Other Has anyone tried elite vintners?

[A62Rambler]

I know it is not one of George's products. I'm just curious to know about their quality. I'm very happy with my MM kitsand love George's great service. I also thought it would be a way to do a few 3 gal kits for wines I don't want to have 30 bottles sitting around. Such as trying a Cabernet Franc. Does anyone have any first or second hand knowlege of the quality of the juices/concentrates or of the finished wine?

 

[grapeman]

I got a mixture of Zinfandel and Shiraz going on two years ago from them. Mixture about 55 Zin 45%Shiraz. Used a medium American Oak. It turned out really well. The quality of the juice at the time was very good, but really concentrated. The body is pretty good for the amount of juice- I think it was about 10 liters for a 6 gallon batch. I know they were considering moving the operation to the US, but I don't think it ever took place. I was satisfied with the results and it gets better all the time.




BUT.... and this is probably my fault.....
Out of 6 bottles drunk, 2 had very off flavors, bordering on cork taint. I will stick with the Mosti Mondiale All Juice buckets. The Pinot Noir I have going is going to be a good one.

 

[A62Rambler]

Thanks Appleman.


I'm partial to all juice kits only because I don't think taking water out to make a concentrate so I can put water back in is a wasted step in the process. I guess I'll just stick with the all juice buckets or maybe I'll manage to try the frozen must someday.

 

[dfwwino]

I was looking at Elite Vinters the other night because I too would like to make smaller batches. I don't know why the kit manufacturers only offer the kits in six gallon batches. I would prefer to make a greater number and variety of kits without having to have 30 bottles for every batch. I noticed that 3 gallons of concentrate would cost $55 on the elite vintners site. I may give it a try some time.


I convinced four other friends to collectively make a 30 bottle kit this week. I am hoping they will like their six bottles so we can collectively make kits every couple of months and get a greater variety of wines.

 

[summersolstice]

I ordered an EV kit from Canada a year or so ago. It's now in the bottle after bulk aging for several months. I too wanted to dip my toe in the water first and try a smallerkit from a manufacturer I didn't know very much about. I ordered the 12L size.


The site also allows you to choose the blend (I chose Cab/Merlot/Shiraz), the yeast, and the oak (both toast and quantity). As the previous poster stated, the juice is extrememly concentrated - more so than in a normal kit. It does seem to be of very good quality though.


One thing I liked was the personalized service. The kit itself came in an unmarked and unlabeled brown box but the very detailed instructions started out with Dear (my name).


The downside is that it came from Canada and it took a couple of weeks to arrive since it had to clear customs as well.


The wine needs more time but, all in all, I'm satisfied. Would I order another kit from EV? Perhaps - if I could order from a source in the US. Is it hands down better than another manufacturer? I wouldn't say so.


I understand they're shipping to commercial accounts from someplace in the south - Georgia?

 

[A62Rambler]

DFW,
I'm also interested in them only because I want to try some smaller kits. I have plenty of friendsbut they aren't interested in helping or in paying for part of the kits. But they have all agreed to help drink them after they age. They're very willing to do their part.

Rule G.
Thanks for the report. I was hoping that they used lots of juice as the site doesn't say how much concentrate they give you. I think I'll just stick with Fine Vine Wines. The service is great and the shipping fast. (is there an emoticon for kissing up?)

 

[Wade E]

 

[dfwwino]

Wade, I think he wanted to know how to kiss up. I'd call that kissing down, way down. Where are you finding these emoticons?

 

[Wade E]

Smiley central

 

[A62Rambler]

I should have known better than to ask with Wade around. I guess you really should be careful what you ask for.

 

[grapeman]

How about this?