine-kit aroma and taste but that isn’t as prominent as it was after bottling and for the first couple years. The light body goes well with our current hot weather. In all the wine is more palatable now than it was in the past.
Although many wine kit wines are designed to drink at an early age, they can improve with age. I don’t believe that I’ll return to kit wines again. I’d rather make wines from fruit or juice if I can’t get the fruit.
Cheers,
Terry
My first try at a cab was a disaster (I think I ended up with some cleaning solution/acid in my batch). Since that first attempt, I have found that it is both a science, and an art! My second batch was a success, and a good one if I don’t say so myself. I did find a website that helped a ton though (broke down and paid, but well worth it) at http://www.how-to-make-wine.com I am sure there are others too. Cheers!
Bert, Two things that I would do differently if I could make the same Cab from the same kit is to add less water thereby raising the hydrometer reading and raising the potential alcohol and not add the potassium sorbate before bottling. I can understand why wine kit makers include the potassium sorbate, however I do not like its taste and adding it to a dry wine isn’t necessary. Of course, I could have bought a more expensive kit, but I didn’t know then what I know now. My real winemaking education came from making wine at two different wineries with two different philosophies.
Cheers!