(27)
Average rating 9.03703703703704 out of 10 ( based on 27 reviews )

California Merlot

Review by bill on 2/6/2010

Pros: I have found the kit takes a lot longer to mature, than the instructions indicate. The end result is quit good if you can be patient. I di not bottle this wine for several months after the times table listed in the instructions

So far, I'm liking it

Review by Jim M. on 1/16/2009

Pros: My William's Merlot is premature based on the instructions, but still quite good. If I recall, winemakers are encouraged to wait close to a year before sampling this wine. Like most, I couldn't wait that long. After just four or five months in the bottle, I find this wine certainly as good as a $6 or $8 store-bought Merlot. In time, I expect it to develop complexity. I'll try to report back when I hit the one-year mark. In short, it's quite good now, but we'll withhold final judgment for later.

Cons: I suspect the super-brief instructions are considered a plus when marketing to the never-tried-this-before crowd, but to anyone who's done a wine kit before, they will want to know why no talk of degassing (I guess the long time in secondary fermentation makes it unnecessary) and why no potassium sorbate (I don't know).