[Auntiemogs]

Cellar 7, 30 bottles ready in 7 days, but better if stored for longer. Ive made 3 of them, I put 5 from each batch away and try to forget them. 

Ah, I thought it might be you BobE but wasn't sure...  

I really can't decide which to buy.  I like red but my son likes Chardonnay and they seem to have had some good reviews.  I'm debating as to whether to buy several as most suppliers only offer free postage over £65 and I could use my beer fermenter and then decant to a pressure barrel for ease of bottling.

This has also caught my eye http://www.wilko.com/home-brew/ibrew-wine-starter-kit-merlot-packed/invt/ib00007?VBMST=homebrew as it means that I won't have to faff about for smaller quantities  and is not too bad a price for 30 bottles AND equipment (the 'refills' are more expensive than Cellar 7 but I could use it for other kits or pure homemade).

Any thoughts or recommendations for Cellar 7?

[BobE]

Auntiemogs

• Quote from: BobE on Today at 20:27Cellar 7, 30 bottles ready in 7 days, but better if stored for longer. Ive made 3 of them, I put 5 from each batch away and try to forget them. 
  
  I really can't decide which to buy.  I like red but my son likes Chardonnay and they seem to have had some good reviews.  I'm debating as to whether to buy several as most suppliers only offer free postage over £65 and I could use my beer fermenter and then decant to a pressure barrel for ease of bottling.
  
  This has also caught my eye http://www.wilko.com/home-brew/ibrew-wine-starter-kit-merlot-packed/invt/ib00007?VBMST=homebrew as it means that I won't have to faff about for smaller quantities  and is not too bad a price for 30 bottles AND equipment (the 'refills' are more expensive than Cellar 7 but I could use it for other kits or pure homemade).
  
  Any thoughts or recommendations for Cellar 7?
  
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[/li]
   [li]Cellar 7 is an excellent kit, I make mine in a standard fermenter, no airlock is needed, I then rack off to a PET Betta bottle, leave it for a couple of days then move it to bottles.  The only issue with whites is you might like to filter them.  So far Ive found the reds don't need that.[/li]
[/list]

[BobE]

As I said white might need a filter.
Try a red just to start out.

[BobE]

I could use my beer fermenter and then decant to a pressure barrel for ease of bottling

Yes that will work. No need for airlocks at any stage.
Create the first fermentation.
Wait, they say 7 days, I just wait for as near zero as I can get. (I like dry wine).
Taste it.
Rack to the barrel, excellent idea. (I leave it for a bit longer, just to settle, few days).
Bottle up from the barrel.  Taste a glass during bottling to see if its to your liking.

[Auntiemogs]

Excellent, thank you BobE.  I think I might give it a go as the reviews are good, but which have you tried and how do they compare to supermarket £5 offers?

[BobE]

Auntie, Did you tidy up the thread? Very clever.


That brew kit at £75 seems very expensive.
Ferment in your own fermenter, no need for an airlock, also I take it up from 23 liters to the full 5 gallons.
Wait a few days.  The kit says 7, I leave it a bit longer.  Just to be sure.  Taste it before you move it.
Rack off to your barrel.  I wait a few more days.  Taste it again, it will be fruity but as good as any £5 supermarket bottle.  Probably a stronger flavour of the fruit.
Bottle it from your barrel.
Now the hard part.  30 plus bits bottles of a good but young red.
I put away 5.  Deep archive.
I try to let the rest wait a month.
Start another brew immideatly, the idea is to get ahead of yourself so you leave the 5 alone in deep archive.
I could direct you to the internet supplier that I use.  Is that allowed?  I have no involvment with them just to buy my stuff.

[BobE]

Cellar 7 - 30 bottle 7 day Italian Red
£31.99
Ive made Italian red as I like it.  They often do special offers on Cellar 7.

http://www.brewuk.co.uk/store/winekits/cellar-7.html


Ive made at least 3 of these maybe 5? of these, all perfectly good wine.

[BobE]

For whites I bought this.

HF Vinbrite Mk3 Filter


[/size]Use this to clean and polish your wine up. It can be used with wine concentrates or country wines.It cleans your wine up beautifully and gives it a professional clear finish.

Its unopened. but I intend to use it on a Pinot Grigio which is sat in my cub.

[/size][/color]

[Auntiemogs]

That's very useful BobE, thank you very much.    I suppose I was thinking that at £75 and being able to brew 30 bottles, I would have dedicated equipment rather than having to use my beer kit, at just over £2 a bottle (although I must admit, most of that was down to the fact that I just love gadgets, especially cooking and brewing gadgets  , hence the justification,  ).

