Reserve Du Chateau 4 Week Wine Kit, Italian Nero D'Avola Cabernet Sauvignon, 17.5-Pound Box

When living on the East Coast dry wines were plentiful… especially German… and rather inexpensive. However, here in Idaho sweet wines are the norm and to get a decent dry wine it requires a 150-mile round-trip to Sun Valley… and they’re pretty pricey. The other alternative is 20-miles away with every store carrying about the same selection. The price is less of an issue than the quality of the wine because one didn’t support the other. We have been experimenting with homemade wines by the gallon for awhile but many have long waiting periods or are seasonal because they require potatoes, squash or lilacs. Also, we can no longer purchase white grape concentrate locally so this kit seemed like it was worth a try. Since taste is relative suffice it to say that we like dry wines with a little bite and this met our needs. We do make our own beers… because the local bottle micro items are not worth 20 bucks a 12-pack… so we tried the Mr. Beer route and have not been too disappointed after 18 2-gallon brews so far. Anyway, back to this wine and what’s required is pretty simple and not expensive. We use a 6-gallon bucket but only make a little over 5-gallons so you can actually move the bucket and then rack it to a 5-gallon refillable water carboy from the local food store. When it’s time to bottle we use 1-gallon jugs and/or the leftover 1.75 liter bottles from prior wines. We bulk age for a few months in the carboy and then fill a few bottles at a time. if there’s any downside to this process it’s temperature and if you don’t stay within the ones recommended you’ll not get good fermentation and/or your wine making process will take much longer than stated. The only thing will really needed was a larger siphon to pump out of a large container without disturbing the sediment. You will need a Hydrometer and the instructions with the kit make reading it much easier. All-in-all… very pleased with what I ended up with and at about 35 bucks with Subscribe & Save that comes out to about 25 750ml bottles a buck fifty per bottle… and I’d say it’s in the 10-15 dollar price range based on what’s available 75 miles away… and that trip costs about 25 bucks in gas. Nothing else you need to add to this kit either and I can’t find a reason to rate it at anything less than 5-stars. Since it’s designed for a 6-gallon batch and I only make 5-gallons I qualify the review with that in mind but I would think diluting what I have with another gallon of water you make it less desirable… just my opinion.

Of course you can buy higher quality wine kits but they cost a lot more. For $3 per bottle this is positively the best pinot grigio I ever tasted. It's light fruity and slightly acidic & has a good mouth feel. Definitely not that astringent stump water of the same name that you find in grocery stores.Frankly I wasn't expecting much for the price so I'm a bit surprised. I think of this variety as a strictly 'summer' wine. It will be a winner at any backyard bbq birthday or anniversary that happens to occur. I bottled 24 in wine bottles & put the balance in recycled beer bottles. Beer bottles are more convenient for camping trips. The best people in America are to be found in campgrounds during summer and this wine should make a nice ice breaker while meeting new friends.April 14 - six weeks from start - tried my first beer bottle of this wine. Dominant smells and taste are citrus and banana. As a rule banana is not approved in my list of smells/flavors. Can't tolerate an artificial pretense. But this banana is real and not over expressed. Just enough of the real deal to be noticable. As I implied in the first instance - this wine screams for a summer evening outdoor party. Pool party - BBQ - whatever. For the love of God - get on with it. You still have time. Buy it. Do it. I'm astonished at the quality vs stuff I ever bought before.

The kit is good. My wife and I drink a lot of Pinot Grigio at meals, etc and this one came out pretty well. I say pretty well because I think I discovered something with a subsequent kit....the chitosan and kielesol used to clarify the wine leave a chemical taste. I used it in the first batch of this wine and we can taste it, but the wine itself is very good.I say first batch because I am buying another kit and using something else for finings...possibly will experiment with gelatin or something. The reason? Right after doing this kit I did another kit and decided to try leaving out the chitosan and kielesol and the wine came out really REALLY good....2 1/2 cases evaporated once my friends tried it. So I think I will either leave it out in the future or try gelatin, bentonite, or something else.Back to this kit....I ran the initial fermentation for 3 weeks, then secondary for 2 weeks. I then fined it and let it sit for about 3 more weeks. I then ran it through my Vin Brite filter into bottles, and went out of town. My wife called me to say, "Not bad!", and liked it enough to drink it relatively soon after bottling.So it passes muster for the grapes and kit in general, but I think I want to either use something else for fining or try letting it settle for a month and then filtering it into the bottles. This after, of course, initial and secondary fermentation with transfer to a carboy once or twice to help clarify it some.

I've been making this brand of wine kits for a year. I've probably made about 6 total. So I can't speak about how it compares to the more expensive kits or to "real" wine making but for the everyday person that wants to make their own wine affordably - this is the way to go. I live in Alaska so the free prime shipping seals the deal for me. But even then, I get compliments on my wine all the time. It's soo easy to make - and I'm a homebrewer too - wayyyy easier than beer.I've made Cab Sav, Merlot, Cab Merlot, Pinot Noir, and a german white wine. I also took another cab sav and made port out of it (basically added less water and dumped in a gallon of brandy - google it for more info). Cab Sav has been my favorite - it came out really smooth. I only regret not making a ton of batches at once as opposed to making them when I need them. Because these do get better with age.

This pail of wine arrived at my door by UPS super fast. And I could not get the lid off the pail. I contacted the seller and ask how to remove the lid. Never heard back from them. So I took some vise grips to the outer lid and pried up all away a round the rim until I was able to remove it. That's when I found out the wine I had ordered was White Wine-I thought I'd ordered Red. But anyway my wine is fermenting as I write this so sure hope it turns out ok. I can smell it as soon as I walk in the door-Hope it taste better then it smells. Also much bigger pail then I thought it would be and will keep to reuse for future wine kits I buy from Amazon.

A great wine kit containing all the necessary additions. Lovely smell of raspberry when mixing.I just bottled this so it is a bit young and thin. I make it to 6 gallons but I wonder if the flavor would have been even more intense if we had made it to only 5 gallons.We also added 30 grams of oak powder (I would have preferred 50 grams). But so far, so very good. Will buy more.

Excellent quality. Everything I need to do my wine is included.Kit is currently fermenting. Can't wait to try the wine. DeliveryOf this item was very fast. Everything I order on Amazon arrivesA lot quicker than other online sites. Thanks!

I have been making wine for almost 30 years, and this wine is very different. It was bottled 9 months ago. it very fruity and taste a bit like raspberry wine. My wife loves it but I like a dryer and oak flavored wine.

Nice white wine, purchased at a decent price, the reuseable pail was the deal clincher, since I make wine and beer, and can reuse a food grade pail.

Je n'ai pas encore fait le vin. J'attends d'avoir l'équipement pour le fabriquer. Je ne peux donc pas faire de commentaire sauf sur le prix et la vitesse de livraison. Bravo!

I've made this one before and have looked for a wile to find it again. It makes a really nice wine and the directions are easy to follow.

Great buy

i have tried 4 types of wines, they ranged from good too very good,but this one is the best one i have tasted.If you like dryer and not sweet,this is the one.

it's a great kit. Made fantastic wine.

its a nice taste, and convenient with the labels, corks, and sleeves. I do recommend this to my friends. They enjoyed it too. Will buy again.

Very good, am making the chardonnay now, the sauvignon blanc is very tasty.

So far so good, it is still on aging now. Will try it after 5 months. I knew this brand was gone forever because bankrupted company

Wine kit was cheap not a good quality at all good thing I had Amazon help me out they are the best.

Good wine