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Making a Barolo kit

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J

Jord

NewBee
Registered Member
Mar 30, 2009
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Bowmanville, Ontario
So a friend asked me if I do up a barolo kit from him as he's a big fan of that wine. He's looking to keep it under $100 for the kit.

Does anyone have any kit recommendations?

Any yeast recommendations or just go with what's in the kit?

Any other addition recommendations?

I've never made straight up grape wine before so is there anything nutrient or fermentation management-wise that you'd recommend?
 
I'd probably try the WinExpert Selection Estate Barolo. It is a little more than $100, but the selection estate wines are really good. Now I've not tried the Barolo (yet), but I've read others impression and they are quite favorable. I've tried the Amarone it it is developing into something special. I have the Brunello going (looking good), and I've tried the Valpolicella Ripasso (excellent wine). So I'm pretty sure the selection estate kit will make a really good wine.

They make a less expensive kit, selection original, which is also supposed to be good, but may not have as much body. The real key for the Selection Estate wine is to age it for 2+ years. If you don't age it, you really won't get your money's worth with these wine.

As for making them, let's just say that anyone who can make a mead, can make these kits in their sleep. These kits are all nutrient adjusted and acid balanced to make them easy to ferment. I'd stick to the yeast that comes with the kit, at least for your first try. Usually it is EC-1118 which will take them dry without problem.

My one big deviation from the kit instruction is that I don't fine them and instead, bulk age them until they are clear. I've never had one that hadn't cleared in a few months. I also don't sorbate them given that they are dry and I'm bulk aging at room temp.

These kits are so easy that, too me, it takes some of the magic out of the process, but the end result has always been very good wine; so I can't complain too much.

Medsen
 
I second Medsen that anyone can do a wine kit, and stick with what the kit gives you for yeast, etc... and I too have several wine kit fining packs sitting around unused because I left it in secondary long enough that it cleared up just fine. I only use them if I'm in a hurry for some reason (you know, like wedding wine that should have been started six months earlier).

They're almost mindless. Very easy, convenient, inexpensive and very, very consistent, they're designed to be that way.

I don't know what your local situation is like or what make and model to suggest or whether the kit Medsen suggested is available here, but if you can find it, he definitely sounds like he knows what he's talking about :)

While I admit to having a palate with the approximate sophistication level of your typical redneck :P I have had quite acceptable and consistent results with the Kenridge Classics from Vineco, even my wine-snob friends will drink the California Connoiseur "White" and "Shiraz" kits I've made for $35 and $55 respectively and nobody's ever had anything bad to say about it. The Village Vintner kits seem to be pretty good too and they're the same price range as the California ones. I was happy with the Niagara Mist and Vina Europa fruit-pack kits I have made as well.
 
I agree with Medsen that the Winexpert Selection Estate Kits are an excellent choice. I have made the Chianti and the Sonoma Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Both come out great. I have also made the Selection Original Chanti and I can tell you from experience that it had less body than the Selection Estate kit.

That is not to say that the Selection Original is not very good as well. I wouldn't have noticed the difference if I hadn't made the Selection Estate first. It appears that the kits are a little cheaper on Northern Brewer than on Midwest. Here are the kits they offer.

edit: Shipping is more expensive from NB, so you only end up saving $5
 
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Thanks so much folks! I think I'm going to go see what is available locally as there a metric crap tonne of winemaking places around here. I spoke with the friend that wants to make it and he figures he'll go for the Selection Estate kit if we can find it and then maybe we'll run something else through at the same time that he can rip into a little sooner.
 
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