Done with Wine

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Slipgate

Slipgate

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Joined
Jun 16, 2008
Messages
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Location
Damascus, MD
I have been making wine for about 5 years now. Never have I had a batch taste as good as even a $10 bottle of store bought wine. Not sure if it is the concentrated juice, oak chips instead of barrels or what, but they are all just mediocre. I use the winart high end kits with 4 gallons of juice or the crushendo series. While I like the money savings, I would prefer better wine. I just opened a bottle that I bottled about a year ago thinking if I let it age longer it will be better. But it was not, still just mediocre. So I have about 150bottles to finish and that will be it.

I will continue to make Ports however, they turn out spactacular!
 
Slipgate said:
I have been making wine for about 5 years now. Never have I had a batch taste as good as even a $10 bottle of store bought wine. Not sure if it is the concentrated juice, oak chips instead of barrels or what, but they are all just mediocre. I use the winart high end kits with 4 gallons of juice or the crushendo series. While I like the money savings, I would prefer better wine. I just opened a bottle that I bottled about a year ago thinking if I let it age longer it will be better. But it was not, still just mediocre. So I have about 150bottles to finish and that will be it.

I will continue to make Ports however, they turn out spactacular!
Click to expand...
Yes, I feel exactly like you. I've done the expensive kits too, but it still comes out like homemade wine. SWMBO suggested i give up on the kits and just buy our wine, and i agree. I still make cider. Beer on the otherhand is a completely different story.
 
I did the Spagnols Malbec and Syrah- Appellation: Mendoza, Argentina. Red Wine kit. It's only six months or so and the wine is excellent. I won't drink the bulk of it for another 6-12 months. I am very pleased with the results from a rather simple process.
 
sudbuster said:
Yes, I feel exactly like you. I've done the expensive kits too, but it still comes out like homemade wine. SWMBO suggested i give up on the kits and just buy our wine, and i agree. I still make cider. Beer on the otherhand is a completely different story.
Click to expand...

+1 on the beer. My beer is the best I ever had. Funny how homebrew beer is better that anything available commercially but homemade wine is crap.

Maybe it is the kits. I like the Spagnols Orange Chocolate Port. Maybe I will try their wine. I have only ever made the Wineart kits.

A friend of mine says when he used to make wine, they'd go to the vineyard and buy enough grapejuice for an entire barrel. They barrel it, put nothing extra in it, and let it ferment naturally. Said the wine was great and cost less than 1 6 gallon kit.
 
I am sorry to hear you are not satisfied with your wines. Some of the kits you mention (manufacturers) are good quality kits and they should have given reasonable if not outstanding results. There are Many things about the process of making wine that effect the final results.

I have been making wine for several years and it has not been a hit and miss type of thing for me thus far (knock on wood). I take extreme care in sanitation, preparation, testing and adjusting to get my wines right (Acid, pH, SO2 and such) sometimes adjusting levels up or down to get it right. It can be tedious at times, but the end results are well worth the time. Oaking is something you must take time with and sampling the wine periodically is the only way of getting the right effect.

I have been fortunate to have received 5 medals for wine I have entered in competitions in Sonomoa, CA and Wisconsin and friends and family that have sampled my wine think it is very good quality (they may be prejudiced). I have had several batches that I am not pleased with, but blending these wines has helped to improve the overall quality.

Sorry to hear you are giving it up. Good luck.

Salute! :mug:
 
bmckee56 said:
I am sorry to hear you are not satisfied with your wines. Some of the kits you mention (manufacturers) are good quality kits and they should have given reasonable if not outstanding results. There are Many things about the process of making wine that effect the final results.

I have been making wine for several years and it has not been a hit and miss type of thing for me thus far (knock on wood). I take extreme care in sanitation, preparation, testing and adjusting to get my wines right (Acid, pH, SO2 and such) sometimes adjusting levels up or down to get it right. It can be tedious at times, but the end results are well worth the time. Oaking is something you must take time with and sampling the wine periodically is the only way of getting the right effect.

I have been fortunate to have received 5 medals for wine I have entered in competitions in Sonomoa, CA and Wisconsin and friends and family that have sampled my wine think it is very good quality (they may be prejudiced). I have had several batches that I am not pleased with, but blending these wines has helped to improve the overall quality.

Sorry to hear you are giving it up. Good luck.

Salute! :mug:
Click to expand...

The wine I make is not hit or miss, it is all the same, all mediocre. Drinkable, but nothing special. Could I send you a bottle to try and see what you think? If so, after you try it, if it is not as good as it could be, I'd love to have a bottle of your wine as a comparison. I generally follow the kit instructions to the letter. PM me if interested. I currently have a Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc ready to drink (almost a year in the bottle).
 
Slipgate said:
The wine I make is not hit or miss, it is all the same, all mediocre. Drinkable, but nothing special. Could I send you a bottle to try and see what you think? If so, after you try it, if it is not as good as it could be, I'd love to have a bottle of your wine as a comparison. I generally follow the kit instructions to the letter. PM me if interested. I currently have a Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc ready to drink (almost a year in the bottle).
Click to expand...

I do that regularly with another Forum Group, so I have no problem swapping a bottle or 2. I have Zinfandel, Amarone, Gewurtztraminer-Riesling, Chianti, Italian Sangiovese, Australian Shiraz, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Apple, Spiced Apple, Strawberry, Blackberry, Chocolate Raspberry Port, White Chocolate Port, Chocolate- Orange Port and several other wines which I am sure I missed.

Send me your personal info via a PM, I will forward one of your choice to you and forward my personal info to you.

Salute! :mug:
 
You might consider blending them. Many wines sold as varietals are blends with 20-30% different grapes. Below a certain limit, a winery doesn't have to admit it's a blend, but I think the best wines are blends.
 

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