kit suggestion

[Swilley]

i have never made a kit wine before. i want to get one from amazon but i don't know which to get they got cornucopia kits and vino italiano kits so many flavors to choose from. help any suggestions would be gratefully appreciated

 

[UBB]

what's your budget?

 

[kevinlfifer]

I may be one of the few in the forum who likes the paklab kits (that is the company producing those, you can get them on ebay as well)
Direct website is http://mywinemonvin.com/

I get them on ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170881713297

but I also buy a grape pack to go with them http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170881713297 . I add about 1 lb of sugar to get the sg to 1.10, I add some oak to the primary as well. I let the must set on the skins for at least 10 days even if its already dry.

I've done 3 merlots with varying oak, or back sweetening (2 cups sugar max for the 6 gal batch).

They are really still to young to drink, but we sneak a bottle every six weeks or so to test. They are very drinkabe after 3 months in the bottle. Friends like them as well. Ithink the grape pack makes all the difference.

I have done 2 cab/sav, 3 merlots, a montepolciano, a tuscan rosso magnifico (quite nice) I have their barolo, chianti, and vapolicella on deck, each with a grape pack.

They then cost about $60 per kit but turn out quite well. I only do reds and I never do fruit wines except Skeeter. Thats my give away wine.

 

[TonyP]

i have never made a kit wine before. i want to get one from amazon but i don't know which to get they got cornucopia kits and vino italiano kits so many flavors to choose from. help any suggestions would be gratefully appreciated

I see from your earlier posts that you have some experience in wine making, just not with kits. I have a few suggestions on that basis. Most important, make something you'll want to drink. Consider what you buy at the local wine store and try for something like it. Second, don't be afraid to spend a few extra bucks if you could afford it. A difference of $30 between kits (only $1 per bottle) can make a big difference in the result.

For simplicity, I'm partial to Winexpert kits. They're easy to use with very good instructions and videos available online. Also, I've called their customer service and they've been helpful.

Also, I've found Amazon prices to be excellent for many things but not necessarily for wine kits. Try a search online and see what you come up with.

Tony P.

 

[pjd]

i have never made a kit wine before. i want to get one from amazon but i don't know which to get they got cornucopia kits and vino italiano kits so many flavors to choose from. help any suggestions would be gratefully appreciated

I have purchased and made almost every Vino Italiano red wine kit sold on Amazon. The kits with a few tweaks make very good wine. If you like red wines, you cannot beat their Valpolicello also the Chianti is very good. for the whites, the Gewurztraminer is very nice.
In my opinion they are a good value and make a decent table wine. I no longer buy the kits because I have found a supplier of Juice Buckets, Luva Bella, that is not much more money and is in my opinion better than any kit at any price.

 

[kevinlfifer]

Phil
Can you give me more info on the Luva Bella juice?

I would like to try a non kit vintage

 

[cindy]

if it tastes good I drink it that being said I've made
Vino Italiano Moscato and Reserve Du Chateau German Liebfraumilch kit "amazon"
they are both very good.

 

[Dugger]

I believe that in the smaller kits, if you're looking at a red, blends are better than varietals so would suggest that whatever you choose try to make it a blend such as a vieux chateau or a tuscan - I'm not sure what's available in those kits. Blends are also generally quicker drinking than varietals IMHO.

 

[jswordy]

Phil
Can you give me more info on the Luva Bella juice?

I would like to try a non kit vintage

AFAIK, Luva Bella will not ship. Pickup only. That makes it at least a 150-mile one-way drive for me, and out of the question. I can get the actual grapes delivered, but not the juice.

 

[pjd]

Phil
Can you give me more info on the Luva Bella juice?

I would like to try a non kit vintage

Kevinlfifer,
Luva Bella is a great winery located at Lowelville Ohio, just south east of Youngstown. They sell 6 gallon buckets of California and Italian Juices during the fall and Chilean juices in the spring. Very reasonable prices, comparable to most low priced kits and considerable less than Premium kits. The following is a link to thier website. you can download a price sheet and order form. These are really nice people and if you are traveling from a distance, it is a great place to have a good meal and sample thier wines. The link is: http://www.luvabella.com/juice_and_grapes.shtml

 

[shoebiedoo]

You've been HIGH JACKED!!!!!! I've made some excellent wines from L'uva Bella and make a pilgrimage there twice a year! The Mosto Bello line is really good

 

[Rocky]

AFAIK, Luva Bella will not ship. Pickup only. That makes it at least a 150-mile one-way drive for me, and out of the question. I can get the actual grapes delivered, but not the juice.

Jim, you are more like 700 miles from Lowellville, Ohio. I live in the Columbus area and it is about 175 one way for me.

 

[deboard]

Does anyone know when the luva bella fall juice come in? Do you have to order in advance?