Other Cab kit recommendation
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dcbrown73
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I see different opinions about many different kits. Some say they are all very similar. The only consistent opinion I've found though was the WineExpert Eclipse kits are very good. My first kit I started making was the Barbossa Valley WE Eclipse Shiraz kit. I was looking for a white wine kit to make next and my end result was to just purchase the Eclipse Dry Creek Chardonnay kit.
I'm sure many are very good though. I think once I get through these. I may start working to learn to make it with just juice so that I can actually learn what's possible rather than just following kits to the T.
Anyway, good luck with your Cab/Sauv!
I'm sure many are very good though. I think once I get through these. I may start working to learn to make it with just juice so that I can actually learn what's possible rather than just following kits to the T.
Anyway, good luck with your Cab/Sauv!
AZMDTed
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I haven't tried other manufacturer's Cabs, so knowing that I can't compare, let me say that my wife and I thoroughly enjoy WE Eclipse Lodi Ranch 11 Cab Sauvignon. It is good early, and very good at a year. I'm hitting 18 months on mine next month and from many accounts that's when it really starts to shine. We'll see. I have made 5 kits of it now as our daily go to drinking wine starting later this fall.
I'll second the motion for the Lodi Ranch 11 Cab. I made two of these in 2015, one is bottled and early sampling is quite nice, the second has one more month in the barrel before finishing up its one year bulk aging. Samples of the barrel wine are even better than the previous wine at that age.
While not a pure Cab, the best kit I have made so far is the CC Showcase Walla Walla Cab/Merlot blend.
And there's that kit coming back for discussion again....really tempting...!!!
Well, I must admit it is floating on top of my brain right now!
AZMDTed
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Well, I must admit it is floating on top of my brain right now!
That's better than your brain floating on top of that wine, at least until later today.
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Not sure I follow as it looks like their standard pricing when I went to their website today. $170 each. Did you see something different?
Didn't add to cart so did not see the difference. That is a good price!
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AZMDTed
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As near as I can tell I saw their standard pricing, which when you put it in the cart you will that it's about $114 for the Cab, with $16 shipping to my house, that is an everyday GREAT deal to me.
dcbrown73
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I received an email offering it, but I bought the Chardonnay yesterday before I got the email. It said at the bottom of the page is bright red that they can't show the price until you put it in your cart. (I can't load their site right now to see if it's still there)
This is from my email confirmations:
Code:
Cart Items SKU Qty Item Price
Eclipse Lodi Old Vines Zinfandel Kit 3106 1 $114.55 USD
Lodi Ranch 11 Cabernet Sauvignon Wine Kit 3108 1 $114.55 USD
Sonoma Dry Creek Chardonnay Wine Kit 3102 1 $109.49 USD
wineforfun
Still Trying To Make The Perfect Wine and Now Tryi
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That is an impossible question to answer. There is no "best" kit. Everyone has a different palate and will see things differently.
What exactly is best? Flavor, mouthfeel, amount of oak, etc. In general, your higher end kits will make a better wine in the end. Think of the old adage, "you get what you pay for".
However, if you read through numerous threads @joeswine has written, you can take a very inexpensive kit and make it into a very decent table wine at about a 1/3 of the cost of the higher end kits.
So in the end, it depends what you are looking for as there is no best of anything in winemaking, no matter what anyone tells you. I guess one could consider the best is the wine you have just currently emptied your bottle of.
I'm kind of with wineforfun - if you're not completely comfortable tweaking cheaper kits, you really can't go wrong with any of the upper end or premium kits. Think 16 Liters or better, with the bells and whistles to make the wine really shine - grape pack, oak for the primary and finish and something specific to your particular red wine in the way of yeast (RC212 or substitute in a BM4x4).
From there, you can consider tannins in primary or finish and some longer term aging before you start pulling corks.
From there, you can consider tannins in primary or finish and some longer term aging before you start pulling corks.
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Thanks for the heads up!!! Got four kits: Stags Leap Merlot, Lodi Cab, Marlborough SB, and needed a quick drinking SB so got the 10L world vineyard SB kit that wasn't on sale. Some great prices with very reasonable shipping...unlike he who shalt not be named.
Nice selection for sure!!! I've done the SL and Lodi numerous times, just bottled the Marl. SB, wife loves it.
