Other Wow

[JohnT]

Curious, I looked at the prices of these kits for the first time. Holy schmoly, are they expensive!

 

[BobF]

Yes they are! There is a huge difference in price from the various suppliers. Unless you're strictly shopping sales, George and Doug seem to have the best balance on prices when you factor in shipping. When these to have sales going on it's even better.

Personally, I have to think long and hard before spending a total of more than $120-130.

I stocked up on kits during their last sales. I may change my mind on how much I'm willing to fork out at some of these mature to their full potential.

For every day wine, I don't go past $8-9 per bottle. Special occasions extend this a bit.

With that price point in mind, I can't see going past $5 per bottle total for the stuff I'm making for every day consumption. That leaves a bit less for the ingredient kit itself.

 

[Thig]

Curious, I looked at the prices of these kits for the first time. Holy schmoly, are they expensive!

What have you been making wine from? You have over 2000 post and never used a kit. I would think most people would have ventured into kits well before hitting the 2000 post mark.

 

[GreginND]

I've never used a kit before. I like to get my hands on real fruit. I love the challenge of making a balanced wine from fruits other than grapes. For me (just my opinion) using a kit is more like following a prescribed recipe and not being the chef. Not that you can't learn a lot about winemaking from them! Certainly the kits can have a lot of pluses.

 

[ibglowin]

John is a fresh grape kind of guy.

What have you been making wine from? You have over 2000 post and never used a kit. I would think most people would have ventured into kits well before hitting the 2000 post mark.

 

[ibglowin]

I have seen some of the same kits I have paid $130 for in the past now approaching $180......

 

[Thig]

John is a fresh grape kind of guy.

I wish I could be so lucky.

 

[cpfan]

Curious, I looked at the prices of these kits for the first time. Holy schmoly, are they expensive!

John is a fresh grape kind of guy.

John...

just curious. what does it cost you (grapes, yeast, additives, oak) to make 6 US gallons of wine from grapes?

FYI...my recent prices...

Ken Ridge Classic Merlot (decent house red) $70
Ken Ridge Showcase German Gewurztraminer $100
Ken Ridge Founders Series with grape skins Australian Cab-Shiraz $125

Steve

 

[Brew and Wine Supply]

Here is another way of looking at it, a 6 gallon kit gives you 2 cases (+-) of wine, so divide the cost of a kit by two. Then go to the store and see what you can buy for that price. Not much, barefoot at local price of $5.99 a bottle x 12= $72 x 2 = $144. That will give you a nice kit that would compete with a store bought wine of $15 to $20.
Doing the math again...
15 x 24 = $360
20 x 24 = $480
Kits are looking pretty good now huh?

 

[ibglowin]

I paid US $80-$105 depending on varietal for enough grapes to make 6G US. Yeast, additives, oak are ~$5-$8 more on top.

No real comparison between the two IMHO.

 

[olusteebus]

I was looking at my Vintners Reserve Coastal White and see that it is considered a "value wine". Where I buy wine, the "value wine" is that wine that runs from about $6.99 a bottle 750 ml up to about $15 per bottle. I generally buy Woodbridge with is in the middle of the pack.

therefore, a value wine that you make yourself would come out at about 2.50 to 5.00 a bottle.

 

[deboard]

I did not make kits for a long time, but I started because I wanted to drink wine I made myself and save money in the process. I was averaging $10 per bottle and even the most expensive kits are cheaper than that. Unfortunately I also only drink dry reds, and I just can't get the grapes or juice to make a variety of reds for myself. I got tired of trying to finesse a good dry red out of the Alexander's stuff. I had some decent ones, but nothing like what I could buy for $10/bottle.

I keep a list of how much each kit costs per bottle, including corks, etc. The CC Showcase kits cost me just over $6 per bottle since I don't end up with 30 bottles. But either way it's worth it.

I approached kits as if I were making someone else's wine, and they're very easy to do if you follow the directions. I do tend to leave them in the carboy a month longer than it calls for though.

I tend to browse all the site sponsors and find the best deals on the kit I want at the moment. George has great prices on the En Primeur kits and other, while High Gravity beats him on some other brands like winexpert (but I did sign up for their Frequent Fermenter's club). So I shop around. I'm looking forward to trying one of the other sponsors.

 

[captainl]

180 bucks for some of these new kits is pushing it. $6.00 per bottles? I enjoy the process but having to always rack or bottle something gets a little old. That's why I switched to kegging beer. The cost savings doesnt seam worth it for everyday wine. I don't do this to save money but it is a factor. A $180 kit better produce a top notch wine with no kit taste. I've noticed even the lower end kit prices are sneaking up. I wonder what it takes to price people out of the market.

 

[cpfan]

180 bucks for some of these new kits is pushing it. $6.00 per bottles? I enjoy the process but having to always rack or bottle something gets a little old. That's why I switched to kegging beer. The cost savings doesnt seam worth it for everyday wine. I don't do this to save money but it is a factor. A $180 kit better produce a top notch wine with no kit taste. I've noticed even the lower end kit prices are sneaking up. I wonder what it takes to price people out of the market.

In Canada (a larger market than the US for wine kits), it would probably take greatly decreased liquor taxes. Which is probably never happening.

Yellow Tail Shiraz is $16 regular price for 750ml bottle (on sale at the moment for $15) in Ontario.

Steve

 

[g8keeper]

Curious, I looked at the prices of these kits for the first time. Holy schmoly, are they expensive!

just curious, are you talking about wine kits in general, john, or are you talking about a specific line of kits, or manufacturer???....

 

[ibglowin]

Yep the sin taxes in CA are pretty steep. I can pick up Yellow Tail for $4.99 on sale. Then of course there is Trader Joes Two Buck Chuck for $3.99. I do think my wines are all way better than either of those.

 

[JohnT]

Thig,

I have been making wine from fresh fruit (grapes only) for over 20 years. Like g8, I prefer doing it from "scratch". I just feel that if my hands are not stained purple, I didn't make wine (LOL).

I know that making wine from grapes is not really an option for some. I also was very impressed by some of the results folks have gotten from kits. For me, however, making from fruit allows me to use much of the same process my family has used for hundreds of years. Our grapecrush was always a very social event, and I don't think that I would get the same experience of making wine from a kit.

With fruit, you can exercise greater controll and also change up the process to greatly effect the wine's outcome. The exact process differs from winemaker to winemaker more so with fruit (rather than a kit). Just the choice on how long to macerate on the skins is a matter of choice. I LOVE that there are no set of instructions that comes with a box of grapes. My thinking is that it brings more or the "artist" out. Sure, making from grapes is more work, but that is part of the fun.

I do still have to say that, when I retire, I very well might switch over to kits so that I can still make a decent wine without the hassel of fresh fruit. This is what made me curious to see what the prices are like.

As far as costs, I really do not break it down in terms of 6 gal batches. I use mostly VC SS Tanks. I do break it down in terms of "cost per case". The cost does vary from varietal to varietal, but mostly falls within $30 to $40 per case (including grapes, yeast, oak, etc).