fbsf
Landlord.
- Joined
- Jun 18, 2012
- Messages
- 1,376
- Reaction score
- 3
Ok, having had this on the shelf for quite a while (from when Tesco had them on for 11 quid), and having obtained a few more demijohns to bulk store it in decided now would be a good time to get it going.
I read Moley's comments on the similar Merlot kit, so decided to brew it short and also add a couple of embellishments!
So I got 5L of boiling water ready, but infused it with 20 "Blackcurrant, Vanilla & Ginseng" hippy tea bags to give it a bit more flavour and darken the colour a little. I then added the 4kg sugar as per the instructions, but instead of topping it up to 23L, added a carton of Tesco "Apple, Blackcurrant and Beetroot" juice - a quid a go at the moment, half a bottle of IKEA blueberry cordial and then topped up to 20L with cold water.
This has given me an OG of 1.095, which should mean a finished wine of around 13.5-14% hopefully.
I've added the yeast/nutrient pack (what a whopper!) and the oak chips as directed, and 2hrs on it's already bubbling like a good 'un.
Will report back when it's time for racking.
I read Moley's comments on the similar Merlot kit, so decided to brew it short and also add a couple of embellishments!
So I got 5L of boiling water ready, but infused it with 20 "Blackcurrant, Vanilla & Ginseng" hippy tea bags to give it a bit more flavour and darken the colour a little. I then added the 4kg sugar as per the instructions, but instead of topping it up to 23L, added a carton of Tesco "Apple, Blackcurrant and Beetroot" juice - a quid a go at the moment, half a bottle of IKEA blueberry cordial and then topped up to 20L with cold water.
This has given me an OG of 1.095, which should mean a finished wine of around 13.5-14% hopefully.
I've added the yeast/nutrient pack (what a whopper!) and the oak chips as directed, and 2hrs on it's already bubbling like a good 'un.
Will report back when it's time for racking.