# Kit vs homemade



## John Prince (Mar 1, 2012)

What is the percentage of kit wine do you made?


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## fivebk (Mar 1, 2012)

I have made 33 Wines to date with only 6 being kits

BOB


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## Bartman (Mar 1, 2012)

I make mostly kit wines, but I have also expanded into fresh &amp; frozen grapes. The frozen grapes packages are somewhere between kits and fresh grapes in terms of what is supplied and what balancing/additions are needed. How would you classify that?


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## cpfan (Mar 1, 2012)

100%


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## Wade E (Mar 1, 2012)

A lot of fruit wine with a bunch of kits and some from grapes also. Can you say Hodgepodge?


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## Gowers Choice (Mar 2, 2012)

0% Finding and picking our own fruit is half the fun. We pick blackberries, cherries, apples, pears, plums, persimmons, peaches, raspberries, elderberries, mullberries and locust blossoms.


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## tonyt (Mar 6, 2012)

100% kit. No fresh grapes available in coastal Texas.


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## Wade E (Mar 7, 2012)

No elderberries or any other type of fruit either Tony?


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## tonyt (Mar 7, 2012)

Nope, just oil.





Plus I only like grape wine. I made Skeeter Pee last year but wasn't nuts about it. I have tasted some country wines, raspberry, peach, blueberry, but itls just not me.


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## JJGDC (Mar 7, 2012)

100% but planning on some fresh grapes in the fall  If time and finances allow


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## bcfryer (Mar 7, 2012)

Kits all the way. RJS most of the way. Winery series seems the way. way good.


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## Coldone (Mar 19, 2012)

Well... I've been involved in about 10 kits but am planning on a grape made one this spring.. Expecting the first batch to fail miserably. But hey.. Who knows


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## TicinoVintner (Mar 19, 2012)

0% on either. Need to wait for harvest before I make grape wine. But was thinking of trying a kit out just to get one batch under my belt before the real deal. My wife thinks I am crazy raiding the recycle bin collecting wine bottles. And this is just the start, lol.


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## JohnT (Mar 19, 2012)

You need to add an option for "0%". 

Proud to say, that all of my wines are from fruit.


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## Flem (Mar 19, 2012)

So far, just kits and juice buckets. Hope to do grapes next fall.


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## TouronVineyards (Mar 19, 2012)

25% kit wines. Just something about getting the fruits, mashing them down, and making the wine. I'm always prouder to give wines away that I made from "scratch" than a kit wine. Almost seems like cheating with a kit wine lol


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## stujol (Mar 19, 2012)

0% kit, mostly fruit wines so far.


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## mmadmikes1 (Mar 19, 2012)

I've made 2 kits and have no idea how many batch I have made in total, so gues I am in the .01% area. Is just a guess


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## sailavie (Mar 19, 2012)

I made one high end kit and then moved to juice, fresh grapes, and fresh fruit. I'll make a kit if I can't get the fruit or want to try a new style.


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## Rocky (Mar 19, 2012)

I have made lots of wine from grapes but lately I am convinced that, for me, kits are the way to go. The following are some of my reasons:

* Kits have improved greatly and continue to improve.
* I have made better tasting wine from kits than I ever made from grapes.
* Many varieties are availiable that would not be to me from grapes.
* Kits are consistently balanced and "good" juice; grapes can vary dramatically.
* Kits offer a cleaner process.
* Kits are much less work.
* Kits require less equipment and space.
* Kits are available year round.
* For all the above benefits, kits are competitively priced compared to grapes.
* I HATE FRUIT FLIES!


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## Bartman (Mar 19, 2012)

Rocky said:


> I have made lots of wine from grapes but lately I am convinced that, for me, kits are the way to go. The following are some of my reasons:
> 
> * Kits have improved greatly and continue to improve.
> * I have made better tasting wine from kits than I ever made from grapes.
> ...



You're going out on a limb there Rocky. You know a lot of folks on here will disagree with you vehemently that kits produce better wine than grapes. As you suggest, the primary issue is the quality of the raw materials.


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## Rocky (Mar 19, 2012)

Hi Bart, yes I am sure that there will be those that disagree with my assessment. That is why I was careful to preface my remarks with "for me, kits are the way to go," and list my reasons. 

I believe that people who want to make wine from grapes should do so. For me, it is not worth the time, effort, space, equipment, limitations on when I can make wine, etc. as enumerated in my posting. As I said, I have made wine from grapes (we used to do about 250 gallons per year at home) and I get wine from people who make it from grapes. I stand by my remark that I have made better wine from kits than what we made at home and what I get from experienced winemakers who make it from grapes. Again, that is not true for everybody, but it is for me.


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## Stefani (Mar 19, 2012)

Is that percentage in volume of wine or number of batches?


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## Rock (Mar 19, 2012)

I have walked this road before.Lets just say in a nice way that im not a fan of kit wines and i have tried quiet a bit.Also made some and none compare to the grape wines we make.So its grapes all the way for me.By the way we did a blind taste test and picked kit wine from the grape wine we make a mile away the kt taste is always their.Just had a 3 year kit syrah i made,and yes it was one with a grape pack so called high end.Still taste "KT" in it.To me grapes are the best.By the way do they sell commercial kit wines in stores bottled?


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## KSKOH (Mar 19, 2012)

Most of my wine is made from grapes picked locally. I tried my first wine from juice. Still waiting for it to finish. Started with kits and still make one every now and then.


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## REDBOATNY (Mar 19, 2012)

Kits seem way more expensive compared to local juice. I have never tried one myself. From reading here they sound like a crap shoot as far as quality goes.


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## PCharles (Mar 27, 2012)

I started with kits, making about 5 of them. I'm just finishing my first season of making wine from grapes. The wine from grapes was far better. Also, my wife can always spot the kit wines and she does not like them. 

I've just ordered several Chilian frozen juice products and hope they work out well for me. These will keep me busy until the fall harvest. 

Also, I've made a variety of fruit wines. If I get a bargin, I will continue with fruit wines, but expect to do less fruit wine and more wine from grapes. 

I've also taken up beer making to keep me busy when grapes are not available.


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## jswordy (Apr 2, 2012)

Hmm, no entry for ZERO.


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