WOW ... kit wines are great

[rhoffart]

In the fall of 2009 I got hooked and made 3 Mosti Mondiale kits. All the time thinking this was a good hobby but they are never going to taste as good as some of our favorite store bought wines. So I bottled the kits put them in the back of my closet and forgot about them.

One was a Gewürztraminer, one Riesling and one Merlot.

Well fast forward 1 year and 10 months later. My wife said "when is that wine you made going to be ready" ... I said "crap I forgot about it".

We opened the Gewürztraminer and Riesling and my wife and I was absolutly shocked how GREAT it tasted. I don't mean good for a kit wine ... I mean some of the best I had, period.

I guess my only mistake is not keeping some kits going. Well I just ordered another MM kit. If you are not a believer ... well, I am amazed ... and I can't wait to open the Merlot

 

[rhoffart]

my calendar log is still active. I have a 4th kit somewhere ... this is cool

LOG

 

[robie]

Sounds like you are hooked; a great experience.

Of course the key here is that you let your wine get some age on it before drinking it. I have to commend you for your patience (or was it just your memory loss

). Regardless of the reason, I am sure you are now glad you waited.

Most people don't know that a good Riesling can age 20 and even up to 100 years. The wine gets deeper in color and richer each year.

Chateau St Michelle in Washington state makes more Riesling than any other producer in the world, including those in Germany and Alsace, Fr. They partner with some wine expert from Germany - Dr. ???. Together, they recently opened a bottle of 100 year old Riesling and said it was excellent.

I'll bet that old Riesling was from either Germany or Alsace, France and was very specially made, for it to last that long. I doubt a kit Riesling would age anywhere near that long, but under good conditions I'll bet you can keep it 5 years.

Maybe you can extend your patience even more and keep a few bottles to drink, maybe one per year and let us know how the aging "experiment" is going. (Do it for science!!!

) That would be interesting for me, at least.

Andrea Robinson of http://andreawine.com is a Riesling expert. On her web site, she interviews different experts about the wine.

 

[rhoffart]

Yes, as good as it taste it will be a special occasion wine. I don't think it will last that long, but maybe another year.


Another note to share: I found the Orchard Breezin' Wine Kits by RJ Spagnols
Green Apple Gewürztraminer kit late last night. We opened a bottle and found it to be very sweet, almost a 3-4 on sweetness. As I remember, and my notes say I used 1/2 of the sweetener pack. Good flavors, but way too sweet for my tasting.


I'll stick to the MM kits from now on. I will let y'all know how the Merlot taste in a month or so.

 

[Wade E]

The mist kits are always sweet so if you dont like that sweetness level don t make them but dont rule out a brand as RJS kits are very good. I make the Winery series and they are top notch. Which MM kits did you make?

 

[rhoffart]

The mist kits are always sweet so if you dont like that sweetness level don t make them but dont rule out a brand as RJS kits are very good. I make the Winery series and they are top notch. Which MM kits did you make?

No not knocking the kit, it's just too sweet for me. That was was first kit I bought without any research.

The Merlot is a CC not MM

Mosti Mondiale Riserva Gewürztraminer

Mosti Mondiale Meglioli Riesling

Cellar Craft - Washington Merlot - with "Crushed Grape Pack"

 

[cpfan]

The Merlot is a CC not MM

CC = Cellar Craft (different levels)
CC = Cellar Classic
CC = Cellar Classic Winery Series
CC = California Connoisseur
(and I think their is another one)


Steve

 

[rhoffart]

CC = Cellar Craft (different levels)
CC = Cellar Classic
CC = Cellar Classic Winery Series
CC = California Connoisseur
(and I think their is another one)


Steve

Cellar Craft - Washington Merlot - with "Crushed Grape Pack"

 

[patc]

if it's the cellar craft showcase washington merlot you are going to love it!!!!! I absolutely love mine

 

[Bartman]

I guess my only mistake is not keeping some kits going. Well I just ordered another MM kit. If you are not a believer ... well, I am amazed ... and I can't wait to open the Merlot

You're preachin' to the choir here, my friend. I am confident everyone on this forum is a true believer, or at least well on their way, like yourself. Ah, if only we all had the patience of Job, to forget about our wines for almost 2 years!

(that sounds better than you forgot about them

)

 

[tonyt]

Lucky you, rick from Boerne.
I think I just figured this aging thing out. If everyone on the forum sends me one bottle of ready to drink wine, I could avoid drinking mine until it's ready.

 

[rhoffart]

Lucky you, rick from Boerne.  I think I just figured this aging thing out.  If everyone on the forum sends me one bottle of ready to drink wine, I could avoid drinking mine until it's ready. 

Yea, but now my wife tasted the wine ... so I won't see 24 months on any of them