RJ Spagnols great wines

[lvredslots]

Hey gang, me new to make wine. I'm actually accustomed to drinking kind of expensive reds. Usually upwards of $80/bottle.

Do you guys/gals think I could make my own vino using RJ Spangols goodies as good as say a store bought stags leap merlot retailing for $100/bottle ? I've been studying my tail off about making good vino. Edited by: masta

 

[Dean]

you cannot get that level of wine without aging and concentration via barrels. First off, you'd have to make enough wine to fill a large barrel. Then, when "the angel's share" leaves (evaporation), you top up the barrel with more of the same wine to prevent oxidation. This results in a concentrated, intense wine, typically found in those $80+ bottles you drink.

Can you achieve this? YES you can...can you achieve this with standard home winemaker equipment? No, you cannot. You will need equipment that goes a little beyond the home winemaker, but you can get there. Kits will give you a good start and understanding of the process, but ultimately, you'll need exceptional fruit to make exceptional wine. For that you need crusher/destemmers, large fermentors, lots of carboys, a small wine lab, barrels, bladder or traditional press, and time. Storage of the wine, in large quantities at proper temps and humidity is essential to hit the same quality as your $80+ bottles. The last thing you need is time. I bet most of your wines are at least 3 - 4 year old. The last part is the hardest for most of us.

One of our members, Texasermd is off to a great start to make just such a wine.

 

[grapeman]

My recommendation would be to find a reputable dealer/store that makes kits for samples to customers to try like George at Fine Vine Wines. You need to be close by to have access to these samples. Tell them whatyou like and see if they have anything that would be close enough for you to cross your palate. Some very discerning tasters are very happy with some of the higher end Mosti Mondiale kits that George carries. If you are happy with the taste, then try one of them. Otherwise if your expectations are too high they may never be met.

 

[lvredslots]

Dean, thanks for the insight.
Yes most of my wines are in fact 7-10 yrs old all store bought.
I had bought some wine from a distributor I know it was a good deal
back then. I had bought about $3000 worth of vintage 2000 Beaurdeax but ended up cancelling the order at the time due to one problem that arose. I would have had those bottles for about $200/bottle, boy what a mistake that was to cancel the order !!!!!!!
Anywho, yes I have a couple of wine coolers perfect for aging at set temps. So sounds like I'll need some oak barrels small enough to fit into my wine cooler, and time. You've given me something to think about and work on and I thank you. Barry

 

[lvredslots]

Appleman,
Many thanks I've heard some good things about Mosti Mondiale kits.
I plan on making some of those kits but I think first I'll try RJ Spangols and park them in either an American or French oak barrel for aging. I really don't drink lot of wine but when I do pull a cork I like to really have a great bottle in hand. I'll be estatic if I can produce an over $80 bottle of wine for say 6 bucks LOL !!! I'm patient and slow moving so that might add up to success. thanks...........
Till then guess I'll just have to drink more good Vodka LOL !!!!!

 

[dfwwino]

If you really want to dip your toe in this hobby, I'd recommend you start with the high-end kits on this site, recognizing they won't make an $80 bottle of wine. But you can make wine that tastes like a $20-40 bottle if you use good winemaking practices. Try the Mosti Mondiale Meglioli kit or Master's Edition kits. They are the best I have tasted. Once you learn the basics, you then need to move into fresh grape winemaking, and get yourself a crusher/destemmer, press, and oak barrel and a very good source for grapes. One possibility is to pay for premium fresh grapes frozen and shipped by Peter Brehm Vineyards. High price, but good product. Or start making contacts with vineyard owners and find someone who will sell you grapes. To make that quality of wine, however, you will need to acquire significant knowledge and experience as a winemaker and have some talent too, just like every other endeavor. Personally, I think despite your expensive taste, you would probably be happy with the Meglioli. The pride alone of making your own would make up for any perceived difference in quality. By the way, if you make the RJ Spagnols and are disappointed, try one more time at least and get yourself the Meglioli. It costs a little over $7.00 a bottle, but is well worth it.Edited by: dfwwino

 

[lvredslots]

Shyster,
great tips and many thanks. I fully intend on cultivating my wine making knowledge and skills. I think I had heard of Peter Brehm,
I have located his website and am reading it now. So with your experience would you say that in order to make premium wine it's just better to crush my own ? I am making some kits now and plan on putting them into an oak barrell and stick to a good tasting/topping off regimine. Do you know approx how much water evaporates out of a 5 gallon barrell over a period of say 10-12 months ? Just wondering if anyone might know from experiences. I do want to make excellent wine. Thanks for the Peter Brehm tip, I'll have to try kits and some super frozengrapes and see which is the best. If it turns out really nice I'll owe a few people a bottle LOL !!!
thanks....... barry

 

[lvredslots]

Shyster,
Have you experimented with adding frozen merlot grapes to your wine kits for flavoring ? I'm sure the companies who sell wine making kits do try their best to provide top quality. However I have read that the more particulate (real grapes) is in the must and finished wine the better the aging qualities. Using the wine kits apprantly does not provide high particulate ?? Pls comment your thoughts.
thanks !!
barry