the quality of the grapes determines _% of the quality of the wine?

CornyKegs 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
T

twd000

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2010
Messages
825
Reaction score
191
Location
New Hampshire
Of course, the VARIETAL of grapes determines 100% of the VARIETAL of wine you end up with, but what about quality? I am new to winemaking; I see $50 kits and $150 kits for sale. Trying to figure out where the value point is. I know with beer brewing, the quality of the malts and grains from all suppliers is so universally high, that you really have to blame the brewer if he makes lousy beer. It seems like wine would be much more dependent on the quality of grapes, since there are fewer ingredients involved.
 
In my experience with kits, which has only been about 3-4 years, is that the quality of the kit definitely relates to the quality of the final product.

The really expensive kits are usually limited editions, or rare and remote varietals though. I still believe the best wine I ever made was WinExpert's 2011 limited Pacific white -- And I'm more of a fan of big reds.

I will tell you that I've had great luck with the kits in the 80-90$ range, especially the blends. Cellar Craft's California white meritage is one of my favorite blend kits.

but you know man... it's all personal taste but I've found the best value at the 80-90$ range for the kits.
 
I've never done kits but this is what I've gathered from similar questions asked on this site.
If you buy a kit for $150 it will be like a $25-30 bottle from the store. Basically a higher quality wine.
If you buy a kit for $50 it will be like a $10 bottle from the store. Not as complex with the flavors and just a simpler wine.
 
ok, that's about what I expected to hear. My dad has made a bunch of wines from $50 kits, and they're good but there's "something" missing.

I assumed the vineyards have tiered pricing just like everyone else, where certain batches of grapes go to the best customers/winemakers, and cheaper on down the line.

What is the difference between kit wines and non-kit wines? Do you mean you are pressing your own grapes?
 
twd000 said:
ok, that's about what I expected to hear. My dad has made a bunch of wines from $50 kits, and they're good but there's "something" missing.

I assumed the vineyards have tiered pricing just like everyone else, where certain batches of grapes go to the best customers/winemakers, and cheaper on down the line.

What is the difference between kit wines and non-kit wines? Do you mean you are pressing your own grapes?
Click to expand...

The cheaper kits lack complexity, but can be very drinkable. Similar in quality to "Two Buck Chuck", or a $3-5 bottle of wine. I like them for dinner just for us, but for a nice wine, I like a $125-$175 kit which gives a nice wine similar to many nice commercial bottles in the $20-$25 range. I made a tannat/merlot blend about 6 years ago ($150 kit but on sale for $119!) that is a world class wine. But most are "good" to "very good" in that price range.

Non-kit wines mean buying grapes, or pressed grapes, and adjusting the acid and pH and fermenting them. You can get a pail of juice after harvest time, or buy a pail from a supplier that has them frozen. I bought some sauvignon blanc juice and some pinot noir grapes from Midwest that were frozen. They turned out great, although I'm no expert with acid adjustments. I also make "country" wines- out of cherries, blueberries, rhubarb, etc, which would be non-kit wines as well.
 
Yooper said:
The cheaper kits lack complexity, but can be very drinkable. Similar in quality to "Two Buck Chuck", or a $3-5 bottle of wine. I like them for dinner just for us, but for a nice wine, I like a $125-$175 kit which gives a nice wine similar to many nice commercial bottles in the $20-$25 range. I made a tannat/merlot blend about 6 years ago ($150 kit but on sale for $119!) that is a world class wine. But most are "good" to "very good" in that price range.

Non-kit wines mean buying grapes, or pressed grapes, and adjusting the acid and pH and fermenting them. You can get a pail of juice after harvest time, or buy a pail from a supplier that has them frozen. I bought some sauvignon blanc juice and some pinot noir grapes from Midwest that were frozen. They turned out great, although I'm no expert with acid adjustments. I also make "country" wines- out of cherries, blueberries, rhubarb, etc, which would be non-kit wines as well.
Click to expand...


Interesting. Good to know there is a "sweet spot" in that upper middle range as others have noted,. I assume you mostly get what you pay for, since the internet-based vendors are so competitive these days.

What is a normal price premium for the kit vs. raw juice? It's probably worth it to have the pros stabilize and make adjustments for me as a beginner.
 

Similar threads

R
For Sale Los Angeles/Pasadena, CA Area - Wine Tabletop/Floor Corker, Bottle Tree, and 144 Bottle Wine Rack
Replies
0
Views
230
rtogio
R
J
Getting started; kit, juice or grapes, red or white. From a beer brewing point of view.
Replies
3
Views
1K
fredriklgames
F
wwww.potatocol
Concord Grape Wine
Replies
0
Views
2K
wwww.potatocol
wwww.potatocol
B
Sparkling Wines & Carbonation
Replies
2
Views
3K
ShellinTX
ShellinTX
T
For Sale Awesome all grain home brewery for sale $1000 for EVERYTHING - Dallas,TX
Replies
0
Views
889
tealio
T
SSBrew 300

Latest posts

Back
Top