Making your own wine is satisfying and easy. As long as you ferment great juice, keep everything sanitary, and give it enough time to age (3 months or more for whites, 6 months or more for reds), you will get great wine.
Here at William’s, we have developed our William’s California Wine Kits with this philosophy in mind. Our Kits include 96 ounces of pure California varietal grape concentrate, condensed at temperatures that never exceed 180 degrees F. from Central Valley wine grapes picked at their ripe peak in the late Summer and early Fall. To complement the varietal juice, specially selected dry wine yeast, oak chips, and nutrient are also included as needed. Unlike many wine kits featuring added sugar, this 116 ounces of pure concentrate is all that is needed (except for the yeast and addtives) to produce 3 gallons of varietal wine.
This Merlot kit will produce a full-flavored red wine with a softer character than Cabernet Sauvignon, yet richer than Zinfandel. A very popular grape that produces a rich red that matures a little faster than Cabernet. An excellent choice for those who like smooth red wines, with a bit less dry tannin and boldness than Cabernet.
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to download the instructions in pdf format.REFRIGERATION REQUIRED: Refrigerate this product upon receipt. Shelf life is 4 weeks after receipt if refrigerated.
Dec 20, 2020 by Bill w
Q: I have the kit. The instructions are a little iffy. Step 3 states leaving the jug at a certain temp for 14 days. Step 4 then says after 25 days get the wine to the 2nd jug. What about between 14 and 25 days?
A: Leave it in the primary fermenter for 25 days, and then transfer to your secondary for 3 months before bottling.
Oct 23, 2020 by Jim VanCise
Q: Does a "kit" include corks?
A: No, just the ingredients.
Just didn't work out
Well, the Williams wine kit experiment is over. Just pored the last of 3 batches down the sink. I've been brewing beer kits since the 90's with good success. I believe the first kit (a 2.5 gallon Riesling) was oxidized on arrival. I put it up, gave it time but never was drinkable. Second batch was a Malbec. Fermented out really fruity. Did use some to make sangria with but not a great wine. The last was a Merlot that I thought would really turn out good. Not drinkable and I left it up over a year trying it at different times. It also appeared to have oxidized possibly in the bottle. One common denominator was the plastic corks. Some did not seal well enough. I put up a couple in swing type seal bottles and they were much better. So ends my wine making from Williams kits. Back to the beer making (putting up a second Belgium Harvest Ale).
Wait for it!
Give it at least eight months before drinking and you will be rewarded with a decent, drinkable merlot. Give it a year and you will have a rich, delicious sensory experience.
Great Kit
I was hesitant about purchasing a concentrate in the mail to make wine. However William’s Brewing makes it easy by providing the Oak Chips and Yeast. The Concentrate is very well balanced and needs no sugar. Fermentation went as expected. I would highly recommend this for new wine hobbyists.