Master VintnerWinemaker's Reserve™ Merlot Wine Recipe Kit Makes 6 Gallons

Wine instructions were easy to follow, all supplies included and made a tasty wine. It was a little sweeter than I like for a Pinot but flavor was good. It had good flavor after 6 weeks but even better after 12 months.

It’s crazy how many people order these kits thinking it contains every item needed to make and bottle wine. The kits only contain the items defined in the description which is usually the grape juice, chemical additives and directions. The buyer will need to purchase the fermentation equipment, bottles, corks, etc. Or buy a equipment kit which comes with the equipment needed, but the bottles/corks.These companies have removed all the guess work from the process and the instructions walk you through the timeline on when you make your next step.I highly recommend either you do a lot of research if just starting or you find a local wine supply shop in your area. The startup kits come with the basic items, but there are upgrades to many items to make the process easier and more rewarding.I normally make the wines exactly as directed, then I will either bottle or blend. I blend wines together and I’ve fortified with brandy to get a smoother blend with a higher alcohol content (port-like).So for those of you looking to get into wine making, please stop sending in comments that you thought it was everything you need to include the equipment - it’s not! For those of you which actually read the description and want to know more; research is key. This is a wonderful hobby, the upfront cost for the equipment ranges from $100-$300 depending on the fermentation equipment purchased, your corking installation tool selected, and if you purchase or save and reuse bottles.Cheers and good luck!

Been making this for 2 years. Produces a better wine than medium priced box or bottled wine. Sometimes I use the wood and sometimes I don’t, not a big difference. We have a room we keep at 73 with a space heater and within 24 hours of starting it is bubbling and after 1 week add nutrients directly, haven’t found it necessary to mix in warm water. I let it sit for another 2 weeks and kill the yeast. 2 days later rack, 2 days after that bottle. Hint a glass Carboy is nice but I gave mine away and use Big mouth Bubblers with bottom spouts now which makes racking s breeze

My father used to fly to Spain on business trips, he said he would always get local Shiraz (or Syrah, same thing). And ever since he has been retired, he has never been able to get good Shiraz in the states. We made this kit together, and for me it was quite good, but he explained that this was some of the best Shiraz he has had since he stopped going to Spain. So, if you have any doubts, this is a really good wine kit. Follow the instructions and you will be all good, though I do not think the need for potassium sorbate is required for Shiraz at least. Made 27 bottles!

Wine kits are the way to go if you want to be sure of a good end result. I've made many and have not been disappointed. I haven't made this particular one yet but I am confident I will get 26 to 28 bottles of very nice wine.

The Cabernet is a very drinkable everyday wine, but is lacking somewhat in complexity. We began drinking it right away and it might benefit from being bottle aged. With that said it will never be an amazing wine, but it is pretty decent and better than a lot of inexpensive stuff you can purchase at retail.

I used a fast fermented and i had never used that with the wood chips before. I wasn’t sure how that was supposed to work - if they sat at the bottom in the collector bulb or floated around in the main fermenter. The wine turned out fine with a slight buttery flavor, i think due to the wood chips. Overall the taste was nice.

The Master Vintner kits are not high end, but they are a breeze to make, have crystal clear instructions, and actually turn out pretty well. There are a couple of steps not in these that one usually finds in wine kits, but the lack of bentonite is not missed at all. For a good honest, inexpensive wine about the thing that's missing are labels. And while labels would be nice, they're not essential. If you've tried WineExpert of RJS lower-end kits, these are definitely worth a try.