Though you pay attention to even the smallest details, like carefully sanitizing your equipment and taking diligent OSG measurements, have you also considered the water? Let’s explore why distilled water is your best option for making wine kits and why using tap or regular bottled water comes with many potential problems.

Distilled water is free from any impurities, minerals, or contaminants that could taint your wine. If you live in Ohio, Georgia or wherever, your water is not the same as the water found in California vineyards. That matters more than you might think.

1. Consistency: Tap water is like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're going to get. Its mineral content and chemical composition can vary greatly, leading to unpredictable results in your wine's flavor profile.

2. Banishing the Chlorine and Chloramine Goblins: These pesky chemicals, often found lurking in tap water, can wreak havoc on your wine's flavor and fermentation process. Yeast does not like chlorine and its presence can inhibit yeast function. Distilled water, free from these mischief-makers.

3. Mineral-Free Magic: Bottled and tap waters can sometimes be riddled with high levels of minerals, such as calcium and magnesium. These sneaky elements can meddle with the fermentation process and cast a spell on your wine's taste. Distilled water, however, has been purified of these minerals, ensuring that the chemical balance of the juice does not change.

4. pH Balance Harmony: The pH level sets the stage for the fermentation process and the overall taste of your wine. Distilled water has a neutral pH level because it is just water. Any other compounds or chemicals will alter that delicate balance. Wine kits come formulated and adding water with unknown or inconsistent pH levels can lead to a cacophony of unpredictable results. It can change the pH levels of your juice enough to result in flabby or tart wine. Neither outcome is good and negative effects can extend beyond the flavor. If your pH exceeds 3.6, it can lead to stuck fermentation or spoilage. If that were not enough, sulfites don't work as well in low acid wines.

5. When the concentrates in your kit were made, only H20 was removed. All the other elements that were present in the ground and absorbed by the vines are still in the juice. You want to preserve that elemental balance as much as possible. That alone is why you should use distilled water to hydrate your wine kits. You should not include any unnecessary guests that come with tap or bottled water. You just need to reinvite the one who left in the first place: the water itself.

In summary, using distilled water for your wine kit is the surest way to preserve the flavor profile of your wine and ensure clean and thorough fermentation. Tap and bottled waters are never just water. So, raise your glass and toast to the magic of distilled water. Not only is it pure, it’s also cheap. Cheers!