Weekend Wine Kit — Merlot
Master Vintner
Honest, easy-drinking weeknight Merlot at a fair price — and it lands on your porch in 48 hours.
See where to buy
- Varietal
- Merlot
- Volume
- 6 gal / 30 bottles
- Time to bottle
- 4 weeks
- ABV
- 11.5%
- Body
- medium
- Price
- $89
Pros
- Showed up via Prime, no homebrew shop trip required
- Genuinely 4 weeks to drinkable — no asterisks
- Forgiving fermentation; great for a first kit
- Includes everything but the equipment
Cons
- Thin compared to a premium kit — drink it young
- Not much oak character; you'll want to add a small oak pack
- Doesn't age past 6 months in our experience
Tasting notes
Aroma
Bright red plum, a little cocoa. Simple but pleasant.
Palate
Light-medium body, soft tannins, fruit-forward, slightly sweet finish.
Finish
Short and clean. Drinks like a $10 supermarket Merlot, which is exactly the point.
Pairings
Pizza night, burgers, weeknight pasta. Don't overthink it.
How it fermented
The boring data nobody else publishes. SG numbers, timing, and what we noticed.
- Starting SG: 1.080 — typical for a 4-week kit.
- Primary fermented in 6 days at 72°F. Airlock chugged predictably.
- Racked day 7, SG 0.998. Easy clear by day 21.
- Bottled day 28, drinkable that night, better at week 6.
Who it's for
First-time winemakers who want to see the whole cycle in 4 weeks without spending $150. Also great as a gift kit for someone curious but not yet committed.
Where to buy
We bought ours from Amazon. Other retailers we've verified stock it:
Get the supplies first
Don't open this kit without the gear. Russ's matching shopping list:
Beginner Supply Shopping List
The exact 15 items Russ hands you when you say 'okay, I'm actually going to make wine.'
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