Hello Bart,
There are many ways to customize a kit. I'm not familiar with the Vintners
reserve. How many litres of concentrate do you start with?
Regards,
Al

"bwesley7" > wrote in message
news:MSqYc.22946$wu.14552@okepread04...
> My local winemaking shop only carries Brew King Vintners Reserve kits, so
I
> usually order better kits on-line. However, I was in the shop yesterday,
> and noticed a pretty large selection of V-R kits on the shelf, including
one
> Merlot. I've never made Merlot, and have a couple of empty 6-gal carboys,
> so I made an impulse purchase -- now, however, I'd like to try to improve
> the probable end product...
>
> My typical schedule with kits is:
>
> 5-10 days in primary;
> Rack to secondary, set aside under cover for at least 15 days;
> Rack and add sulphite, sorbate and fining agent, and set aside for at
least
> 20 days;
> Rack and set aside for at least 50 days.
> Bottle when I'm ready.
>
> Generally, I've been pleased with the results.
>
> For the V-R Merlot, I've considered (and decided against) doing it as a
> 5-gal kit. What other measures (e.g., adding a few pounds of raisins to
the
> primary) could I take to better the end product?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Bart
>
>
>