Beaverdale
It needs to be stated and remembered that red wines require much more time than whites, before tasting their best. Take note that none of the red wines I have made from kits compare to the rich and full bodied flavours of some popular commercial red wines. Most experienced wine makers tell you there will be a vast improvement to the wine after six months, while others say as much as a year is required before it will be acceptable. Of course it can be difficult for the beginner wine maker to take this on faith and hide away their newly made wines for months and months, resisting all urges to have a drink. Naturally the beginner is unlikely to heed the aforementioned advice, instead diving in as soon as possible. For that reason I have considered the taste of the red wines as young as I dare - approximately at three months. In the initial stages of making the wine it is only while transferring between fermentation vessels and the carboy that we get to taste a very small amount left behind in the syphon tube. I admit it is very difficult to predict with any accuracy how a wine will finish at this early stage but you will get a hint. If at this time you are left with a smile on your face, you can be sure things will only get better.
Merlot - 30 Bottles
Our first ever wine kit
After a bit of research we discovered that the nearest dedicated homebrew outlet to us was Whytes Home Wine Equipment in a market stall in Staines. Here we had a discussion with the stall owner who recommended that we try out a 30 bottle Beaverdale Merlot wine kit as an entry into winemaking. She assured us that if we were happy about beer making, then we would be crazy for winemaking.
It was easy to follow the instructions - winemaking is a series of processes: fermentation, stabilising, de-gassing, racking, fining, clearing, sweetening (if required) and finally bottling, keeping everything as sterile as possible along the way. We were hoping to complete the wine in time for Xmas but had only enough time to collect 20 bottles. To finish the job we syphoned the remainder into a 5 litre wine box which we had already purchased for such an occasion. It was Boxing Day and we were expecting our family over for food and drink. Despite the fact that it was an extremely young wine we decided we would start drinking it immediately - surprisingly it went down well! It was a dark ruby red colour, possibly a little too sweet but with a dry aftertaste. Everyone seemed to be happy with it. Several months later, the flavours became deeper and more rounded. It is definitely a wine that we will make again in the future. Lee
Chardonnay - White 30 Bottles, 12% ABV
I was really delighted with this wine - it was crystal clear, with a good finish and depth of taste. I have made a mental note to make this one again too. Lee
Semillon Chardonnay - White 30 Bottles, 12.5% ABV
At 12.5% the Semillon Chardonnay is about as strong a wine as we have made from the Beaverdale range. A rich and oaky flavoured wine the Semillon Chardonnay, in my opinion, beats the regular Chardonnay to be be one of our top recommendations in the range of Beaverdale whites. Served slightly chilled, this clear and bright wine is a delight to taste. Even my friends with the most exacting standards are impressed. Charlie
Barolla - Red 30 Bottles, 12% ABV
From the choice of reds on offer by Beaverdale, their Barolla is among our favourites – highly recommended.
The Barolla is a noticeably rich tasting wine in its early stages and is therefore guaranteed to improve over time. There was no need for us to add any sweetener to this wine, something we have needed to do in the case of some lesser wines. The quality of this juice is just great. By now we have built a reasonable stock of wines, enabling us to put some away for the months to come. This is one such wine I look forward to tasting in 2014. Charlie
Cabernet Shiraz - Red 30 Bottles, 12.5% ABV
Another formidable wine from Beaverdale is their Cabernet Shiraz, which comfortably sits among our top recommendations. I am not a wine expert and cannot wax on about the combination of flavours produced by the combination of these two grapes but I can tell you with certainty this is a wine that typically tastes great even as it is being put into the carboy. We leave our wines to mature in the carboy for as long as possible. At the time I write this (14/9/2013) we are limited to five carboys, so depending upon how busy we are with making more wine, we are regularly forced to decant from the carboy to bottle within two to three months. The Cabernet Shiraz being reviewed today is about three days short of three months old, which, though young for a red, still tastes pretty darn good. Charlie