All Juice vs Concentrate

[hartm]

Hey everyone,


I'm new to home wine-making. I have my first batch almost ready for bottling.

I was wondering what people thought about the differences between using an "All-Juice" kit versus a "Concentrated" kit. My gut feeling is that the concentarted kits would be missing some of the natural components that may be giving wine its flavor since you need to boil off that water to concentrate.


What have your experiences been regarding these two types of kits?


Thanks in advance for the input...

 

[uavwmn]

hartm, I have made both kinds of kits and honestly, they seem to be neck and neck in the voting department. After age on the wine they ALL were very good. IMHO

 

[Tom]

1st it really depends on what level kit you are comparing. If looking at reds the low end kits (7ltr)will be thin and lack body. The all juice will have much better taste and body. You are comparing a $5-10 bottle to a $20+ bottle of all juice. Remember you get what you pay for.

 

[Bartman]

I have preferred the wines I made from Alljuice kits to the wines made from concentrate versions, but I have an experiment in the works to compare two Sangiovese kits (all-juice vs. Vinifera Noble) to see how they compare. As has been said before, the different kits peak at different ages, so it would be difficult to compare two same-varietal kits at their respective peaks (concentrate kits peak sooner, all-juice kits can take 2+ years to reach their peak).

To me, the best product comparison is orange juice: fresh-squeezed, store-bought not-from-concentrate, store-bought concentrated juice, and frozen concentrate. Truly fresh-squeezed tastes exceptional, but if you just want a basic glass of orange juice, frozen concentarte will quench your thirst.

 

[hartm]

I'd like to hear how that turns out BartReeder. You could start the All-Juice kit now and wait a year for the other one. That way, they would be close to their peaks around the same time.


I agree with tepe, you usually get what you pay for. I'd rather shoot for the better wine and wait the 2+ years it needs to mature.


On the flip side, it comes down to your own tastes. If you don't taste the difference between a $7 bottle anda $20 bottle, does it make sense to buy the $20 bottle?

 

[Tom]

I'd like to hear how that turns out BartReeder. You could start the All-Juice kit now and wait a year for the other one. That way, they would be close to their peaks around the same time.


I agree with tepe, you usually get what you pay for. I'd rather shoot for the better wine and wait the 2+ years it needs to mature.


On the flip side, it comes down to your own tastes. If you don't taste the difference between a $7 bottle anda $20 bottle, does it make sense to buy the $20 bottle?

Hartm,
It all goes back to the 3 "P's & 3 T's"
P= Patience X 3
T= Taste X 3
If you don't have the fine Taste OR the Patience it makes no difference.

 

[joeswine]

TEPE your getting very

philosophical in your wine age

 

[Tom]

TEPE your getting very

philosophical in your wine age

Oh my! Such big words you have....

 

[JimCook]

Hartm,


Find a place (check with George if you are close by) where you can taste different kit wines. When I went to Winestock this spring, it was confirmed to me that all kit wines taste thin compared to made-from-grape wines, but that's just my own taste perception. Thin-ness aside, I still tasted some great tasting wine, and others that did not find my fancy in any way, shape, or form.


The concentrate wines that I made are continuing to improve after two years of age and as such I would say have not hit their peak. The AllJuice wines that I have made are also aging, but do not have the same age there for a direct comparison.


- Jim

 

[Bartman]

Both Sangiovese kits are bulk-aging currently, but I plan on bottling them around Thanksgiving (~6 months of bulk aging). In the name of "research," I plan on violating Tepe's law so I can compare/test the two at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year and 2 years.

Interestingly, the Malbec I made from a 20L (?) kit about 18 months ago, has fooled several folks into thinking it was not a kit, but was made from fresh grapes. On the other hand, my frozen-must Carmenere, about 20 months old, is somewhat bland and not particularly remarkable.

One strategy of dealing with the (actual or perceived) thin-ness of the concentrate kits is to hold out some of the water - adding enough water to get 5.75 gallons rather than 6. That can be tricky to make sure you're not "adjusting" it too much, however.

I recommend getting some alljuice kits to make and age for 2 years, and getting some conetrate kits to make and start drinking when you get "antsy."

Bart Reeder

 

[Tom]

BartReader,


"In the name of "research," I plan on violating Tepe's law so I can compare/test the two at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year and 2 years."





In the name of research you may break my law ...LOL

 

[vcasey]

BartReader,
You may want to think about bottling some in 375s for your research. Perhaps then you can do more .......... research.

VC

 

[Bartman]

That's not a bad idea - the 375 mL bottles are precious to me though. Those are the only bottles I've bought from George - everything else was salvaged/reclaimed from commercial wines. I typically make a 1.5 L and the rest as 750mL, but now I use the 375s whenever I have any available.

All in the name of "research." But in the name of "research," do the ends always justify the means?

Bart

 

[Bartman]

I have bottled the VN Sangiovese last night (had only one 375 mL bottle available

) and it looked pretty good. "Thinner" than I expected, although I am comparing it to some alljuice kits I have tasted recently, but still pretty tasty. The Alljuice Sangiovese is still bulk aging, but needs to be racked again so I can bottle it in a couple months. From my earlier posts, I remembered that I intended to bottle this around Labor Day. I suppose a few more weeks of bulk aging are all for the best.

Bart

 

[Brewgrrrl]

If you have a capper, you can bottle some in beer bottles for testers...