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For those of you who haven't heard... Vineco recently announced they will discontinue the entire KenRidge Founders Series (KRFS) kits when existing stock is sold. Exactly when each different type of kit sells out is anybody's guess, but suffice it to say that by the end of summer the entire line...

Hi Sudz, I'd recommend you try the reds from the Legacy brand of kits made by Vineco. They are designed from the ground up to be early drinkers, despite the fact they are nice sized (16L, 6-week) kits. The Merlot, in particular, is very nice... some of our winery customers prefer the Legacy kits...

Mike, Although the Cellar Craft Premium reds are not normally stocked in our warehouse, we can easily get these kits for any of our retailers on our next order. Just have them ask us. Hope that helps.

The only kit in the Sterling line that was discontinued in 2012 was the Old Vines Zin. Of course, they still make the ever popular Showcase Collection size of OVZ, the 18L size that includes a crushed grape pack. Haven't heard the 2013 updates yet. Still waiting to hear from the manufacturer...

Rocky, you are correct in that Chitosan is made from shellfish... but the important thing to know is that the clearing agent is made from the chitin (the soft or hard shell) portion of the animal and NOT the protein portion of the shellfish. The protein part of the shellfish is what folks are...

Since it's a Sterling kit, and a red one at that, it comes with 10.5 liters of juice/concentrate and a 1.5 liter package of crushed grapes. CAUTION: You should know that these kits were discontinued by the manufacturer early last year. Please check the expiration date of the kit itself and the...

Hi Bob, Although I haven't personally made the Barbera, I can list possible reasons why the wine isn't clearing for this type kit: 1 - Incomplete degassing 2 - Failure to add packet of enzyme at first racking 3 - Absence of proper time interval between Kieselsol and Chitosan As a general...

Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon would get my vote. Best kit I ever made.

Yes, that is correct - the Cellar Craft Showcase Argentinean Malbec has been produced and is now available to any retailer associated with Vineco / Cellar Craft.

Not a dumb question at all. Most wine kit manufacturers announce their special offerings in the Sept / Oct timeframe, with one kit scheduled for release starting in December and going through either March or April, depending on manufacturer. In the case of Cellar Craft, in years past they make...

Hands down, my (personal) favorite port is the Porto Corinto made by Cellar Craft. I generally fortify the kit with a bottle of brandy a day before bottling. Hope that helps.

Hi Sudz, The 7.8 gallon fermenting bucket is just fine for fermenting the Cellar Craft Showcase Collection red wine kits with grape packs (or the KenRidge Founders Series reds with grapes) - I've been doing it for years with no problem whatsoever. I will say, however, that my technique differs...

You should definitely chill a sample and try a taste before you make any adjustments. You can always make simple syrup and add some to sweeten the batch to your taste. Recommend bench trials in small samples before you treat the whole batch!

Yes - try one of these: grapestompers.com (Laurel Springs, NC) Tuscarora Mtn Winery (Chambersburg, PA) myLHBS (Falls Church, VA) High Gravity Brew (Tulsa, OK)

You might consider the "Legacy" brand of Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a 6-week, 16 liter kit made by Vineco. The entire Legacy brand is designed to be good "early" drinkers. So a year old Legacy Cab would be a good choice. It will not pack the body or the tannin profile of the Cellar Craft...

I think you'd be fine splitting the batch between plain chocolate vs. flavored chocolate. Would definitely recommend you measure carefully when halving the flavor packet. If it were me, I'd measure it with a sanitized liquid medicine syringe (the 10 ml size, generally included with children's...

It's a fair question, but I wouldn't worry about it. In all likelihood, those kits will be fine, unless they've been stored in a hot (say greater than 76 degrees F) environment for a while or subjected to direct sunlight. Heat like that can ruin a kit pretty fast. I once made a kit that was...

I totally agree with Mike. The Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon is the best I've ever made in my 15 years of home winemaking. Have won two medals for this wine, but doubt I will win any more - because I am keeping it all to myself from here on out!

Orange Muscat Port discontinued FYI - The Orange Muscat Port was recently discontinued by the manufacturer. Some may still be in circulation at the retailer level, but no more are being made. Hope that helps.

Steve, Man, you are so lucky... only 20 minutes from the factory store?? You must be living right! Am a bit jealous. I hope I have a Red Mtn Trio left over so I can have one for myself. It looks like another medal winner to me!