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First kit wine: advice needed

Winemaking
#1

Noticed NB’s wine kit sale today and decided it is time to jump on board with the wine making but need complete newbie advice and secrets to the trade. For beer I jumped right in without knowing about yeast pitching rates, temp control, proper aging and handling, grain steeping temps, ect. Without knowing all this I made something resembling a drinkable beer. What should I know jumping into a wine kit? It a bit of an upfront investment (compared to an all grain brew) and want to come as close to something as store bought as possible on the first run to convince the girlfriend that this is something we should pursue. Just basics, nothing crazy.

I was looking at this guy here because of the numerous positive reviews and the price range.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/revi ... y/181/?p=2
#2

The wine kits are pretty straight forward and have easy to follow instructions. The Mezza Luna Red kit is a great kit with lots of flavor that you are sure to love.
Here
http://www.winexpert.com/images/VR%20WV_Inst_Feb%202012.pdf
is a link to the kit instructions if you want to browse over them first. Just don’t get into any hurry about bottling and I highly recommend letting it age for much longer than the kit recommends before consuming.

#3

I find that white kits are ready in about 2 months red kits I age 4 months to 3 years depending on
how big a red it is. Small reds Bergimas 4 months Cab Sav. Merlot 1 year Amarone 3years.
the big reds need time to develop.
Gary

#4

Do you have a mix-stir or a wine wand?
Either is a great tool to have on hand for both wine and beer.

#5

I’ve only got a couple kits under my belt as I’m more of a beer guy myself. The wine kits seems much simpler than beer to get decent results. Just be patient, and feel free to add some extra time at each step. Also, wine likes to ferment warmer than beer, and if you ferment in the mid 60’s like an ale, the process will take longer than stated. I keep my primary in the kitchen where it can be in the low 70’s.

#6

[quote=“Baratone Brewer”]Do you have a mix-stir or a wine wand?
Either is a great tool to have on hand for both wine and beer.[/quote]

Is that the drill bit attachment thing? A friend has made wine before and they have one.

#7

How does the water addition affect the final product? I buy RO water for my beer brewing so should I use that for the wine (I’ve got a bunch of chlorine in my tap water). Any particular salts help a white wine (doing a chard)?

#8

[quote=“mplsbrewer”][quote=“Baratone Brewer”]Do you have a mix-stir or a wine wand?
Either is a great tool to have on hand for both wine and beer.[/quote]

Is that the drill bit attachment thing? A friend has made wine before and they have one.[/quote]
Yes. They come in handy for brewing as well.

#9

I prefer not to use soft water for winemaking.

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