Kit Recommendations Reds and Buttery Chardonnay

[grapeman]

This question was posed by skinnydipper and I am copying it here so more folks will read it and give them recommendations.


Skinnydipper:

I have also been studying up on kit wines. I am a hobby-gourmet chef, and have spent a great deal of time in wine pairing research, so it's hard for me to determine which kit to start with. I prefer full-bodied reds because they are typically easy to pair with foods that have layered flavors.<?:NAMESPACE PREFIX = O /><O></O>
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My Bride prefers chardonnay from 2005. A buttery flavor was popular with Napa whites in 2005, but for whatever reason the popularity faded, later vintages are no longer buttery. So, I would like to attempt a buttery chardonnay. Any suggestions?<O></O>Edited by: appleman

 

[grapeman]

Let me start this out. I would make the Mosti Rennaissance Amarone for a full red. It comes with a raisin pack and is EXTREMELY good. I find it better than most higher end kits.
http://www.finevinewines.com/ProdDet.asp?PartNumber=RE078


For a Buttery Chardonnay start with a standard Chardonnay kit and use the Battonage method to produce that rich, creamy Chardonnay she prefers. Maybe the Mosti All Juice Chardonnay
http://www.finevinewines.com/ProdDet.asp?PartNumber=MMS16

 

[skinnydipper]

Thank you appleman for bringing this topic over. <?amespace prefix = o ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><O></O>
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I had noticed the Amarone. It does sound like what I'm looking for. The Chardonnay sounds really good.<O></O>
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I have some general questions concerning kits, but first a little background. One of my gourmet hobbies is to prepare a seven course birthday dinner for my Bride and a dozen or so of her closest friends. I start planning the following year during the current dinner, in other words I start planning a year in advance. Each course has a wine pairing, so one of my goals is to have seven different wines. When I buy a kit, can I make several different variations of the same wine? For example, if I use several one-gallon secondary’s can I make a dry, semi sweet, sweet, and different flavoring combinations from one kit? Given that it takes at least a year for most wines to peak, I don’t want to end up with 30 bottles of wine that didn’t meet my expectations. If I can make several variations of the same kit, then I will have choices.<O></O>
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<O></O>The Amarone comes in a bucket. I’m assuming it is a food grade plastic bucket. DO you use it as the primary? Edited by: skinnydipper

 

[grapeman]

The Renaissance kit is a different line from the All Juice Amarone and in my opinion is a better wine. It does not have it's own bucket. You must get your own. The Chardonnay does come in a bucket, but that is a bit small to use for a primary (but some do use it). It is best to follow directions for a kit. Once fermented dry, you can sweeten to your level of desired sweetness, so can make unlimited variations. Just be sure to add the stabilizer before sweetening or it can referment. I am not sure I would sweeten the Amarone, although dry and semi sweet would be acceptable. I made this one into a port that finshed a bit sweet and added some chocolate flavoring and it came out very good. The Chardonnay could be done todirections and then split afterwards. You could finish one to fruitiness and the other you could do the battonage on it to give it the extra creaminess.


When is her birthday so we know what time you have to work with?

 

[skinnydipper]

Her birthday is in January. No home made wine this year, but I have some time to figure out next year.


I'm sorry, I meant the Chardonnay is in a bucket.

I typically don't like sweet reds, but Pearmund (a local Virginia, and very good winery) makes a sweet dessert red that is to die for. I'm planning on serving it with the dessert this year, flambéed banana with peach ice cream and sugar squiggle.<?amespace prefix = o ns = "urnchemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" />

 

[Wade E]

The bucket that comes with these kits is 6.5 gallon approx. and not really big enough to ferment a 6 gallon batch in or you can get into a mess doing that. Some use this bucket as a primary for fermenting smaller batches but I use it as a cork humidor to keep lots of corks in good standing.