WineXpert School me on grape skins and raisins please

[waygorked]

I'm looking at the WE LE Oregon Pinot kit, and have noticed the absence of a grape skin pack. I was initially disappointed, but then it dawned on me that I really have no idea what difference the grape skin pack actually makes.

Fill me in, please? And what about raisins?

 

[sour_grapes]

As a newbie, I don't feel qualified to answer in my own words. However, let me quote extensively from an article by Tim Vandergrift on what the grape packs do for you:

Grape skin kits
At 15+ liters (4 gallons) in liquid volume, with an added package of grape solids, these kits are made with high-quality grape juices. Grape skin kits have the highest levels of dissolved solids, but this makes the drinkability trade-off an issue. The skins add phenomenal levels of dissolved solids and quite a bit of harshness in youth. As they age, they drop their rough edges and come into smooth maturity, and really replicate the finest commercial wines from grapes. With this extra level of solids and grape material, these kits aren’t for early drinking: they’re for laying down and avoiding for at least a couple of years. As with all wine kits you can drink them much younger, but they do get better and better as time passes. Hang onto them for two years to catch the beginning of what they offer, and two more years to savor their peak.

 

[ibglowin]

Pinot Noirs are not bold, massive, tannic wines so they can get away with out it. The grape packs also help add TDS though (total dissolved solids) again Pinots are able to sorta get away with it as they are more about elegance and refinement and not in your face wines that could cut through a steak without a knife type of wines.