wine kit questions

[rob]

Alright, what makes one wine kit cost 60.00 and another 90.00, I know that the higher priced kits contain more juice, but what else do the more expensive kits have that the cheaper ones do not? The other thought that I have had is why do the kits require water when you make your own from grapes do you add water?

 

[cpfan]

The kits require water to be added because the kit contains concentrate.

The short answer between the two levels of kits is total dissolved solids or TDS. Yeah, I know that didn't help you.

There are differences in the qualities of the juices/concentrates that make the kits. The really high end kits that are sourced from very specific areas usually come from areas where the grapes cost more.

The following is an article from Winemaker magazine that covers this topic. Hopefully it will help you.

http://www.winemakermag.com/stories/article/indices/25-kit-winemaking/90-big-kits-wine-kits

The comments in the article do not apply 100% to every kit on the market but should give you a start.

Steve

 

[TheTooth]

Hi Rob,

First the easy answer... why you add water: Wine kits require water because the juice is concentrated. If you make wine from grapes, the crushed grapes are all you need. But to make a kit, they concentrate the juice for a variety of reasons. You are actually getting the same amount of "juice" in all kits, but they have had water (and some solids) taken out of them before it was packaged and sent to you.

Why cheaper kits have less "juice". The juice in a cheaper kit has been further condensed. This makes it take less space and cheaper to ship, but it also cuts out more of the total solids in the must. These solids create body and flavor that can be lost during the concentrating process. This is particularly important in reds and their development. That's why there is less of a difference between cheaper and pricey white wine kits, but there is a big difference between red kits.

I wish I had a link with this info for you... maybe someone else does. I read this in a book, so I don't have it in front of me right now.

 

[TheTooth]

As usual, Steve jumps in with a good answer before I finish posting my mediocre answer.

 

[Wade E]

Hi Rob, some of the juices in the more expensive kits are grown at better vineyards and better climates. Kits require water additions because they concentrate the juices for a few reasons, one is for shipping purposes to save you money so you dot have to pay for 55lbs of product instead of about 30 lbs. They also do this to preserve the product so that dont loose it due to spoilage. Some grapes do require the addition of water to balance out the acids and sugars but most red wine grapes dont.

 

[Wade E]

I guess that makes me a slow typer!

 

[cpfan]

As usual, Steve jumps in with a good answer before I finish posting my mediocre answer.

Hey not mediocre. You gave a good summary of what I think that article says. I started to type something similar, and thought "I wonder if I can find that article".

Steve

 

[TheTooth]

Hey not mediocre. You gave a good summary of what I think that article says. I started to type something similar, and thought "I wonder if I can find that article".

Steve

It's OK. I was just having fun at my own expense.

I just read the article and it's a really good summary of what I was thinking. Thanks for finding that.

 

[rob]

thanks for all the help, Steve the Wine Makers artical should be required reading, alot to think about