How Long Does a Wine Kit Take to Make?

"How long until I can drink it?" is the question we're asked most about wine kits. The answer depends on which kit you buy. Fast kits are built to ferment and clear in about a week. Premium kits use more grape concentrate and ferment more slowly, and they reward you for waiting.

Wine kit timings at a glance

These are the timings given on our kit pages. Treat them as a guide, because your room temperature and your hydrometer readings decide the real finish line.

Kit	Makes	Ready to bottle or drink
WineBuddy 6 Bottle	6 bottles (4.5 litres)	About 7 days
Beaverdale 6 Bottle	6 bottles (4.5 litres)	About 4 weeks. Reds benefit from extra time in the bottle
Cantina 5 Day	21 litres (28 bottles)	5 days: 4 to ferment, 1 to clear
WineBuddy 30 Bottle	30 bottles (about 22.5 litres)	Around 7 days
Cellar 7	30 bottles (23 litres)	Drinkable in 7 days
Beaverdale 30 Bottle	About 30 bottles (23 litres)	About 4 to 6 weeks
Winexpert Classic	28 to 30 bottles (23 litres)	Ferments in 4 to 6 weeks
Winexpert Reserve	28 to 30 bottles	Ready to bottle in 6 weeks. Reds then age 2 to 3 months or more
Winexpert Private Reserve	28 to 30 bottles	Ready to bottle in 6 to 8 weeks

Why are some kits so much quicker?

Fast kits such as Cantina, WineBuddy and Cellar 7 pair grape concentrate with yeast and finings chosen to ferment fast and clear quickly. They're made for wine you'll enjoy young.

Premium kits such as Beaverdale and Winexpert use more concentrate. Winexpert Reserve kits contain 10 litres and Private Reserve kits 14 litres. More concentrate means more body and structure, and that takes longer to ferment out, settle and soften.

A typical premium kit timeline

Our Winexpert kit pages set out the stages like this:

1. Weeks 1 to 3: primary fermentation. Reds ferment at 20 to 22°C. Whites ferment cooler, at 16 to 18°C, to keep their aromas.
2. Weeks 4 to 5: stabilise and clear. Add the finings and stabiliser from the kit and leave the wine undisturbed.
3. Week 6 onwards: bottle. Whites are usually good after 4 to 6 weeks in the bottle. Fuller reds improve over 2 to 3 months, and some for longer.

What slows a wine kit down?

• A cold room. Fermentation slows a lot in a cold kitchen or garage in winter, and a "7-day" kit can easily take longer.
• Skipping the hydrometer. Kit timings are a guide. Your wine is finished when a hydrometer gives the same reading on consecutive days, whatever the calendar says.
• Not degassing. Dissolved CO2 keeps particles suspended, so the wine won't clear until it's stirred out.

If you want wine ready for a date, such as Christmas, count back from it using the table above and add a week as a buffer. Our Christmas brew-by dates do the maths for you.

Frequently asked questions

Can I drink a 7-day wine kit straight away?

Yes. Fast kits like WineBuddy and Cellar 7 are designed to be drinkable once they've cleared, usually around day 7. Most will still taste smoother after a few weeks in the bottle.

How long does a 6-bottle wine kit take?

WineBuddy 6-bottle kits take around 7 days. Beaverdale 6-bottle kits take about 4 weeks, and their reds improve with more time in the bottle.

How long does a Winexpert kit take?

Winexpert Classic kits ferment in 4 to 6 weeks. Reserve kits are ready to bottle in about 6 weeks and Private Reserve kits in 6 to 8 weeks. Reds then benefit from 2 to 3 months or more of ageing.

Why is my wine kit taking longer than the box says?

Temperature is the usual reason. A cool room slows the yeast down. Check with a hydrometer and only move to the next stage when two readings on consecutive days are the same.

Do I need to age kit wine?

Fast kits are made to drink young. Premium kits, especially full-bodied reds, get noticeably smoother with a few months in the bottle.