Just do Kits?

[RCGoodin]

Thanks for the link RC, I've not tried a juice bucket yet and it looks like this will be the first! Gotta love the free shipping with Amazon Prime.

BC

Yeah, with Prime you'll get it a couple days also. I used to get it tax free, but Arizona is now making Amazon charge tax. Oh well, it's still a good deal.

Sign up for the 5% subscription discount. You can cancel it later and still get the 5% off. Or, if you like the wine, have them send you a bucket every 6 months (you can adjust that also). Did I mention the kit comes with corks, labels, and foil tops?

 

[WI_Wino]

Thanks for the link RC, I've not tried a juice bucket yet and it looks like this will be the first! Gotta love the free shipping with Amazon Prime.

BC

I have had decent luck with the amazon kits but you should note that the 23L buckets are not all juice. They are reconstituted concentrate.

 

[Rocky]

I have had decent luck with the amazon kits but you should note that the 23L buckets are not all juice. They are reconstituted concentrate.

I have read the same thing about Mosti Modiale All Juice Original. That is why I no longer use that series.

 

[cimbaliw]

Any 100% juice - juice bucket recommendations?

 

[BobF]

Thinking aloud .... the buckets that are partly reconstituted concentrates are prolly done that way as a means to balance the buckets and achieve a reasonably consistent product for brix, acidity and overall body.

 

[RCGoodin]

Thinking aloud .... the buckets that are partly reconstituted concentrates are prolly done that way as a means to balance the buckets and achieve a reasonably consistent product for brix, acidity and overall body.

I've made plenty of these kits and they've all been more than acceptable. You can purchase the expensive ones, but they'll come out the same.

 

[BobF]

That was my point ... concentrate isn't necessarily a bad thing. Depends on how much, etc.

There are two high-end kits sitting across the room. They both make great wine and get rave reviews. They both list "concentrate and/or grape juice" in the ingredients.

I have one pure juice bucket experience and it will likely be my last. Life's too short to have to fiddle and tweak just to make something drinkable. A little concentrate for good balance is a good thing.

With a well balanced base, your fiddling and tweaking can be focused on personalizing and refining rather than heroic measures to save the life of a bad wine.

 

[WI_Wino]

That was my point ... concentrate isn't necessarily a bad thing. Depends on how much, etc.

There are two high-end kits sitting across the room. They both make great wine and get rave reviews. They both list "concentrate and/or grape juice" in the ingredients.

I have one pure juice bucket experience and it will likely be my last. Life's too short to have to fiddle and tweak just to make something drinkable. A little concentrate for good balance is a good thing.

With a well balanced base, your fiddling and tweaking can be focused on personalizing and refining rather than heroic measures to save the life of a bad wine.

Agreed. if you have decent water then I don't think there is any reason to get the 23L kits when the same concentrate can be had in smaller volume (add your own water). You pay less for shipping and handling.

 

[BobF]

To be clear, I'm not suggesting that a mostly concentrate kit or bucket are going to be equal. However, used judiciously, concentrate has a perfectly acceptable place in winemaking kits and juice buckets.

Nothing wrong with going the pure juice route either, just make sure you're not shooting yourself in the foot for something that doesn't really matter.

FWIW, I would gladly take perfectly balanced, perfectly sweetened grapes of my favorite varieties, all gently stomped by vineyard fairies with clean, disease-free feet!