Recommendation for early drinkers

[Heiko]

Hi,

I am new to the hobby and site. I just started making some kits in October of 2009. I have these kits aging in my basement:
Vintner's Reserve Chianti
CC California Reserve Syrah (12L)
WE Selection Premium Merlot
CC Showcase Amarone
CC Global Cuvee Amarone (12L)
CC California Reserve Cabernet (12L)
WE Selection Estate Lodi Old Vines Zinfandel
RJ Spagnols Grand Cru Int'l Australian Cabernet

From what I have been reading so far none of these will be ready to drink before they have at least a year of aging under their belt.
The waiting is really hard. So I would like to get some recommendations for a good red wine kit that starts to be drinkable in a 3-6 month time frame. Is there something like that?
Any suggestions are appreciated.
Thanks
-Heiko

 

[Dean]

I would think that your VR Chianti kit would be ready in about 2 months, and might even be okay right now. It will be thin, but that's more a function of the VR kits themselves. Following that, your GC International should be ready by May, but will continue to improve dramatically for the next 6 months.

A nice "quick" drinker would be a nice crisp white wine. Try a Soave, Pinot Grigio, or Chenin Blanc. I'd go with either RJS Cellar Classic, or RJS Cru Select on these ones. The Soave get's great reviews.

 

[xanxer82]

Bejoulais is an early drinker. Pretty tasty too.

 

[admiral]

Welcome to the forum. You could try a MM Vinifera Noble kit. I have made the Cabernet Sauvignon, the Zinfandel, and the Barolo. My favorite is the Barolo.

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[ArdenS]

I second admiral on the Vinifera Noble kits. Castel del Papa is nice.

 

[JohnnyK68]

Arden, how long did it take your castel del papa to be decent?

 

[ArdenS]

Bottle after 5 weeks (MM says 4), another 7-8 weeks in the bottles. It's thin (hey, it's only 10L of juice), but clear and drinkable. MM recommends a minimum of 3 months. I wouldn't enter it in a contest, but that wasn't my intent. I wanted something to drink while other things get some age. Some of our colleagues in this forum are connoisseurs -- not I.<a href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5Csanders%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml" target="_blank"><!--
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[JohnnyK68]

I would put a few bottles of it away and forget about it. Pull it out in about 18 months and see how different it is. You would be suprised.