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 kit would be for an experience wine maker. I returned it because the instructions were hard to understand and should have followed a step by step process. Upset I had to pay so much to return it...

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.