Barolo

[tonyhibbett]

Last March I got a California Connosseur Barolo kit to see if it was worth the extra money. After a month in bottle, I decided it wasn't, so left it for 6 months and opened one. Not only does it tastes superb it also tastes like Barolo and at around upwards of £10 per bottle for the real thing, well worth the extra money.

 

[Mark1964]

time is the answer :thumb:

 

[remlap73]

I was going to try that kit, I think you have convinced me to make it. Thanks :

 

[tonyhibbett]

Worth noting that the instructions recommend the use of distilled water, considerably increasing cost. I ignored this, even though my tap water is slightly alkaline and somewhat unpalatable.

 

[muddy90]

mmm my fave wine :drink: If you can find a bottle anywhere for £10 it will be rubbish, £15 will get you an ok one & £20+ for a good one. :thumb: Double that in a restaurant. :shock:
Thanks for the heads up on the kit. Can you remember how much it cost?

 

[Eric_S]

Ah cool! I bottled a 6 bottle Barolo (Beaverdale) kit about 2 or 3 weeks ago. I guess I won't sample them anytime soon.

I did mine with bottled water (5l for £1 at ASDA) and used a Lalvin yeast instead, so I feel very optimistic it's a goodun!

I paid about £13 for the kit, plus a few quid for the water and yeast.

 

[bullseye]

I finished making Beaverdale Barolo 30 bottle kit in late september paid roughly £40 for the kit.
I racked the wine into 3 DJ's and 10 bottles to mature. Like Eric i changed the kit yeast for a Lalvin yeast after hearing it would give better results. Looking forward to sampling this after 6 months. :

 

[tonyhibbett]

The Cal. Con. kit comes with the Lalvin (Champagne) yeast. Not tried Beaverdale as some folk have commented that it's not so good, so is it just the yeast that lets it down?
Brew UK emailed me about Kenridge Classic @ £44.98 for 30 bottle kit, boasting 50% more juice than Cal. Con & Beaverdale. Has anyone tried it yet?
As for water, depends where you live. Thames water has been, to put it politely, recycled several times, passed through leaky pipes, picked up agricultural run off chemical residue and before it gets to me, definitely passes through old lead pipes as well as having been dosed with chlorine, etc. But I've been drinking it for 60 years, so I'm immune, but I do filter it nowadays for tea, coffee and culinary use!
I've only drank Barolo once, at an Italian cafe in Twickenham. It may have been a cheap one, but we all got very high on it!

 

[muddy90]

My other half has told me she noticed our lhbs had a barolo kit, I'll have a look see which one & how much. :thumb:

 

[tonyhibbett]

My 'local' supplier now has a Kenridge Classic Barolo in the window. £50. Claims to be pure varietal grape concentrate, which would be Nebbiolo. Tempting!

 

[muddy90]

£50 for 30 bottles? yes very.
But like you say, I think water quality would be very important. we're on the end of an old pipe of pumped bore hole water. It's not bad but I think the water filter jug could be dusted off!
For what it's worth... a really good bottle of Barolo is so robust it will cut through the srongest of flavours in Italian food, & you know when you take a sip of wine after eating your sweet & you get that foul taste & a shudder that goes up the back of your neck? Not with a really good barolo :thumb:
Christmas list? :hmm:

 

[tonyhibbett]

I've taken the plunge and bought the Kenridge Barolo kit. Shop assistant almost fell over lifting it out of the window display, it's that heavy, 12 kg, with an even heavier price tag - £50.
So, what's in the box? What you expect from the Cal. Con. version (same Canadian company) plus a bigger bag of juice and, wait a minute, dried elderberries? Was that in the Cal. Con. pack? Can't remember. One thing is for sure, the bag does not contain pure Nebbiolo concentrate. At best it contains some Nebbiolo grape juice, along with other grape concentrate and invert sugar.
I'll need about 12 litres of distilled water to do it properly, but I'll compromise with cheap supermarket 'mineral' water. It's got to be better than what comes out of my tap.
Ready to drink in 4 weeks. Watch this space!

 

[muddy90]

This one http://www.homebrewers.com/c=HMZeAv9Exe ... e-Kit.html is 100% varietal. No price listed as it's out of stock, but I dare say more than the £50 you paid?!

 

[muddy90]

Ooops, thats in dollars!

 

[tonyhibbett]

$92 to be precise, so similar price, but can't find UK supplier. US shipping plus VAT and Post office duty handling charge would turn that $ into £! But thanks for the info.

 

[ricardo]

Here you go...............
http://www.wineworks.co.uk/product/vint ... ve-barolo/
:thumb:

 

[tonyhibbett]

Many thanks. Free delivery too at that price. Works out 4p cheaper than my £50 Kenridge pack. I can see the future: I'll become a Baroloholic!

 

[muddy90]

Here you go...............
http://www.wineworks.co.uk/product/vint ... ve-barolo/
:thumb:

I found that one too :thumb:

 

[tonyhibbett]

Go get it and we'll compare notes!

 

[muddy90]

Oooh now there's a challenge :hmm: Total novice takes on a big wine! :pray:
My only worry (well not only!) is this is a 6gal kit & my f/v is 35L. Will I have too much space on top?