ABC Crafted Series DIY Wine Making Kit Washington Merlot (30 Bottles) Review (2026)

Who this wine kit is for

This kit fits home winemakers who already own basic equipment, such as a large fermenter or carboy, and want a reliable, pre-measured set of ingredients rather than sourcing and crushing their own grapes. Because it makes 30 bottles from a single 6 gallon batch, it suits anyone who wants a large supply of wine for gifting, stocking a cellar, or simply not having to brew again for months. Beginners who have made a smaller 1 gallon kit before and want to scale up to a full-size batch will find the process familiar, since the kit still walks through the same basic steps of pitching yeast, fermenting, clearing and bottling, just at a larger volume.

What is in the box

The Crafted Series kit bundles a wine base concentrate along with the additives needed to finish the wine, including yeast to start fermentation, bentonite for clarifying, and stabilizing agents such as sulphite and sorbate plus fining agents to help the wine drop clear before bottling. The Washington Merlot profile is described as medium-bodied, aiming for a soft, approachable red rather than a heavier, more tannic style. Because this is an ingredient kit rather than a full equipment kit, it assumes you already have a fermenter, carboy, airlock, siphon and bottling equipment on hand, or are prepared to buy that gear separately alongside the kit itself.

The winemaking process and timeline

After sanitizing your equipment, you rehydrate the included yeast and pitch it into the wine base to start primary fermentation, then rack the wine off the sediment into a carboy for secondary fermentation and clearing with the bentonite and fining agents included in the kit. Stabilizing with sulphite and sorbate before bottling helps prevent unwanted refermentation or spoilage once the wine is in the bottle. Kits like this are often marketed around a roughly four week timeline from start to bottling, but the wine typically benefits from additional aging in the bottle before it reaches its best flavor, so plan on weeks to months more before opening the first bottle if you want a smoother result.

How it compares with other wine kits

Against the Fontana French Cabernet Sauvignon and Fontana Merlot kits, which are also 6 gallon, 30 bottle ingredient kits, the ABC Crafted Series sits in the same category and price range, with the main difference coming down to varietal choice and each brand's specific yeast and additive package. Winemakers who want full equipment included rather than ingredients alone should look at something like the Ultimate Wine Making Equipment Starter Kit, which bundles a carboy and other hardware. For someone who already owns equipment and just wants ingredients for a specific varietal, this kit and the Fontana options are close competitors worth comparing on flavor profile rather than process, since the winemaking steps are nearly identical.

Verdict and who should pick differently

This is a solid choice for an established home winemaker who wants a large batch of a soft, medium-bodied red without sourcing grapes, and the included additives cover the clarifying and stabilizing steps that trip up first-timers. Buyers without a fermenter, carboy or bottling equipment should budget for that gear separately or choose a full equipment starter kit instead, since this listing is ingredients only. Anyone wanting to drink wine sooner rather than later should also consider a smaller 1 gallon kit first, since a full 30 bottle batch is a bigger commitment of time, storage space and patience than a beginner might expect.

Frequently asked questions