WineXpert wine kits on sale!

[Boatboy24]

IMHO, you can't have too many big, giant reds, go for the best Amarone you can afford. I'm on an Amarone kick right now, been buying some commercial bottles and just loving them. I'm waiting anxiously for the Amorosso Mondiale Meglioli to be released next month.

I'm going through a similar phase, it seems. I have an EP Amarone at 2.5 years of age now and it's getting quite good (still have 2 cases of it). I started a Winery Series Amarone a couple weeks ago and I'm thinking of grabbing a Cellar Craft Showcase Amarone so I can compare all 3.

 

[bkisel]

Just finished putting in my order... Thanks to Varis I'm now almost $300.00 poorer.

BTW, after just about 20 minutes of putting the order in I get an email saying my order is awaiting shipment.

Ps. Couldn't pull the trigger on the high end kits I want. Feel more comfortable ordering when I'm ready to make as opposed to having them sit around in my basement.


FYI...
Cart Items SKU Qty Item Price Item Total
Pectic Enzyme 1 oz
6382 1 $1.74 USD $1.74 USD
Potassium Metabisulfite 1 lb
6012B 1 $4.13 USD $4.13 USD
World Vineyard Australian Shiraz Wine Kit
3590 1 $56.34 USD $56.34 USD
World Vineyard California Moscato Wine Kit
3579 1 $59.10 USD $59.10 USD
World Vineyard California Pinot Noir Wine Kit
3597 1 $57.54 USD $57.54 USD
World Vineyard Washington Riesling Wine Kit
3587 1 $53.94 USD $53.94 USD
Subtotal: $232.79 USD
Shipping: $45.74 USD
Grand Total: $278.53 USD

 

[jgmann67]

If you make other wines easily accessible on the way to the sanctuary that helps too.

Is that like saying that when you're hiking in the woods with a friend and a bear attacks, you don't have to be faster than the bear... you just have to be faster than your friend?

 

[Brian55]

I'm committed to getting the Eclipse Cab. The question is what my second kit would be on this purchase. I'm leaning towards a red (I have a Chard polishing in a carboy). Right now, I have the Eclipse Merlot in the bottle and getting better with every taste; the LE Super Tuscan, too; and a Forza on oak in a carboy.

I like the idea of the Amarone, but with the Forza and the Super, that's already 5 cases of "big Italians" aging in the cellar. I don't really have anything in the inventory like a Pinot. By the same token, if the Eclipse Pinot is subpar, I can hold out for a better one elsewhere (I'd prefer an Oregon Pinot, anyway - if only it were available... Hint hint, Peter Mills).

The Barolo and Shiraz are my two personal favorites from the Eclipse line. Followed closely by the Cab. Forza is next in line for Primary, we skipped the WE LE Super Tuscan due to the price fixing fiasco not having been completely sorted out back then. Instead we went with another RJ's Super Tuscan since it had been so consistently good.

 

[jgmann67]

Just finished putting in my order... Thanks to Varis I'm now almost $300.00 poorer.

What did you buy?

 

[ceeaton]

Is that like saying that when you're hiking in the woods with a friend and a bear attacks, you don't have to be faster than the bear... you just have to be faster than your friend?

Exactly. The bottle of Forza is the survivor, the 1/2 bottle Sangiovese is the slow friend, and best of all, I'm the bear!

I hid to rest of my "kill" to go back and finish tonight once my taxi services are done for the evening.

 

[bkisel]

What did you buy?

Updated the post (above) to show my order and pricing...

 

[geek]

Just finished putting in my order... Thanks to Varis I'm now almost $300.00 poorer.

Bill,

Just let me know when they're ready to drink and I'll stop by.....

 

[geek]

BTW - How was your first experience with the folks at LP?
I know it should've been great, not only these folks have great customer service but the best prices around, hands down..!!

Highly recommended...

 

[jgmann67]

By process of elimination, I started with 6 kits in my cart -

Eclipse Cab, Pinot, Barolo, and Chard (just because it's on my list of 'kits to try')
LE Fortitude
Selection Amarone.

The Pinot and Chard came out of the cart first thing - the Pinot because I will probably be disappointed that it's not enough like a Willamette Valley Pinot; and the Chard because I'm planning do one like that in the fall.

Next, I took out the Fortitude. I'm gung-ho about doing a Bordeaux blend (even with the grapes coming from Australia) and want to do this one. But, no one has done it yet and it wouldn't ship till March. So, it's more of an unknown quantity than the others.

That left me back where I was: either the Barolo or the Amarone. Which one did I want to do more? The Amarone! It's been gnawing at me for a year now. The Eclipse Nebbiolo will wait till next time.

