So far, one of my favorites. I added one cup of French oak and it turned out great. It was fruity yet dry. We drank one bottle right after bottling. I hope the other bottles make it for the recommended 3 months
Added 2 cups sugar – SG 1.112
Pitched yeast 01/18/19
added both oak powder packets
Bottled 02/18/18 – tasted horrible (as expected)
Final AVB 15.75% (a bit too high)
2 weeks later not exactly bad but definitely not good.
03/25/19 – Now we’re coming up on a good table wine.
I think at 3 months this stuff would stand up to a $20.00 a bottle grocery store wine.
And yes I recommend.
I’ll be ordering another one of these kits in a few days.
Don’t believe the “4 week thing” because it’s basically undrinkable at the 4 week finish time.
2nd review California Cabernet Sauvignon
Ok here it is. I bottled one of these kits in Feb. Taste not so good. In March, a lot better but no blue ribbons. In April much better. Nuther bottle in April 11th that I decanted for one hour, fanfreakingtastic!!!
I’ve got a second Wild Grapes Cabernet Sauvignon in the primary and as soon as I rack it to a glass carboy, I’ll start another.
Bottom line. This stuff is great young, after about two months but you gotta decant it for at least 1 hour.
I recently got back into making wine again. A friend recommended the Wild Grapes concentrate kit. I did some research online on the various kits. Everyone kept saying, "...you get what you pay for." Just so I had something to compare against, I purchased a red Zinfandel kit from Winexpert which was twice the cost (~$169). Much to my surprise, the Wild Grapes Cab turned out better than the kit from Winexpert.
Nonetheless, the wine produced from this kit is amazingly drinkable. I added an additional 1/2 a stick of medium roast French oak. Just to prove a point, I put this wine in front of a friend who has a discerning palate - he loved it. I've already purchased the Wild Grapes Merlot and Chardonnay.
Well done.
This wine really surprised me. I tasted it between the secondary and tertiary fermentation transfers and it was a bit sweet. I was disappointed, but when I tasted it again after the 4 week milestone it was nice. I will be ordering this again.
This is the best cab I have made yet! When I started secondary fermentation, I had my doubts. Although I didn't taste it at that stage, the smell was quite strong - the strongest I have smelled to date at that stage. I continued to watch it, following each of the steps. I decidedto to give it a taste at step 4, and it was delicious! I have now bottled it and am looking for wine tags. I will definitely be ordering this kit again.
- HIGHEST QUALITY - We only use the best quality ingredients!
- CALIFORNIA CABERNET SAUVIGNON VARIETAL JUICE - A full body taste with mouthwatering aromas of berry!
- MAKE UP TO 30 BOTTLES OF WINE- Make up to 6 US gallons (23 Litres) or approx. 30 x 750 ml bottles
- KIT CONTENTS - Wine base, yeast pack, fining agents, and 30 labels
- EASY INSTRUCTIONS - Easy to follow instructions included in your kit to have wine in 4 weeks
Wine has never been so cool!
Our California Cabernet Sauvignon is known as "The Big Daddy" of red wines. With a rockin' full body, healthy tannins and intense aromas of berry fruits, the smooth lingering finish creates a crazy good Cab Sauv. When complete, your finished Cab Sauv will have 13%* alcohol content for you to enjoy and share with friends and family. (*Alcohol content based on following winemaking instructions included)
Your California Cabernet Sauvignon will pair well with:
- Meat - Lamb Chops, Beef Stew and Sirloin Steak
- Vegetables - Porcini Mushrooms Cups, Vegetarian Lasagna, & Mushroom Risotto
- Cheese - Aged Cheddar, & Danish Blue Cheese
- Herbs - Basil, Bay Leaf, Chiles, Garlic, Black Pepper, Rosemary, & Saffron
Looking for great body and style? Wild Grapes is the bee's knees when it comes to wine. Quality, flavor and aroma that's just, well...cool.
Iconic in style but most importantly taste, Wild Grapes will rev your engines at the first sip and finish with memorable flare.
Rebellious? Maybe. Hip? Definitely. Made in the shade? Well that's up to you. Make it wherever you want. Just make it, baby.
Your Kit Includes:
Wine Base
Yeast Pack
Fining agents
30 Labels
Instruction booklet
Equipment, corks & bottles not included
Wasn't sure on this wine kit at first but at bottling it turned out very nice. Taste is there , color is very good, Smells wonderful... With six months aging this should be very very good.. I would recomend this wine kit..
I was a little sceptical about the quality of this wine but took a chance as I needed a wine that would be drinkable whilst I was waiting for my other wines to mature over the next two years. I have to say I was blown away by the quality of the wine from this kit. Very drinkable two months after bottling. I have opened about 15 bottles so far and it just keeps getting better. Will be reordering as soon as I have free space in my wine refrigerators.
This is the third batch of this we have made so obviously we like it. In fact we like it so much that we hate to run out and purchase the wines we previously really liked. We do not put the oak chips in because that can contribute greatly to a hangover for some people. I suggest purchasing two of the big mouth carboys that have the spigot at the bottom. This really simplified draining the wine (to remove sediment) and also in filling the bottles.
This Wild Grapes kit didn't produce wine that had an especially "high-end" feel, but for the price, it's excellent! We've tried a couple of this company's kits and the instructions are clear, the fermentation worked exactly according to schedule and the resulting wine really is not bad at all. If you're into kit wine making and would like to try a reasonably priced kit for some good table wine, this is clearly worth consideration.
It really makes a fantastic wine--especially at this price point. I always leave out the potassium sorbate included in the kit---The wine tastes better without it.