WineXpert Interested in reviews for Selection Grape Skin Kits

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Putterrr

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It has been about 18 months since WE introduced their Selection International Kits with Grape Skins. They started with 4 and have since added 3 more. Can anyone comment on their experiences/impressions with them. I have only made the RJS grape skin kits. Below are the offerings from WE. Thx
Argentine Malbec with Grape Skins

Australian Petit Verdot with Grape Skins

Chilean Malbec Shiraz with Grape Skins

Italian Amarone Style with Grape Skins

Italian Brunello Style with Grape Skins

Sicilian Nero D'Avola with Grape Skins

Spanish Tempranillo with Grape Skins
 
I would also be interested to hear about experiences with a couple of the kits mentioned above. I am probably most interested in the Sicilian Nero D'Avola, closely followed by the Spanish Tempranillo. In particular does anyone have comments on how the WE Nero might compare to the MM Renaissance Nero (since George has this on special this month)? Also, any thoughts on the WE Tempranillo compared to the CC Showcase version?

I have the Amarone in bulk aging now (~4 months) and it is quite nice even at this point. It should end up as a pretty impressive wine a year or so from now.
 
Petit Verdot was great at bottling and is okay to good at 14 months :( Sicilian Nero D'Avola was okay at bottling and very good on the way to excellent at 12 months. Brunello is on day two of primary. Hope this helps.
 
In particular does anyone have comments on how the WE Nero might compare to the MM Renaissance Nero (since George has this on special this month)?

I did a side by side taste test recently and it was a toss up. Two prefered the WE w/skins and two prefered MMR. WE was much darker though. I just ordered my third MMR Nero from George. I'm a sucker for a good deal.
 
Tony, I'd lke to hear more about the Sicilian Nero D'Avola , this is a wine that I am really interested in.
 
Tom, Nero D'Avola is one of my go to wines. All four of my grandparents were from Sicily so that may help. It is supposed to be dark, the WE gets points for making a very dark wine. The WE now comes with skins and that may add to keeping it's dark color. The MMR has no skins but I add raisins to it. Both make delicious fruit forward oaked wine. The WE comes with more oak. I added untoasted powder to both. I also added an oak spiral to each. I added glycerin and tan cor grand cru to the MMR. The WE tannin and mouth feel needed no tweak other than the extra oak. SWMBO and I like heavier oak and Nero can handle it. Our other go to wines are Shiraz/Syrah and Amarone. Nero D'Avola compares well with those two for us.
 
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Like Tony, I have had a great experience with the WE Nero D'Avola. I made one kit last year and I think I might have 8 bottles or so left. (No, nothing ages in my cellar except me.)
 
yummy

I have made both the WE Spanish Tempranillo and and WE Italian Brunello with grapeskins. I took the WE Spanish Rioja out of my rotation in favor of the Tempranillo (and the second batch is already in the bottle) I considered this wine to be excellent after 3 months as well as 6 and 9 months, till I ran out (I have 2 bottles tucked away for extended aging).
I made the WE Italian Brunello twice as a limited edition, and liked both. The grapeskins version steps that up a couple of notches as well. It has been excellent at 3 and 6 months, and I'm not out of it yet! The second batch of that is also on.
Both wines are very dark in color and full in flavor. I am reluctant to use the term "full bodied" on this forum.

Oh, and by the way, I saved the grapeskins from the last Brunello kit and put them in the WE Chilean Carmenere that I started last Sunday. I don't know if that will be helpful or not, but I'm sure it can't hurt.:h
 
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Oh, and by the way, I saved the grapeskins from the last Brunello kit and put them in the WE Chilean Carmenere that I started last Sunday. I don't know if that will be helpful or not, but I'm sure it can't hurt.:h

I contacted Winexpert customer service regarding this, and the reply was to the effect of:

Those grapeskins were all used up in the Brunello and have done nothing for your Carmenere.

I guess I won't do that again.
 
I am in the process of making the Tempranillo. I just racked from secondary last weekend, so I can't speak for taste yet. But the kit in general impressed me with the amount of oak. It had two packages of oak powder and two packages of oak chips for primary, and a large package of oak cubes for later. I want to say 60g of cubes. Not sure what is in a CC showcase usually, but this looks like more.
 
Thx everyone. I have the Tempranillo and Melbec ready to start. It will be about a year to know how they are doing. Its good to hear how others have found these kits.

cheers
 

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