Bards Blends

Wine making kits - the Bards Blends range is one of today's fastest fermenting homebrew wine kits - and yet it will produce a very high quality wine. Turbo speed and quality normally does not go together but with their new highly specialized super yeast / nutrient they have managed to retain all the natural qualities of the grape. They use only the best quality Italian grapes for the Bards Blends series - the same grapes that are used in the normal Italian wine production. For the Italian styles we use grapes from the Toscana and Emilia regions and for the French and German styles we use grapes from the north of Italy, the Veneto and the Trentino regions.

All Bards Grape Blends now contain oak chippings for increased complexity and simulation of oak barrel ageing. They have also recently [May 2003] increased the amount and quality of grape extract.

Bards Blends Wine Kits are made from select Italian grapes. We have chosen our grapes from the northern parts of Italy because of the cooler climate there which we believe results in better balanced wines than grapes from the more southern Mediterranean countries.

Bards Blends 7-day 23 litres wine-kits.

The Bards Blends Wine Kits are available in 23 litres (all 4 types below). Everything you need is included, just add sugar and water!

German White

From the northern region of Veneto they have chosen the Riesling grape to be used in their German White type. Riesling is a late-ripening grape, with only a moderate yield. This makes it difficult and expensive to grow.

A well grown Riesling will be a sweet but complex white wine that ages very well. Typical Riesling flavours include fruity and floral, as well as honey and musky.

£16.95

Italian White

For the Italian White type they have chosen Trebbiano - a very typical northern Italian grape. Trebbiano, is slightly behind Airen in land usage - in part because Trebbiano vines can be planted much more closely together than Airen.

It therefore is thought to produce more actual wine than any other wine-grape. It is commonly used as a base for brandy as well as one of the components of a Chianti.

£16.95

Italian Red

When they designed the Bards Blend Italian Red they chose the Sangiovese grape which is the base of Chianti - the most typical Italian Red of them all.

Their Sangiovese blend will produce a medium-bodied red wine with rich cherry or plum like flavours and aromas. It is well worth keeping but can also be enjoyed immediately.

£16.95

French Red

The French Red type is based on one of the best known red grapes - the Merlot. This grape was first named as a distinct variety in the 1800s. It is known as a Noble Bordeaux varietal. Not quite as harsh as other reds, Merlot has less tannin than a Cabernet and can therefore be drunk earlier.

Merlot is known for the flavours of plums, black cherry, violets, and orange. It is a perfect match for beef and other medium-heavy dishes.

£16.95