Other Wine maker magazine top 100 kits for 2014

[corinth]

I just got my copy of wine maker magazine and they list the top 100 kits and also by wine style
The top 10 kits are listed below:
Winexpert Selection speciale Cabernet Franc Ice wine
RJ Spagnols cru select specialty black forest port
Winexpert selection speciale chocolate raspberry port
RJ spagols en primeur Italian Amarone
Paklab cornucopia fruit peach chardonnay
listed on amazon for $43.0 includes shipping
Rj spanols cru select RQ Austrailain grenache syrah
Winexpetrt world vinyard california moscato
Rj spagnols top hate chilean cabernet sauvignon
Rj spagnols cellar classic winery series valpolicella
Winexpert island mist apricot peach chardonnay
Rj spagnols cellar classic winery series Italian Amarone
Rj spagnols cru selecect RQ Australain shiraz cabernet.

OK I listed 12.

If anybody would like me to look up any of their top 100 kits by specialty, I will glad to do so. Just post it or send me a PM
PS: I gotta fix my mouse. It is not working well--oh well
Corinth

 

[Putterrr]

the list would be of more use to kit buyers if they did not list ones that are no longer available

ie : Rj spanols cru select RQ

Interesting to see big names as well as little ones like paklab

cheers

 

[richmke]

What is their criteria?

 

[cpfan]

What is their criteria?

Somebody submitted the wine to their contest, and it placed very well.

Here is a link to the article from 2006. It was probably done much the same this year.

https://winemakermag.com/683-the-top-100-kits

Steve

 

[wineforfun]

I would be very interested to know if it was truly an unbiased review of the kits or skewed in any way.

I used to run a hunting and fishing retail store years ago and a lot of the gun magazines would tout certain guns as being top end guns. Now being in the know on a lot of this, we would know what they were saying was incorrrect. However, these "top end" guns would advertise a substantial amount in said magazine and give the magazine "suits" free samples.

Not saying this is how WineMaker mag does it, but would be interested to know.

 

[corinth]

wine-maker-magazine-top-100-kits-2014-

I wondered the same thing in that is there any bias that is economically motivated such as Wineforfun said.
Putterrr: I wondered that also so I looked up a few and you are right on.
I was surprised that Cornucopia made the top ten. Maybe that adds an air of authenticity to their list.
What do I know. I am still a rookie at this.
Corinth

 

[tonyt]

the list would be of more use to kit buyers if they did not list ones that are no longer available

ie : Rj spanols cru select RQ

Interesting to see big names as well as little ones like paklab

cheers

You'd be surprised to find that many of last years RQs and LRs are still available out there in the interweb. It just takes a bit of hunting and sometimes telephoning to verify availability. Now ones from two years ago are not likely to be found like the RJS RQ Austrailain grenache shiraz, will not be found and world be too old to make anyway. Although it was so good I'd buy one on sale and try it again anyway.

 

[Putterrr]

I just bought a second of both the Australian Shiraz Viognier- RQ and Spain Monastrell Petit Verdot - RQ that my LHBS was able to get from RJS. Price was right. I have bottled the shiraz but not the verdot. The shiraz is excellent at 8 months and will be even better a year from now

cheers

 

[cpfan]

What is their criteria?

I would be very interested to know if it was truly an unbiased review of the kits or skewed in any way.

I used to run a hunting and fishing retail store years ago and a lot of the gun magazines would tout certain guns as being top end guns. Now being in the know on a lot of this, we would know what they were saying was incorrrect. However, these "top end" guns would advertise a substantial amount in said magazine and give the magazine "suits" free samples.

Not saying this is how WineMaker mag does it, but would be interested to know.

I wondered the same thing in that is there any bias that is economically motivated such as Wineforfun said.
Putterrr: I wondered that also so I looked up a few and you are right on.
I was surprised that Cornucopia made the top ten. Maybe that adds an air of authenticity to their list.
What do I know. I am still a rookie at this.
Corinth

Historically speaking, Winemaker decided to have a wine competition. People submitted their wines (kit or otherwise) and they were judged in a proper fashion. Then they decided that it would be interesting to know which kits performed the best. So they created the Top 100 Kits list. In the beginning, it was dominated by Winexpert kits because Tim Vandergrift submitted a lot of wines. Then they instituted what I call the TimV rule (no wines from company employees). I imagine that the same process continues today.

So now the list represents the "Top 100 Kits from the wines submitted to the 2014 Winemaker Magazine Competition". Tweaks are allowed. IE that Peach Chardonnay may have been made by following the instructions exactly, or it might have been tweaked a lot; no way to know without consulting the winemaker involved.

There would be no favouritism for advertisers (pretty much all the kit companies advertise in the mag anyway).

If somebody submits a wine from a limited edition kit two years after the kit was released, and it is an excellent wine, then too bad you can't buy that kit any more, but it gets it's due place in the Top 100.

If nobody submits a bottle of wine from your favourite kit, then it won't make the Top 100.

Note, there are no Vineco kits in that top 12. Why not? Perhaps poor distribution in the USA.

Note, there are no Cellar Craft kits in the top 12. Why not? Not sure, perhaps because they are now part of Vineco?

Note, the Top 12 is dominated by RJ Spagnols (7) and Winexpert (4). Why? I believe that they encourage and assist their dealers to submit wines to the competition. Also, the best distribution in the USA?

Out of interest, I looked at the top 12 from the 2006 list that I linked to above. Vineco 3, RJS 4, Heron Bay 1, Vintners Cellar 1, Winexpert 2, Cellar Craft 1. The Top Kit was Vineco's Kenridge Showcase Italian Amarone. My Vineco salesman submitted that wine. He made it by the instructions in his home, added a second clearing agent (would have been isinglass I believe), didn't filter (didn't own a filter), and topped up with another red wine (might have been Merlot, I forget what he told me).

Steve