WineXpert Which Italian wine kit would you pick from these?

[geek]

I'm thinking of getting a kit and want to make a big red italian for the first time, looking for full dark/tasty body, oaky and hopefully to be ready early.

-Sangiovese
-Amarone
-Brunello

Some of you may reply that these italian reds need x time to be ready for drinking (a year?).

I can get Amarone or Brunello style WE Selection International, for about $104 plus shipping (around $22 ) and that would make the kit to $126 shipped.
Kind of a bit out of my comfort zone price-wise considering I've been making juice buckets from Chile and California.
Those italian types in juice buckets are $90~$100 per my local HBS when they get them at the end of the year, and there's nothing else except for the juice bucket.

The WE Selection International comes with a grape pack.

Thoughts.........

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[chrisjw]

I love your choices. Big, bold Italian reds are my favorite.

I made the WE Sel Intl Brunello and the RJS Winery Series Amarone. They are both good but at 1 year I like the Brunello more. I added more oak to both kits. I am also making some higher end Barolos and I believe that the WE Eclipse Barolo is going to be outstanding without any tweaks and it has a great oak flavor.

That said, you may want to take a look at a thread on this forum by Joeswines. He discusses the making of a cheaper World Vineyard Sangiovese and a WE Sel Intl Amarone and tweaking both with raisins and more oak or tannin.

Also note that Brunello is made from Sangiovese grapes from a certain region but Sangiovese grapes are also used to make other wines.

 

[cimbaliw]

For my next kit I'll be attempting the joeswine sangiovese method. Look for it here around post #301

 

[eblasmn9]

I made the winexpert Selection International Amarone 14 months ago. This is a very good wine. As mentioned Joeswine is doing a photo journal of making this wine on another thread. This is well worth searching for. I have both Winexpert World vineyard Sangiovese and the Winexpert Selection International Brunello yet to make. I think both will be very good wines. The best wine that I made of the varietals you mentioned is hands down the Cellar craft Amarone. This wine is a bit pricey, but worth every penny I paid.

Earl

 

[KenS]

I'm drinking the WE Selection International Amarone tonight, from a kit I made just over a year ago. Really is an excellent wine, but I wish I had bulk aged it a while longer (I had to bottle it because we were moving halfway across the country). It is very good at 1 year, and I expect it will only get better. Finished at 14.5% ABV, so I better stop at glass number two tonight

 

[tonyt]

I have done the WE SI Brunello with skins abd recomend it. Mine was started in Jan and bottled last week. It taste great at bottling. But we will not drink for at least another year. For early drinking I would get the Sangiovese and add raisins and oak. Let it age three months in carboy and three months in bottle. While youre drinking that let one of the other two age a year.

 

[wineh]

Brunello!

I did the WE Brunello both times it was a limited edition, and did a grapeskins version the day I could get my hands on it. I actually just put my third grapeskins version on this morning! It is awesome at one year, but I have had a hard time getting them to that age, as it is delicious after 3 months!

 

[geek]

thanks guys. Even a kit I'd try the raisins as joe had suggested in those posts.

 

[geek]

The WE V R World Vinyard on the Sangiovese is almost half the price compared to the other kist I mentioned above; it only comes as a 10L kit with no grape skins pack.

The Amarone and Brunello on the Selection International come in 18L kit with grape skins pack.

Does it sound correct that the Sangiovese would give a thin wine as you'd need more water added in primary?

Both make 6 gallons of wine but 10L versus 18L is a big difference.

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[wineforfun]

Just remember, you get what you pay for.
I would want the one with more juice.

 

[tonyt]

The reason I suggested the Sangeovese is because of the request for an early drinker. The grape pack kits cost more and deserve the extra time to mature. If you are willing to "shop by mail" Fine Vine Wines (I an not a paid spokesperson) has $9.99 shipping and I have made the RJ Spagnols
Cru Select Platinum Italian Sangiovese (Formerly Italian Brunello) with excellent results. It's a 16 ltr kit without grape pack. Add some raisins and drink it in six months.

 

[geek]

Thanks tony, but that Sangiovese kit is actually more $$ than the Brunello I mentioned in my first post.
I can get the brunello for $104 plus $22 shipping.

The Vr World Vineyard Italian Sangiovese 10L Wine Kit is $62 but no grape pack though.

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[LoneStarLori]

I am currently doing a Eclipse Mezza Luna White with Joes help using the raisin and tannin trick. I can tell you after racking and removing the raisins last weekend, there was a BIG difference in the overall body and texture of the wine. I tasted at the end of fermentation. It was rather sharp and not much fruit coing through. Then I added the raisins and tannins and let it sit another 10 days before clearing. What a difference in the taste! I can't wait to see how it is in about 6 months.

This project can be found here: http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f61/almond-wine-9155/index22.html#post448821

and joes Sangiovese project starts here: http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f6/when-good-wines-g-ne-bad-29481/index31.html#post410608

I am going to do one of the big reds too using this method. Just can't decide which, but I'm leaning toward Amarone.

 

[geek]

Since I never tried Sangiovese or Brunello () I went to the liquor store to check prices.
I bought a Sangiovese bottle for $10 just to start, then I asked the guy about Brunello and he pointed me to the rack....a $65 a bottle...

Wow, the Brunello is indeed pricey as some of you mentioned.

 

[jimmyjames23]

The Amarone is really nice. Got one brewing right now. My next kit is RJS Super Tuscan.

 

[geek]

I liked an Amarone I tried recently, only that the raisins flavor was very strong.

 

[vabeachbear]

I liked an Amarone I tried recently, only that the raisins flavor was very strong.

Have made all the big Italian reds started the WE Eclipse Barolo 6 months ago, like it alot. Not an early drinker though. Minimum 2 yrs.

 

[LoneStarLori]

For my next kit I'll be attempting the joeswine sangiovese method. Look for it here around post #301

Got my kit yesterday and will be doing the same thing. I already did it to a white and it seems pretty nice. I know it gave it more body for sure.

 

[Pumpkinman]

Varis, get an Amarone Juice Bucket!

 

[geek]

Varis, get an Amarone Juice Bucket!

Tom,

Would love to, budget is tight....and the wife doesn't even know how much I've spent on this hobby....

That Amarone tasted too much to raisins and I don't have another one to compare, I guess is time to buy a bottle at the store and see what it is.
Would you choose Amarone over Sanguiovese?

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