WineBuddy Sauvignon Blanc Kit - 30 bottles

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I had my first bottle of this last night. It was very nice - very drinkable :) I think next time I make it, I might add some lime or lemon juice just to give it a more tangy taste. Not sure at what point I should add that though. Tesco Direct have a great offer on this and other wine kits, brewing kits, accessories at the moment. £6 off this 30 bottle kit, making it just £16.50 :D Heres the link if you're interested.
http://www.tesco.com/direct/winebud...ottles/208-0830.prd?pageLevel=&skuId=208-0830
I used my Tesco clubcard vouchers to double up too, so got it for half that price. I think the double up deal is about to end though but still a great deal at £16.50.
 
Excellent thanks for that. I made a WOW variation that someone posted on Chippys supermarket juice thread that had the juice of 3 passion fruits added. I'm sure from memory that was once fermentation had finished. I remember thinking at the time that 2 would prob have done though but that was a gallon I made.
 
Well at 16.50 it's worth a try so ordered online for collection Thursday. At just over 50p a bottle had to be done!
 
The real stuff is supposed to have a hint of gooseberry. I tried adding a kilo of the cooking variety (Careless) at the outset, defrosted and mashed, and while there is no specific gooseberry taste, there is its characteristic bite. Not cheap, but a worthwhile enhancement.
 
Interesting. Would adding more grape juice concentrate change it much? My LHBS sells Youngs grape concentrate in cans which I was looking at online last night. I'll make the basic kit as the comments and photos certainly read and look good and have a base to start from. My Beaverdale Sauv Blanc kit appears to have fermented out already (7 days) so I'll have a comparison.
 
Thats a good idea. Ive already bought a 2nd 30 bottle kit in Tescos sale and plan to add something to it just to make it a little different from the first brew. I dont want nearly 60 bottles all the same. I was wondering what to add. Was thinking something citrus, maybe grapefruit juice. Do you think that might work? Ive never seen frozen gooseberries but will look out for those too.


The real stuff is supposed to have a hint of gooseberry. I tried adding a kilo of the cooking variety (Careless) at the outset, defrosted and mashed, and while there is no specific gooseberry taste, there is its characteristic bite. Not cheap, but a worthwhile enhancement.
 
Not sure if grapefruit might be too bitter? All the juice wine WOW type wine recipes I've read have never used grapefruit to the best of my knowledge but Chippy would be the best person to ask.
 
Citrus fruits are not great wine ingredients, in my opinion, much as I love the juice, which may well be a bit of protection from alcohol excess!
There was a rare opportunity to get gooseberries, but that window has passed. The addition of extra grape juice gives the wine a lot more body. Best source currently is Azda at 85p per litre.
 
I bought three of these kits from Tesco the other day with doubled vouchers and they cost me £0

Just started the one sauvignon blanc about an hour ago and it is going crazy bubbling like mad.

The trouble I had was I bought a 23l glass carboy the other day and it has not got any marks on it so I did not see how far to fill it.

I have worked it out and I have put .29 l too much in it, would that cause me problems?
 
Some kits suggest having slightly more than 23 litres because about 5% is lost as sugar is converted to co2 as well as alcohol, and this is lost into the air, reducing the overall volume, and racking inevitably causes further losses, as well as some evaporation.
I did try using tinned gooseberries, but their flavour is very bland compared to fresh ones, so that so many would be required, it would be rather economical. They also contain lots of malic acid, which will need to be corrected with tartaric acid to avoid a slightly medicinal flavour.
Worth considering is using cheap grapes. Tesco now have green seedless grapes at £2 per kilo. This is remarkably cheap and suggests there is a glut of them. A kilo of fresh grapes, crushed, pressed and fermented will yield a bottle of wine from 100% juice. As they are seedless, you can simply run them through a juice extractor without crushing and pressing.
 
Still bubbling every 4 seconds and its at 22c, i never believe kit instructions, 7 days my a**e. :lol:
 

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