Mosti Mondiale VN Castel del Papa - still good at 2+ years

I made this low-priced Castel del Papa kit in June 2009, and only bulk-aged it about 5 months. Opening the first couple bottles about a month after bottling, it was pretty green and was really pretty fruity. Seemed then like it could make a really good cooking/mulled wine, and we drank most of it in the first year after that. Since the name is not recognized by most, we didn't give much away.

Opened the last bottle last night, and we really enjoyed it. It's still not a 'heavy' wine and doesn't have a lot of body, but if you are drinking it with dinner, watching a movie, or playing cards, it is really an easy wine to enjoy. Not as fruity as when first bottled, and not a lot of oak (I would probably bulk age it with an oak spiral for another 2 months, if I got a do-over). Soft fruits, nice finish, but no particular flavor dominated. I think I got it on sale back in mid '09, so it was probably less than $2 per bottle - a very good deal for the price! I would recommend it for a quick-drinker that has a little aging potential.

Was that a Renaissance kit?

No, no, VN = Vinifera Noble - Mosti's low-end product. They make a "Castel Del Papa" in the Renaissance and Alljuice lines, but this was the cheap version.

Thats a great line for sure. I made the VN Pino Grigio and it was excellent as well. I don't think George carries them anymore these days though.

Has them listed on the web site. The whites are usually pretty good in these small kits, but the reds have been hit or miss. Glad to hear yours was still good. I haven't had any of the VN kits but the RJS and WE kit reds all tasted the same to us so its been nice to hear a "small" kit has been the exception.

I know I am late to this discussion, but the Castel Del Papa has been one of my favorite's from MM.

I have a batch I made in 2008 and it is good stuff!

Made another batch of this cheap (but good!) kit in February, bottled in May. Added ~8 oz of cheap-o raisins and some tannin with the primary ferment. Had the last (I think) bottle last night at a BYOB Indian restaurant nearby - a great simple red for semi-spicy/spicy food! 4 of us split the double bottle and everyone enjoyed it!

I really like the 'trick' of adding some raisins and a little tannin to these low-end kits to make a good wine into a great wine!

Nice. This kit is on my list. I have been doing similar tweaks on cheaper kits. Hopefully, I will have similar success.