So, the Eclipse Cab and the Selection Amarone w/skins are awaiting fulfillment. With LP's pricing on the Eclipse, and the 40% off and a $10 coupon on the Selection, I'm very happy. I got the Amarone for less than $100. Can't touch anything worth drinking from my LHBS at that price.

I'm going to start the cabernet first.

 

[CGish]

I picked up an Eclipse Sonoma Valley Pinot Noir Wine Kit and an Island Mist Black Cherry Pinot Noir with a 1 Liter Red Grape Concentrate booster. Plus some hops and Servomyces Yeast Nutrient for an upcoming Abbey Quad clone.

There goes $236 ...

I'll be happy about it in a couple years when the Eclipse comes into its own.

 

[jgmann67]

I picked up an Eclipse Sonoma Valley Pinot Noir Wine Kit.

I'll be happy about it in a couple years when the Eclipse comes into its own.

I hope you post a thread on your experience with it. I want a Pinot for my cellar. I just don't know if I want THIS Pinot.

 

[CGish]

I hope you post a thread on your experience with it. I want a Pinot for my cellar. I just don't know if I want THIS Pinot.

The reviews are solid. At $136.00 shipped with nomacorks - or about $5.43 per bottle (at 25 bottles), it would be a little hard to miss. The very cheapest Pinot in the local store is 5.99 - and it is only drinkable.

Unless I make a mistake or have some seriously bad luck, these kits are not that expensive.

If it is really the equal of a $25-35 bottle in two or three years, then so much the better.

However, even if it is only an $8-10 bottle, that is what I pay around here for one grade up from the very bottom. The reviews suggest this will be a little better than those.

 

[ceeaton]

BTW, after just about 20 minutes of putting the order in I get an email saying my order is awaiting shipment.

Bill, I'll be interested to see if you get your order tomorrow morning or on Monday. Whenever mine says "awaiting shipment" before 5 pm our time, I always get it the next day (the kit I ordered yesterday afternoon was on my doorstep before 9 am this morning).

Curious what the turnaround to Wellsboro is, especially if I ever retire around those parts...

 

[Bent-Brewer]

Thanks for the heads up. That money I was planning on saving for a nice dinner just disappeared. My better half will understand, right guys?

...gulp. At least that Barbera should taste nice in a couple years.

 

[Brian55]

The reviews are solid. At $136.00 shipped with nomacorks - or about $5.43 per bottle (at 25 bottles), it would be a little hard to miss. The very cheapest Pinot in the local store is 5.99 - and it is only drinkable.

Unless I make a mistake or have some seriously bad luck, these kits are not that expensive.

If it is really the equal of a $25-35 bottle in two or three years, then so much the better.

However, even if it is only an $8-10 bottle, that is what I pay around here for one grade up from the very bottom. The reviews suggest this will be a little better than those.

If all you're trying to accomplish is an $8 - $10 bottle of pinot, then you won't be disappointed. But the other Varietals in the Eclipse line, when properly aged, can compete with $12 - $20 commercial bottles. Whereas the Eclipse pinot, simply doesn't.

 

[CGish]

If all you're trying to accomplish is an $8 - $10 bottle of pinot, then you won't be disappointed. But the other Varietals in the Eclipse line, when properly aged, can compete with $12 - $20 commercial bottles. Whereas the Eclipse pinot, simply doesn't.

Any idea why?

Do you have any suggestions for next time?

Pinot noir is my personal favorite, so I am fairly sure I will enjoy anything that is decent but better is good, right?

As for the value, the Prohibition era laws keep the price of alcohol high here in Ohio.

 

[jgmann67]

As for the value, the Prohibition era laws keep the price of alcohol high here in Ohio.

Your among a handful of states that can say, "Yes, our laws suck. At least we're not Pennsylvania."

Generally, pinots are difficult grapes - to grow and make into wine. They're thin skinned, lower tannin and can be "hurt" (by disease and weather conditions) more easily than other grapes.

 

[Brian55]

Any idea why?

Do you have any suggestions for next time?

Pinot noir is my personal favorite, so I am fairly sure I will enjoy anything that is decent but better is good, right?

As for the value, the Prohibition era laws keep the price of alcohol high here in Ohio.

Pinot is one of my favs as well. Unfortunately I have yet to find a kit that does a decent job of it. The best we've had so far was a WE LE2013 Oregon Pinot, which being an LE is no longer available. We have a couple of RJ's Pinots (both a Chilean EP and an Australian WS) hovering at about 12 months or so waiting to be bottled. I'll report back on those in a few months.

 

[bkisel]

Funny isn't it... I've made the RJS VdV Pinot Noir kit 3 times and family and friends have really liked it. The only tweak has been to back sweeten with 2 cups of sugar.

I'm actually thankful that I'm easy to please when it comes to wine tasting. It has made this hobby a whole lot cheaper than it might otherwise have been.