Simply Bottling

Tonight the little flurry of activity continued with bottling a gallon of the mightily impressive Blueberry & Cranberry Quickie Rosé and a gallon of Young's definitive Blackberry Country Wine. The latter is medium and nicely fruity, the former a little drier and crisper. Personally I like the former better but there isn't much in it and probably boils down to a matter of taste. However, consider this .... the kit is 5 months old, the quickie is only 9 weeks old! Pricewise the quickie is way cheaper.

If I compare the kit to the Elderberry and Blackberry wines I made from foraged fruit then this is my conclusion. The foraged ones win out on quality but you have to wait longer for them. The kit will be as good as it gets within 2-3 months. The foraged wines will take longer. The full bodied red will need at least a year, but then you'll get something with a nice pucker, dryness, edge, body and some complexity. The kit in comparison is uncomplicated easy drinking (nothing wrong with that). The foraged wine made from a second run on the fruit is a little lighter all round, will be ready within a year, and if it's not a great big rosé then it'll be a red. Both foraged versions are way more effort, but way more rewarding too.

Got the time, the recipe, the know how and the passion? do it yourself, you won't regret it. Want a quick fix? get the kit, you won't regret that either. You pays your money and makes your choice, you're always a winner with home-brew.