"Winecooler Wine Kits": Orchard Breezin' versus Island Mist

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SueMac

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Hi All,

I've enjoyed making Orchard Breezin' Wine Kits and even more so, many friends have enjoyed them as well! (Hey, free is free, right!?) My question is twofold:

1. Any preference between quality of Orchard Breezin' versus Island Mist kits?

2. Where should I go from here? Vintner's, Vido del Vino, etc. and just make as is? Or, add fruit capacity (flavoring) at some point??

Thoughts? Thanks in advance!
SueMac
 
I've never had the "Breezin" kits, but my best friend makes Island Mist kits and loves them. I've sampled, and they are good. (I'm not a sweet wine kind of person, so they taste fine, but they aren't my thing).

I've used several Vintner's Reserve kits, and they make a decent table wine. They are probably comparable to a $5 bottle of wine. A bit thin, and not as full bodied as a $20 bottle, but still fine for every day drinking. You can find them for under $60/kit, usually.

The more expensive kits (notably the "crushendo" kits with more juice and grape skins) are bigger and have more depth to them. They do take longer to be good, though. The Vinter's Reserve kits are "30 day kits" and can be drunk in 4-6 months and are good for up to a year or two. The bigger kits are actually meant to be drunk in a year or so.

Any of these kits are pretty good- it depends on what you're looking for. If you're looking for a decent table wine, the VR kits are fine. If you're looking for something special to give as gifts in a couple of years, or for something that is "good" wine, you'll want a better kit. If you are contemplating adding fruit, etc, you may want to steer away from these kits. They are complete and acid balanced, etc, and meant for a certain style of wine. I don't think adding some fruit flavor to these would give you what you are looking for.
 
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