Crushed grape pack wine kits?

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KENfromMI

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OK, so after making juice from pure juice in 6 gallon pails bought locally I opened my wallet and bought a few premium wine kits on sale. I bought a Cellarcraft GSM and a Rosso Fortisimo for $100 each on sale. These are the big kits with the largest juice and crushed grape packs normally selling for $150, they were 2008 limited release. So never doing a wine kit but doing alot of reading about them, what comparable price range do these kits produce? I've heard everything from a $15 bottle to a $40 bottle if you do the kit right and age for at least 2yrs. I get 6 gallons of fresh CA juice for $65and Italian juice for $99 but I heard these kits will produce a better wine with less fuss. Anyone do these kits and had good or great results? Thanks in advance, Ken p.s. I also ordered the new Australian trio that will be delivered in January or February, anyone else planning this kit? It looks and sounds great, Ken
 
Hi Ken. The Rosso Fortissimo is an excellent kit. I'm drinking one that's about a year and a half old and it's very good. I have a premium Heron Bay GSM bulk aging and I have high hopes for it. You won't be disappointed in either of these kits.
 
Solstice, it seems like you do alot of kits, do you prefer a certain manufacturer over another or just pick by the style of wine? Also do you have an opinion on what level of wine you get out of them as compared to store bought? Ken
 
I am interested in the same info as Ken. I am brand new to this hobby and my reason for entering is a desire to have the enjoyment of some fine wines. When I lived in Germany during the 80's the dollar was strong and I was fortunate to have the opportunity to try some incredible wines. I am hoping by making my own I may be able to craft some wines that are at the level of quality that I either couldn't afford or wouldn't want to pay for myself. The new skills one learns and the new friends they pick up along the way are a definite plus as well.
 
Solstice, it seems like you do alot of kits, do you prefer a certain manufacturer over another or just pick by the style of wine? Also do you have an opinion on what level of wine you get out of them as compared to store bought? Ken

Any of the major kit manufacturers have produced wines that have scored well in large competitions but it seems Wine Expert, RJ Spagnols, and Cellar Craft score particularly well year after year, and these are the kits I've made the most. Ken Ridge and Mosti Mondiale seem to be becoming increasingly popular and are also very good. Heron Bay also makes an excellent kit. You won't go wrong with any of these products.

There have been many discussions comparing kit wines to commercial products. Despite Robert Parker and the various rating systems for commercial wines, taste is still rather subjective. For instance, you can find some $15 commercial wines that taste better to you than another costing $40.

One thing to consider is that you can find such a variety in kits that you can now purchase a kit that will make wines that may be dfficult to find or that may be cost prohibitive. All the major manufacturers produce an Amarone which, if you can even find it locally, will cost you at least $40 for the least expensive bottle. Wines such as Orange Chocolate Port and Raspberry Chocolate Port don't even have commercial examples and both are very good and extremely popular limited release kits.

Just remember to stick with the premium (usually the most expensive) offerings or limited editions of the major manuafacturers of varieties you enjoy and you won't be disappointed.
 
i have done the cellarcraft kits too..the rosso fortissimo was so good i'm doing another one. i bulk aged it for a little over a year then bottled. a few months in the bottle and it was time to drink it. i didn't last long..i would have liked to see how it aged out after another year.

i switched to the cellar craft kits after being disappointed with the quality of other kits...they just didn't taste the same as the store bought wine. i tried one of the cellar craft kits on the advice of the store owner and was sold.

i would say the rosso easily compared to most wines in the $15 bottle range but for a little under $5 a bottle. i use it mostly as an everyday/table wine just because the cost is so nice but on my next batch i am going to put away a case of it for a few years just to see how it turn out.

i have also started doing a kit about every three months or so so i can keep a good stock on hand and not run out between waiting for batches to age...this wine doesn't last long...i have aged one of there kits..a shiraz for as little as three months and it was still very drinkable...would it have gotten better?..probably but it was still good.

i cant say enough good things about the cellar craft kits..i hope you like them as much as i do.
 
Valkrye, After the rave reviews about the Fortisimo from others as well I'm considering buying another one if there are any left. I also pre ordered the new Australian trio that is coming out next month, hoping all goes well with that one as well. I age all of my wines for at least a year before drinking, the kits I'm going to try to limit myself to 10 bottles each year to see how they turn out over a 3yr time. In the meantime my everyday wines are from my juices I buy locally that come in each Sept or Oct. I have 36 gallons going that I will bottle next Sept after 1yr bulk aging not counting the kits. Thanks for the advice, Ken
 
I have done three of the Cellar Craft Crushed Grape kits to date:

I started with the Syrah, then the Tempranillo, and finally, the GSM.
As a rookie to the sport, I found them to be a bit more involved, but easily worth the effort in the end. At three months in the bottle, I think they're all very very good wines...(not that i'm an expert by any stretch)....I was careful to follow the step by step instructions, and made sure the room temp was even......

I did not bulk age them, I bottled them when the kit said they were ready to.....
Again......as a rookie, I wasn't aware these could age in the carboy for 12 months......

I have since done a Guwurtz, a stawberry white merlot, an Amarone, and am currently brewing a Borolo and a Brunello and am looking forward to those as well......
 
Ken, If you're still out there and checking in a month after starting this, I thought I'd drop in my two cents on one issue. As summersolstice said, two of the bonuses of this hobby are that there is so much variety out there in kits, and there are varieties you can make in a kit that you could barely afford to buy in a store.

An example is the 5-week Cellar Craft Barbera grape pack kit I just made. I think it cost me $75, so even if you toss in another $15 for corks and extra sulfite or whatever, that's $3 per bottle. I have personally never seen any bottle of Barbera for under $15, and most decent ones are $20 or more. What a deal.

My point is: Instead of getting yet another Rosso Fortissimo, consider sampling something else, because the variety is so huge. Just a thought.
 
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