Other New to hobby suggestions

[Drock]

Hi everyone

I am new to this forum and new to the hobby. I am looking to get some feedback from the community.

I want to start building a cellar and was wondering what type of suggestions people have as far as different wines to make, now I know that's a loaded question so to narrow it down I am looking for some good everyday wines which the kits cost less than $100 as well as some kits that I could cellar for a few years which I wouldn't be to concerned about the price on. I prefer drinking bold red wines and crisp lighter whites like penot grigio and sauv blanc.
The everyday wines I'm looking for something that drinks well after about 6 months and for the Cellar wines I'm not to concerned with how long it takes to reach its potential.

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Derek

 

[bkisel]

Welcome to the forum!

I've liked every kit I made coming from RJ Spagnols. At my LHBS I pay $75.00 US for thier Vino del Vida line and $125.00 US for their Cellar Classic Winery Series. Hope this helps some.

 

[sour_grapes]

Welcome to WMT!

I had similar thoughts as you, but it hasn't worked out quite according to plan. I made a Wine Expert Mezza Luna Red as one of my first wines with the thought that this would be my early drinker. It is still improving after about 9 months.

For wines to age, I have made a number in the Cellar Craft Showcase line, and a few in the WE Selection and Limited Edition wines. Even at their young ages, I can recommend without reservation the CC Showcase Cab/Merlot blend and the CC Showcase Red Mountain Cabernet. I have not yet made a WE Eclipse wine, but that is on my radar screen soon!

 

[tanddc]

I am new to this as well and I am trying the same philosophy. I would recommend a WE Coastal Red. It seems to be coming along rather quickly and as a lighter wine it should be good for topping off future batches.

I did the Mezza Luna Red next. It is early still (just cleared it the other night) but it does seem to be very harsh compared to the other kits I am making right now. I am thinking it is going to have to sit a while or get back sweetened (or both)

 

[heatherd]

My advice would be to spend more time and money on your reds and try super tuscan, Barolo, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, etc from kits that are higher-end with skins or grape packs. For whites, you can spend a bit less and sometimes drink them earlier. I found the WE South African Chenin blanc to be a good early drinker, and not too spendy, plus it is fruity but not sweet.

Good luck!

Heather


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[francois_du_nord]

Hey Drock,

I too am brand new. My local home brew shop (LHBS) wine guy caught me, hook line and sinker. I've jumped in with both feet. I've purchased 3 kits and more stuff on top of all my brewing equipment.

He had nothing but good things to say about Trinity Red from WineXperts. "Best value we have". It is in their World Vineyard line, ~$75 and is a mix of Cab Franc, Merlot and Cab Sauv. Because it is in their lower lines, it can be drunk fairly young, but like all wine will improve with age.

I've got a batch in secondary as I type.

 

[ShaunDanz]

This is a good question and I can relate to it. I've been making wine for 2 years and 3 months now. In that time I've made 1680 bottles of wine. Wow, I might have a problem.

I've built a wine cellar that will hold 750 bottles and 130 gallons of bulk aged wine. I'll post a picture later.

My advice would be to purchase both high end kits and low end kits. One of the world's biggest crimes is to drink a high end kit early. When I find a kit I like, I buy three and then ferment them in a 20 gallon container.

Early drinkers would be:
Vinifera Noble Pinot Grigio (do not add the oak) I've done 5 of these.
Grand Cru Verdichio (a lot like a Pinot Grigio) I've done 3 of these.
Grand Cru German Riesling (a dry Riesling but I backsweeten) - 3 of these.

For a reds, it's more difficult to find an early drinker. The only one that I've done that was good early would be Grand Cru Beujolais. You might want to try a low-end Pinot Noir though.

So, these are my early drinkers and I have lots and lots of good stuff that is bulk or bottle aging.

 

[the_rayway]

I've only done lower-end kits, but have had the pleasure of tasting some of the higher end ones. Reds only really

I suggest (with Canadian prices):
Cheeky Monkey ($69) for your early drinkers - 3-9 months
Cellar Craft Sterling ($85) for mid-drinkers - 9 months to 1.5 years
Cellar Classic Winery Series ($130) - 2-5 years (tasted only)
En Premiere ($150) for late drinkers - 3+ years (tasted only)

 

[GaDawg]

I would make a low end kit to enjoy sooner and then a high end kit to age. You need a wine to enjoy the fruit of your labor while you age your high end kit.


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[cimbaliw]

You might want to poke around and look at (Ed Wort's) Apfelwein, Skeeter Pee and Dragon's blood. All three early drinkers, easy to make and fun to tweak.

 

[ColemanM]

I was really disappointed in the WE mezza Luna red. That is the last "low end" red kit I will ever make. I was actually impressed with the cellar craft sterling GSM which is a mid priced $99 us and will probably look at more of those though they had grape skins so that may be the ummph that the kit needed. I also made a mid range WE carmenere that I tweaked with raisins and it is turning out quite good but not great yet if at all. I have also made quite a few high end WE kits. Lodi Cabernet, OV Zin, amarone these all had great body and mouthfeel, but are only 17 months old. Still not really ready to drink IMHO and nowhere near a commercial brand. I am still waiting for that ah ha moment where my money time and patience pays off with a really good wine but I may be setting my bar too high and waiting a loooong time. Good luck.


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[richmke]

I am looking for some good everyday wines which the kits cost less than $100 as well as some kits that I could cellar for a few years which I wouldn't be to concerned about the price on.

Make the high-end kits now, and they become your every day wine in the future. If you live in OH or FL, the two big mail order places have regular sales that bring the pre-shipped cost down to $110 for the high end kits.

My LHBS gets close on its good days. I just picked up Winexpert's LE Pinot Noir that lists for $155, LHBS' normal price of $140, and I got it for $112 when they had a 20% off sale.

In the future, I will load up on gift cards (xmas and father's day) when they have Buy $100 gift card and get $10 bonus card. Then use them to buy kits when they have sales.

That said, we really enjoy the Island Mist Blackberry Cab and Green Apple Riesling. Those list for $68, and you can pick up for $45 on sale. They also make great gifts for friends that are casual wine drinkers.

 

[sour_grapes]

Rich, do you know that Northern Brewer also gives you a 15% discount for being a member of the American Homebrewing Association? You cannot combine it with other discounts, but you CAN combine it with the gift-card/bonus card deal. I got the LE Pinot Noir for less than $100 when figured this way. ($105 including tax!)

 

[richmke]

I remember hearing about that. If I brewed beer I would consider it. But at $40/yr, I would rather wait for sales.

Did you see that they put wine kits on the window ledge at 35% off. I think they are clearing space for the RJS kits. They just started carrying them.

 

[sour_grapes]

Yeah, I did see those kits. They are nearing, but not at, their "sell-buy" date. Since I nearly always swap out the yeast, and don't use the sorbate, I'd buy them in a minute. However, none of them appealed to me more than the kits on my to-do list.

I am excited about their carrying RJS! Now I can try some of those that I have been reading about here at WMT.

 

[Dhaynes]

Try one of the WE Island Mist kits. They can be consumed immediately after bottling but are better at 3-6 months. See the Island Mist thread on this site for more details.


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