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I'm glad to hear this one is so good! I ordered two of these on the word of others, so I'm excited to try it. For those that made this one the first time it was issued, how much aging do you feel like it took before it was drinkable and/or drinking best?

I made the Winexpert French Sauvignon Blanc (it's a year old from start of fermentation). My husband and I drink mostly reds, but we like whites as well, and Sauvignon Blanc is my favorite white varietal at the moment. We originally made this kit to have something to drink sooner than the...

I vote for the dishwasher on high heat with some scraping using a kitchen scraper and Goo-Gone for any leftover residue. I've tried the oxyclean & hot water method, but it did not seem to work as good for me. I did 18 bottles in 1 cycle of the dishwasher (before drying) today, and I thought...

You're right, Mike and Wade, if I had stopped to think about the fact that this is a Pinot, it would make more sense that it doesn't have grape skins. I guess I just figured that since the skins added to, say, a Cab kit make it more like a commercial Cab, then skins added to the Pinot kit...

I started this one about a month ago, and I didn't find any grape skins, either. I was really surprised because I thought all En Primeur kits came with skins, and that's the main reason I chose this kit. However, upon reading RJS's website, I noticed that the description of this kit does not...

Thanks, Dean! That should work great. I don't think I'll have to worry about it getting colder than -18C, but I'll be sure to keep an eye on it.

I have an EP Pinot going right now, and it's in the final stages of fermentation. I do not have a fridge large enough to put a carboy in (in addition to my regular food), so I will have to rely on mother nature. However, I live in Missouri so by the time the fermentation is finished and the wine...

I am curious about this as well. According to the article, the top 100 ranking "is based on the average scores given by judges of the top performing kit entries this year." I'm not sure what the "top performing kit entries" means--perhaps that only kits winning medals or even golds qualify for...

I definitely did learn a thing or two...or possibly 200... while reading this thread. My family has been tossing around the idea of planting some vines, and this really helps me understand the kind of dedication and patience required with a vineyard.

I just finished reading this thread from beginning to end (not all in one sitting, of course). I am so impressed by your vineyard, Appleman. And, to think you do it all while having a separate day job and the work at Willsboro. Amazing!

Also, we taste tested the wine. I was pleased to find that it smelled like concord (no off flavors readily present). From the nose, my palate expected the wine to be sweet, even though mentally I knew it would be dry. It was amazing to me how much the nose and taste of concord tried to sway my...

This weekend we racked the first batch off of its sediment and into a 5 gal carboy. There was quite a bit of sediment at the bottom, but I suppose this has to do with it being from fresh grapes instead of a kit. We degassed and added K sorbate, having already added the K meta. I was surprised...

Okay--my suspicion has been confirmed...We will plan to rack the wine off the sediment and into a smaller carboy as soon as possible. We will also degas. Unfortunately, it will have to wait until this weekend so I can go buy a carboy. Hopefully it won't be ruined by then. Is it safe to put...

Hi all, I think I'm still a bit fuzzy on what to do after fermentation is complete. After racking from the primary into a carboy, we waited until the airlock bubbling slowed way down and then we verified that the SG was stable for 2 days in a row. Now, we are adding 1 crushed campden tablet per...

I am only on my fifth kit, but they have all been Winexpert. According to my records, all of my reds (3 kits) have included Chitosan while all of the whites (2) have included Isinglass. Based on this, I would presume that the bag with the Isinglass belongs with your Chardonnay, while the...

Other than hearing about the Pacific Quartet (thanks for the info vcasey), I have not heard much about these wines, other than my LHBS says they are all great...but of course they are trying to sell kits. Has anyone made any of these kits from the first time they came out? If so, what did you...

The SG last night was 1.004, but it wasn't checked until late, so we (this wine is being made with some friends) are planning to transfer today. Thanks for the tip about squeezing the skins, I thought that might be what we were supposed to do, but now we will definitely do it. Thanks for the...

Wade, I'm curious where your friend gets these grapes from, since I see you are from Connecticut and to my knowledge Cab and Merlot are not typically grapes grown in that area of the country. Am I mistaken & these varietals are grown in your area, or does your friend ship them in? I would...

Hi all, I recently started attempting to make my first batch of wine from fresh grapes. My past wine making experience is only 4 kits from WE, so it's not that broad-based, but I have read a decent amount from this forum. First, the basics: I'm making a Concord wine (the grapes were free from...

I applaud your patience, Darryl!