All I have to do now is get enough bottles together but I have a 'watch list' with friends and family for screwtop bottles as a friend kindly cleared up the shed when I was on hol's and I can't find my wine rack or bottle stache (interrogation tomorrow  ).

[BobE]

I bought a corking machine.  I don't know if screwtops can be reused.  If you find out please tell as it would be a lot easier. I rack from the fermenter into a PET Better Bottle.  That might be worth getting, especially for the whites as you can see into it.  Gadgets that help, hydrometer, thermometer. 
You could get two kits and the bottle for £75 a much better deal.


Better Bottle style 23litre carbouy £19.99

http://www.hamstead-brewing-centre.co.uk/itm01274.htm

[BobE]

Order a rubber bung at the same time.
I also ordered a lifting handle as when full they are very heavy.

[Auntiemogs]

Thanks BobE, I shall have a look and digest tomorrow but just wanted to say (because I forgot) that I didn't tidy up the thread, it was a lovely Mod (fankoo Mod  ). 

I do have a few 5l water bottles hanging about (I bought them for fermentation purposes as they were much cheaper to buy full of water than online  ) but tbh I'm looking for minimum effort as I don't have much energy.

I'm going to give the screwtops a go and I'll let you know how it goes (they do have a small cushion seal and as long as they are 'nose down' I'm sure they'll be ok), although it may be that someone has already mentioned it on a thread (if they have, please let me know).  I also have some plastic corks so I will try those too (did have my Dad's old corker but tbh I don't want to faff too much).  I'm saving fizzy drink bottles for beer brewing but am getting a bit wary of plastics and leeching of nasty things in to contents now.

[BobE]

Thanks BobE, I shall have a look and digest tomorrow but just wanted to say (because I forgot) that I didn't tidy up the thread, it was a lovely Mod (fankoo Mod  ). 

I do have a few 5l water bottles hanging about (I bought them for fermentation purposes as they were much cheaper to buy full of water than online  ) but tbh I'm looking for minimum effort as I don't have much energy.

I'm going to give the screwtops a go and I'll let you know how it goes (they do have a small cushion seal and as long as they are 'nose down' I'm sure they'll be ok), although it may be that someone has already mentioned it on a thread (if they have, please let me know).  I also have some plastic corks so I will try those too (did have my Dad's old corker but tbh I don't want to faff too much).  I'm saving fizzy drink bottles for beer brewing but am getting a bit wary of plastics and leeching of nasty things in to contents now.

I will wish you goodnight with this...
5 gallon water bottles will be perfect, have you got bungs?
If you have several of those bottles you can get several brews going each a few days apart?
Ive never tried reusing screwtops but for short periods I can't see why not.  Use your dads corker for the 5 that you put in deep archive, also store them so the cork stays wet.
For my first beer I bought ASDA 500ml water in packs of 6 bottles for a £1.  I used the water in the brew.
Later I bought 40 screwtop beer bottles, because they looked the part.
PET plastic doesn't leach.  Look it up, its designed for brewing.
We can talk again, let me know how things develop.


Thank you kind mod for creating a new thread.   

[Auntiemogs]

I will wish you goodnight with this...
5 gallon water bottles will be perfect, have you got bungs?
If you have several of those bottles you can get several brews going each a few days apart?
Ive never tried reusing screwtops but for short periods I can't see why not.  Use your dads corker for the 5 that you put in deep archive, also store them so the cork stays wet.
For my first beer I bought ASDA 500ml water in packs of 6 bottles for a £1.  I used the water in the brew.
Later I bought 40 screwtop beer bottles, because they looked the part.
PET plastic doesn't leach.  Look it up, its designed for brewing.
We can talk again, let me know how things develop.
Thank you kind mod for creating a new thread.   

Hope you slept well Bob. 
I don't have bungs but my son drilled out some holes on a couple of 5L food grade containers so I could fit airlocks for standard wine making kits.  I bought the 5L (not 5 gallon) water containers but tbh my love for things 'made for efficency' may overcome my 'need for frugality' and energy expended is one of my main factors.  . 

I'm so very tempted by the Wilko kit.  A friend is going over tomorrow (today) and if there's one on the shelf then I might invest, if not then I'll make do. :-)

Still going to try the 30 bottle kit but just need to figure out which I need to buy. 

[Capt Zero]

I bought a corking machine.  I don't know if screwtops can be reused.  If you find out please tell as it would be a lot easier.

I reuse screwtop wine bottles Bob, with no ill effect. This was a big thread on another beer forum, and most folks say use them 2 maybe 3 times. If you look inside the top it's only a small circle of card that forms the seal, and if it's good enough for the big boys.
As long as you tighten them, but sort of "feel" for the point where the cap may strip the thread inside....does that make sense???