Other Anyone tried the Fontana kits from Amazon?

[Putterrr]

I started out many years ago making low end kits like many others. Over the years as I moved up the price point, I noticed an improvement in quality with each step up. Today i only make higher end kits with grape packs. IMHO you get what you pay for but you will have to give them time to mature. Doesn't mean I don't tweak them from time to time.

Everyone has an opinion on wheather a top dollar kit is worth it but there is only one way for YOU to decide if they are right for YOU. that is to make one yourself.

cheers

 

[wineforfun]

I started out many years ago making low end kits like many others. Over the years as I moved up the price point, I noticed an improvement in quality with each step up. Today i only make higher end kits with grape packs. IMHO you get what you pay for but you will have to give them time to mature. Doesn't mean I don't tweak them from time to time.

Everyone has an opinion on wheather a top dollar kit is worth it but there is only one way for YOU to decide if they are right for YOU. that is to make one yourself.

cheers

That is all I have ever made is the higher end kits. Made a RJS WS OVZ and RJS WS Super Tuscan. Both were/are very good.

And I agree with that adage "you get what you pay for".

Just curious what the thoughts were on both as for me, I can't see wasting time with a cheaper kit, but thought I may be missing something.

Again, I am sure you can make it drinkable/decent but wondered if it could ever rival the higher end kits.

 

[joeswine]

The differences are volume and know vitals, that may have to much but it can be corrected with planning nothing more. These kits are not for competition even though Kate won a contest in Glassborro .The idea is to build the body and structure in to the base and that takes just planning not rocket science.

 

[joeswine]

Remember tasting is all subjective. I stated it would make a good bottle of every day wine the rest is up to you to THINK outside the box.

 

[joeswine]

in the mix

Remember the story of 2 Buck Chuck

 

[barbiek]

I have made the cheaper end kits, one with really good results, a couple were so so but with all the tweaks I made, swapping yeast, adding tannin, adding fruit to boost the flavor, adding more sugar to boost abv It was fun to see what I could do to a cheap kit! But the money I saved was all put back into the lil experiment. I had fun with it! But this last cheap kit I had got ruined it for me! It was oxidized when I popped the cap! And it wasn't even what I had ordered. So my experience with cheap kits go from poor to really good if you have the time, know how and a lil extra cash to invest in it. I have had the best results with juice buckets! Until my grapes start producing I'm sticking with the medium to upper end kits and juice buckets. Sorry Joe I know you can make a good wine from these but you have the experience and the know how and it can be done when ya think outside the box! But the inexperienced has no box yet. Just MHO

 

[Hordak]

Which juice buckets have you found the best so far? I have a Sonoma Pinot Noir 23l must and a Valpolicella coming Nov 2nd I'm super excited for!

 

[barbiek]

The Itallion Pinot Grigio and cab

 

[GaDawg]

HOWEVER, this kit looks like it is based on a 5.5litre bag of concentrate. IMO, there are MANY MANY kits that will be better than this kit,.

Steve

Would you share with us the many $40 kits that are better!

 

[cpfan]

Would you share with us the many $40 kits that are better!

The OP didn't ask for a $40 kit.

If these arent any good, any other options that will be ready to go by next June and are Aldo simple enough for a novice to make?

Steve

 

[GaDawg]

My apologies Steve, I was under the impression we were discussing the Fontana kits from Amazon

 

[joeswine]

Cheap wine kits

I thought so to I posted the product they where talking about, ANY HOW,I have done it all and I can tell you this that a novice should start with a inexpensive kit ,first; to learn the wine making process and then just to see if they really want to continue the craft.
expensive ,inexpensive if you fail you fail ,if you succeed you understand and if you master then you have a good idea .Nothing more ,nothing less until the next batch.

 

[cpfan]

My apologies Steve, I was under the impression we were discussing the Fontana kits from Amazon

Happy Fermentations asked about other options. Please read the last para of the original post.

Steve

 

[Dentman]

I have no experience yet(though I have their cabernet in a box in my garage) with the Fontana kits, but I had excellent success with the Vino Italiano wines from Amazon a few years ago, and I suspect the tweaks I used will be of benefit to the Fontana kits as well.

With the V.I. Barolo I added water to about the 5.33 gallon mark, added 1 1/2# of Zante currants, FT Rouge tannins and 4 oz. of French Oak cubes to the primary. I used BM4X4 yeast instead of the kit yeast and racked around 1.000SG. After reaching .995 SG I racked again added 1/3 tsp Kmeta and barrelled it for 6 weeks in a new Vadai Hungarian oak barrel and then bottled.

After 8 months in the bottle the wine was terrific and as I opened a bottle here and there my friends were always begging me for more.

My only regret was not ordering 7 kits in order to fill my 32 gallon Vadai barrel. I can tell you this, if the Fontana Cab is anywhere close to the VI Barolo in finished quality, I'm going buy 7 more and do it right.

I know this thread is getting a little old time wise but I would like to mention that i have 2 kits aging right now; the WE Zin Shiraz and a Fontana Cab. The WE kit started 9/22/15, and the Fontana (joes flow) started 10/12/15. Yes both kits are quite young however to my palette the Fontana kit is 10 times more appealing to my palette than the WE. I say "palette" because Im not well versed in the nomenclature when describing wine; i just like what I like ya know

Time may play a big role in this as the 2 age for 6 months to a year but for me Im going to order a few more fontana kits and continue to use joeswine additions as I feel they worked quite well.

 

[pgentile]

First I'd like thank everyone that posts and shares info on this website, you all have helped me so so much with my wine making learning curve.

After some Chilean juice buckets in the fall, I was getting antsy around August waiting for the California and Italian grapes and buckets to come in Sept/Oct. So I bit the bullet and picked up an WE Eclipse Lodi Zinfandel kit. Got it going but still found myself several weeks away from the fall harvests but needing something more to work on. Started reading a few threads by joeswine which inspired me to experiment with a couple inexpensive Fontana kits. Wanted to see if I could get a decent early drinker while the more expensive kits, all grape and bucket batches aged. Just starting out and liking deep dark reds it was going to be a while before I would be able to enjoy them .

Ended up with the Shiraz and Cab kits for 41.95 each off of Amazon.

Picked up Jumbo Black Raisins from Trader Joe's. Package says they are minimum 22 brix, but can be up to 26 brix. These are made from Lindy grapes. They taste more grape like than Sunmaid raisins.

Also added 2lbs sugar to each kit made into simple syrup.

Made the Shiraz first and only added water to 5.5 gallons. SG 1.100.

Used the provided EC-1118 yeast, plus the fining agents at the recommended times.

After it hit .992 I racked off the lees and raisins and started the Cab kits on them. Added the other package of fresh raisins and sugar.

SG for the Cab was 1.095.

Made my own whip for degassing out of a piece of ice maker tubing, works great.

These kits are a little more than 12 weeks old and they are both quite drinkable. The Shiraz has a fruitier front end and a little more mouth feel than the Cab but I feel they both stand up to many $10 and under commercial wines. Ended up with 55 bottles between the two and a cost of around $2.00 a bottle.

Made an all-grape Sangiovese, a juice bucket and 1 grape lug Petite Syrah, Borolo and Pinot Grigio juice buckets in Sept and Oct.

Purchased another Fontana Shiraz kit and a Fontana Pinot Noir two weeks ago. This time added two pound each of pomace from the all-grape Sangiovese to these kits. Made them to around SG 1.100 again. I'll report back after these are ready to bottle.

Once again thank you everyone and happy Thanksgiving.