Master Vintner Fresh Harvest One Gallon Small Batch Fruit Wine Making Kit

I made the cider and it seems to be working out, so far.

Has everything you need to start small batch home brewing. Easy to use, good quality product and worked well for 2 batches of pear wine I made. If you're starting out, it's a great fit!

Lid doesn't seal properly on bucket

This was back in 2022-2023. It all started with the question of can someone make there own whiskey? Sure, you can it is quite the process, as it is with winemaking. I decided that it would it take a bit longer than I would want with the spicy brown liquid so I went off the deep end of research. Looking if banana beer was a thing and it turns out it is, in country of Africa. (Yes I know there are some German beers that do use the tasty fruit but I had forgotten that) So I went deeper. Banana wine. Could that be done, how it could be done and was it worth it. From day to day at work when it was slow I looked at recipe after recipe. Found two of which I in a way forged into one. I was going to get a local wine kit but I couldn't find what I needed, so on the internet I go. The glass carboy, fermentation bucket, hosing, yeast, and everything that came with it was a sight to behold. If you made it this far already I will tell you this. If your local area does not have (mine does, just couldn't find it) this is the invest you need. It is fun, with the right patients and understanding your wine will be tasty. The first batch was banana. After that was strawberry. It worth money. As fair as I can tell, the quality of this kit was made to endure.

Kit seems okay, but instructions seem poorly organized for novices. The 31 pages do include a lot of information that may be informative to experienced wine makers, but step-by-step instructions are lacking. An example: in the general directions we are told to mix all except “yeast and pectic enzyme.” I’m a novice. “Pectic enzyme” isn’t in my vocabulary. What is it? Should I use it or not? Yes, it is in the manual. So flip, flip, flip, through 31 pages to find it. Then “mix primary ingredients.” What are they? Again, flip, flip, flip. At a minimum, some cross-references would be nice. There is some disconnect between the manual and what is in the kit. The general directions on page 24 commence with instructions to sterilize with sodium metabisulfite, one ounce per gallon. The kit includes a packet of “no rinse cleaner” with no information on what is inside. And the manufacturer’s website doesn’t say what is inside. Elsewhere in the 31 page manual, many sterilization agents are listed. Which is this? Also in the manual, sodium metabisulfite is recommended as a cleaner and an additive for wine. But another sterilization chemical “should never be added to wine.” So which is in the kit? We are forced to assume. And hope. The kit instructions emphatic about checking and adjusting the acid level for primary fermentation. But the kit includes nothing to check the acid level and nothing to adjust the acid level. That has to be researched, found, and bought separately, which is disappointing because the kit is advertised on Amazon as “Everything you need…” On the other hand, the kit includes some packets that don’t seem to have a definite purpose, or at least that purpose is not well explained. I wonder if those are needed or even usable without additional testing equipment? But the kit does provide a start. Imperfect, but better than starting from scratch.