[TJsBasement]

My first kit was a Island Mist black raz merlot, and I have a jacked up batch of pee. I have never been a wine drinker maybe a bottle of Wild Vines merlot here and there, with my super limited knowledge on wine and the names, shopping for a kit is very intimidating to me, so much that I have just been avoiding it. Well I figure if I'm really going to do this ( wine making ) I had better try a grown up wine so I'm here, with little to no idea of what I will like. Any time that I have tasted real wine, maybe like 5 times at Olive Garden, I really dont like the taste. Its all so new that I'm lost as to a kit that would be a good drinking wine but still a contender as a real wine. Or should I buy a few wines at the store to get a feel for it. Im planning a wine room with enough room for around 10 6gal carboys, more if I can swing it so the lost room or carboy is no real concern. So what should be my first real kit. I'll be doing lots of fruit wines like cherry and I have a gallon of ocean spray cran pom but I feel the need to do a "real" one. And help would be great or even a starting point.

[cpfan]

The Island Mist kit and Wild Vines wine are similar products, so that was probably a good choice. The fact that you haven't liked wines at Olive Garden may mean that you're not fussy about dry reds (assuming that's what you had).

The progression sometimes followed by new wine drinkers is...

• mist wines - you're already there
• sweet or off-dry blushes
• sweet or off-dry whites
• dry whites
• light, low tannin reds
• heavier tannic reds

Each person may take different steps, and will spend a different amount of time at each step.

Since Island Mist is a Winexpert product, I'll suggest a couple of their blush kits. These are not as sweet as the mist wines, and should move you along the wine spectrum. Other manufacturers have kits that would also suit this style, just make sure that they are off-dry, not dry.

• Vintners Reserve White Zinfandel
• Selection Original White Zinfandel

Some people are concerned about making 23 litres (30 bottles) of a wine that they may not like. Those that live in the UK have access to 1 Imperial gallon/6 bottle kits. Unfortunately not true for those of us in North America.

There is an intermediate step (http://www.artfulwinemaker.com/), but it's expensive. The refill costs $60 and yields just 12 bottles. They don't have a blush, but their Riesling is off dry.

Steve

[Minnesotamaker]

One of the things I did when I first started out that was helpful is to go to a wine tasting event. You get to taste lots of different wines and you don't have to drink very much of any one, so if you don't care for it, no problem. Wineries usually allow you to taste, but if you can go to a sponsored wine tasting event that is often done as a fundraiser, there are often many different wine makers represented and you can try lots of different styles. Take a notebook along, ask questions (the people who make the wine usually like to talk about their creations), and take notes. By the end of the day, you should have some leads that you can take to the store to select kits to your liking.

[TJsBasement]

Originally Posted by Minnesotamaker

One of the things I did when I first started out that was helpful is to go to a wine tasting event. .

Thanks that is a good idea, sometimes I can't put two and two together. Something to keep an eye out for and sound fun.

So Steve I forgot that I have tried Zinfandel and pinto noir before, looks like a zin kit is in my future.

Hey I tasted some of that cherry concentrate in the fridge,, will the wine taste like the juice, it was like biting into a cherry pie.

[cpfan]

Originally Posted by TJsBasement

So Steve I forgot that I have tried Zinfandel and pinto noir before, looks like a zin kit is in my future.

Did you like them, as opposed to the Olive Garden wines that you didn't like?

Was it a Red Zinfandel or a Blush Zinfandel, do you remember? Non wine drinkers are more likely to prefer the Blush (or White) Zinfandel. [It's not actually white like white wines, but is more a pink or blush colour.]

Steve

[phat]

Absolutely find a tasting event near you - sometimes higher end liquor stores will put them on, or sometimes they are big events in a conference centre.. Honestly, I've found some fantastic wines at such events.

If you have friends who are into wine, ask them to go shopping with you for a few bottles, try some things you might like and things you may be a bit out of your comfort zone with.

Don't forget that food pairings do matter. While your tastes may be on the lighter side when you just drink a glass of wine, if you're going to go out of your comfort zone a bit and try some reds and the like, do some googling and think about what food should go with it.. or cheese. Some of the "bigger" wines really do go better with food or snacks so keep that in mind as well. Petit Verdot by itself sitting on the deck is not the same as Petit Verdot with a chunk of prime rib... or a big cheeseburger

[CB750]

Originally Posted by Minnesotamaker

One of the things I did when I first started out that was helpful is to go to a wine tasting event. You get to taste lots of different wines and you don't have to drink very much of any one, so if you don't care for it, no problem. Wineries usually allow you to taste, but if you can go to a sponsored wine tasting event that is often done as a fundraiser, there are often many different wine makers represented and you can try lots of different styles. Take a notebook along, ask questions (the people who make the wine usually like to talk about their creations), and take notes. By the end of the day, you should have some leads that you can take to the store to select kits to your liking.

I remember back in the late 1970's and early 1980's interest in wine drinking started to grow and many public school systems offered Introduction to wine drinking class. They were generally about 6 weeks long and each night would feature a different style of wine and you would sample a number of different wines in different price ranges. This would allow you to zero in on the style of wine you liked best, as well as how to read and interpret a wine label. Unfortunately fear of Alcohol Liability laws forced the schools to cancel these very popular programs.

[TJsBasement]

I really thank you guys for the help, so far in my cart at the Wine Makers Toy Store I have a Summer Breeze blackberry/cherry Pinto Noir a Grand Cru white Zin Cali off-dry, I figure I should also order one with plans of letting it balk age for a long time then bottle age untill my wine taste have developed. What would be a good kit to age for a couple years, I understand that I probably will not like it now but I should with time right, even if I don't ever grow to enjoy it I'm sure someone would be happy to take it off my hands.