"Barb" > wrote in message
...
> I've found Coinnoisseur to be marginally better than Beaverdale for red
> wines, and there's not much in price. I agree that you're probably never
> going to get anything wonderful, but you can get good, everyday "glugging"
> wine. I have done a Coinnoisseur Borolo which was very nice, and I've now
> laid down 5 gals of the stuff.
>
> I don't generally like Young's cheaper brand at all - they usually come
> out a bit insipid and taste "homemade"....
>
> Aren't a lot of them made by the same people here anyway?
>
> I find it needs *at least* 2 months, and is not worth drinking before. I
> also find it is better being left open for an hour before drinking, and/or
> later in the bottle (I tend to re-use screw-top 1.5l bottles!).
>
> Barb UK
>
>
> "Dave Allison" > wrote in message
> ...
>> My 2 cents: White wine kits usually turn out good. Red wine kits - you
>> need the top end ones. I also did a Crushendo type (actually 3) and they
>> were great at bottling and better 6-12 months and still getting better.
>> IMHO, the advice above is good. I am considering not making red wine kits
>> anymore as the price of really good wine in retail is hard to match. I'd
>> like to try grapes and juice some day, but not until I retire. smile.
>>
>> just my opinion. DAve
>>
>> racketear wrote:
>>> On Dec 3, 8:02 pm, "Rodders" > wrote:
>>>> "John" > wrote in
>>>> message
>>>>
>>>> ...
>>>>
>>>>> Hi,
>>>>> I've made wine from a few kits in the past, but seem to have struck a
>>>>> problem this weekend when making a Red kit from Beaverdale. Never
>>>>> made
>>>>> a
>>>>> red wine before, so when a family member arrived on my doorstep with a
>>>>> 30
>>>>> bottle kit from Beaverdale to make a Barolo, I felt quite excited as
>>>>> to
>>>>> how things might turn out.
>>>>> All my other kits had been Beaverdale, but whites, so I was fairly
>>>>> confident about things and everyone who had tried the wines were
>>>>> suitably
>>>>> impressed. Everything went as planned and I bottled-up this weekend.
>>>>> Last
>>>>> night I tried a bottle and was quite suprised at the 'watery' taste.
>>>>> Colour was good, but there didn't seem to be much taste at all. My
>>>>> wife
>>>>> tried some and agreed with me - I finished the bottle and went to bed
>>>>> wondering what had happened.
>>>> You have only left it a couple of days. You will need to wait at least
>>>> a
>>>> couple of months for flavour to come through. I also have a 30 bottle
>>>> Beaversdale Barolo on the go which I will be bottling at the weekend,
>>>> but
>>>> dont plan to taste it till at least March 2008.
>>>>
>>>> Rodders
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> There is wisdom in waiting after bottling to avoid the bottleshock
>>> etc, but the 2 red kit wines that I have made both tasted pretty good
>>> straight out of the fermenter. Both were intended to be fairly light
>>> bodied though. One was a 30p a bottle kit which was very, very much a
>>> make do thing. It tasted pretty low grade - though smooth - from
>>> start to finish. The other was a £2 a bottle pinot noir kit. The
>>> latter was beautiful straight out of the fermenter, but in my opinion
>>> peaked after 6 months. I think as per the previous posters' opinions,
>>> reds which haven't fermented on skins aren't going to have the
>>> character you want them too. My first single gallon red from grapes -
>>> this year is showing terrific colour and character.
>>>
>>> A friend of mine has made a 'Crushendo' red wine kit this year which
>>> comes with a sachet of grapeskins which you ferment on as well as the
>>> juice/concentrate. It's pretty expensive for a kit (I think about
>>> £3.50 a bottle) but it sounds like it is the mutts nuts...
>
>
>

Just thought I'd post an update... Opened another bottle last night and it
tasted much much better. I had passed a bottle out to a friend to try (the
guy who bought the kit) and he reported how damm good it was... Oh well,
sounds like I paniced to early.. Next time, I'll give it time to settle in
the bottle....

Thanks for all your responses - much appreciated