Cellar 7 merlot kit

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Wrongway

Wrongway

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Has anyone tried this. I was aiming to get a 5 gal Wine Buddy Merlot kit but the shop had no stock. So after much persuading I opted for a Cellar 7 Merlot kit. On the plus side it doesn't need sugar, but it doesn't have the oak chips that the Winebuddy kit had.
 
Yeh, I made it a year or so ago, came out alright as I recall





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I just bottled the Cab Sauv Cellar 7 day 5 gallon kit today. Incredibly easy to make, it burned to .992 in 6 days. Practically instant wine.
It is my first kit wine. Initial tasting isn't impressive so won't make any judgement until I try some in a couple of weeks giving it a bit of time to get its act together.
Be careful when you open the finings packs - they can squirt out rapidly even as you tilt them towards the DJ.
 
I have tried most of the Cellar 7 red kits and the Merlot was the one i was least impressed with. My current favourite is the Italian Red but the Cab Sav isn't bad either after a month or two.
 
engineer said:
I have tried most of the Cellar 7 red kits and the Merlot was the one i was least impressed with. My current favourite is the Italian Red but the Cab Sav isn't bad either after a month or two.
Click to expand...

Cheers. Did you top up after racking or just leave it with an air gap while clearing?
 
engineer said:
I have tried most of the Cellar 7 red kits and the Merlot was the one i was least impressed with. My current favourite is the Italian Red but the Cab Sav isn't bad either after a month or two.
Click to expand...

I started it today so be interesting how it turns out. As I said I made the Winebuddy merlot last which quite a few people I read don't seem to like saying for example it tastes like cordial. However I quite liked it. All down to personal taste I suppose.
 
It's much better than the Winebuddy version, which is hardly surprising as it has more than twice as much grape juice concentrate, yet costs little more when you take account of the sugar. However it still doesn't taste much like the genuine article. The cabernet sauvignon version tastes more authentic. I aged a batch in an oak cask, which further improved it.
 
dublin12 said:
Cheers. Did you top up after racking or just leave it with an air gap while clearing?
Click to expand...

I never top up after racking either in a demijon or fermenting bin.
With the 5 gallon kits (approx 23 litre) there is a good 2 inch/50 mm air gap at the top while it clears. I usually leave them for a week if using finnings and 2 weeks or more if not.
 
Wrongway said:
I started it today so be interesting how it turns out. As I said I made the Winebuddy merlot last which quite a few people I read don't seem to like saying for example it tastes like cordial. However I quite liked it. All down to personal taste I suppose.
Click to expand...

I re started my kit making hobby some time ago with the winebuddy kits.
They are cheap for a reason. I couldn't get a decent red out of any of them even with a lot of modification trials. Then again with only one litre of juice its hardly surprising. I never did try a white, and some here do say they are good.

I settled on the celler 7 kits as a staple, as Tony says you get 5 litres of juice for not much more than the cost of a winebuddy kit + the sugar.

My favourite kits though are the Kenridge classic range. with these you get 10 litres of juice. I typically pay just under �£50 for them but they are in a different class and as good if not better than most reds i have bought from the supermarket in the past. But ultimately a you say it all comes down to personal taste.
 
Last edited:
One day I might invest in one the the really expensive kits, even if just to try. I am no wine connoisseur, beer brewing is my main thing. But the wife and I, well mainly the wife, likes a drop of wine now and then.
 

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