Upcoming Events

*Free Wine Classes*
While you're sitting there sipping on your Summer wines, it's time to think about what you'd like for the Fall.
Stop in to see John (Farmington) or Mike (Farmingdale) and check out the new upcoming seasonal and limited edition wines. Come on over, have a sample and learn how you can make your own great wines.
The Farmington store
will be closed from
Aug 28 - Sept 6.


More details on all this and more at the news page..


 
662 Maine Avenue
Farmingdale, ME 04344
(207) 623-3368

235 Farmington Falls Road
Farmington, ME 04938
(207) 778-5276

email:
kennebechbrew@msn.com







Wine Kits
We carry a wide selection of wine kits, including Vino del Vida, Cru Select, Grand Cru, Cellier Classique, and Orchard Breezin'. Most of these kits will make you 23L (6gal) of wine -- that's in the neighborhood of 25 750ml bottles (give or take).

Wine takes roughly 9 weeks to ferment, and then a few months in the bottles really helps improve quality. You can make just about any kind of wine, but some of the popular styles include:

Cabernet Shiraz, Petite Sirah, Valpolicella, Sangiovese, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, White Zinfandel, Barolo, Merlot, Malbec, Gewürtztraminer, Riesling, Saugvignon Blanc, Bergamais

If you like your wines sweeter and fruitier, try one of these fruit wine styles:

Acai Raspberry Cabernet Sauvignon, Kiwi Melon Pinot Grigio, Blueberry Shiraz, Pomegranate Wildberry Zinfandel, Pink Grapefruit White Shiraz, Black Cherry Pinot Noir, Seville Orange Sangria

Of course, this is just a sampling of what we offer -- call us if you're interested in ordering a specific kit!






Tips & Tricks for Better Winemaking

We've found that most of the instructions included in wine kits unnecessarily rush you through the process. To help you make a better wine, we recommend that you follow these instructions and tips -- learn from our mistakes!

1. Sanitize the fermentation bucket, airlock, and hydrometer.
2. Add 1 gallon of hot water into bucket (2 gallons for mist wine kits), and then stir in bentonite pack. This will help clarify your wine.
3. Stir wine juice into bucket, and then top off with more hot water to the bottom of the rim. [If you're making an Orchard Breezin' kit, we advise that you also add 2-3 lbs. of sugar at this point, in order to boost your starting gravity and make a better wine.]
4. Measure specific gravity with your hydrometer. You're looking for a reading of about 1.090, or 1.080 for the fruit mist kits. If you need to push your reading up, stir in some dextrose; if your reading needs to come down, add warm water. Add 6tsp of yeast nutrient (optional).
5. Pitch the yeast WARM/HOT (the closer you are to 80 or 90°F, the better) -- DO NOT stir it. Place the lid on the bucket, add the airlock (filled halfway with water), and you're on your way!

Now then:
*If your wine kit includes oak chips or shavings, DO NOT add them in the primary fermenter. Instead, add the oak to your secondary fermenter when you first rack your wine. This LATE ADDITION of oak will make a more dynamic impact on the final product.

*We've found that replacing the quick fermentation schedule in the kit directions with a "4-3-2" schedule produces a much better wine. So:

6. After 4 weeks, transfer (rack) your wine to another bucket or carboy. After 3 more weeks, rack your wine again, this time adding stabilizers and/or flavor additives as per the instructions in your kit. (Note: DO NOT add potassium sorbate to dry reds -- sorbate can potentially affect flavor in dry reds.) Wait another 2 weeks, rack once more and immediately bottle. Clean, fill, and cork your bottles. The longer you let your wine age, the better it will taste.

In addition, when 'de-gassing' the wine, use a firm yet gentle stirring motion with a spoon or paddle, avoiding splashing oxygen into the solution. We also recommend ignoring any references to 'topping off' the fermenter with water to reduce fermenter headspace. Keep to the original gravity.

All right! We guarantee that if you adhere to these guidelines, your wine will be better than you could have ever imagined. We don't lie!

For more info on winemaking, check out our videos page.