# GenuWine dry grape skins or grape pack



## Bnailz (Jun 28, 2011)

I am looking at Cellar Craft Sterling Cabernet Sauvignon California Reserve (grape pack)and Grand Cru Cabernet Sauvignon - Australian (GenuWine dried grape skins). What are the pros and cons of each style of grape if any and which would be the better kit to buy?


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## Rocky (Jun 28, 2011)

Bnailz, 


First, welcome to the forum! I don't know what your level of experience is, but you will learn a lot on this site. 


Second, your question is a hard one to answer because it is a matter of personal preference and you will get a lot of differing views.Some general, though notinviolable,guidelines are:


1. Get the largest kit you can, i.e.greatest volume ofjuice.
2. Grape packs andraisins are preferrable
3. Consider your investment from a "per bottle" cost. It may seem like a lot of money if a kit is $120 vs. $75, but on a per bottle basis, it is $4.00 vs. $2.50 and the work involved is the same.
4. This will be controversial, but I like juice from California better than juice from Australia. I think the vines are more mature and the climate and soilare better.


If this is your first kit, I can understand your reluctance to make a large investment.


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## Bnailz (Jun 28, 2011)

Thank you for the welcome. I have only been making wine for a little less then a year. I have made 2 kits a white merlot and a zin. I have Aldo made a fresh peach wine. I have not made a kit that has had any oak or anygrapes in it they were all juice kits. I want to get a kit that has both oak and grapes of some kind in them. I am trying to get a good base of bottles in my wine rack before I get into some of the higher end kits so that I can let them age properly. After this next Cabernet kit I am going to start a mead which will take sometime.

Now that I have gotten off topic back to the original question. Does one of the 2 styles dried or wet give more body than the other or does one make for a more acidic wine?


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## tonyt (Jun 28, 2011)

Welcome aboard, you'll learn a lot from the folks here. This year the Mosti Mondiale Meglioli Limited Editions arrived with both wet grape pack and raisins. The instructions said to use one or the other. The concinsus on the forum was wet grape pack hands down. There were many threads as to which to use. I had two of those kits, the Amarone and the Rojo Intensio. I used the wet pack on both and froze the raisins for kits that come with neither. the link to one of the threads is below. there are other threads also if you do a search. But do go for the kit with the most juice rather than concentrate. You can get your own raisins and add. Several of us use Organic Red Flame raisins from Whole Foods.

http://forum.finevinewines.com//forum_posts.asp?TID=11173


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## joeswine (Jun 29, 2011)

I'M not to sure of that ,I've never made this kit before,but the combination of both items i have definitely used at different stages of the wines structure cycles,and they do make a difference ,each adds a distinct taste note to the wine and are correct to use for any wine that has a deep robust taste, rich and balanced..its just knowing when,it doesn't matter which kit cost what,one can play it safe and be satisfied with the end results or you can take that excellent wine and make it your own,,just my take on it.


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## ibglowin (Jun 29, 2011)

The grape pack definitely taste better on toast!


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## tonyt (Jun 29, 2011)

ibglowin said:


> The grape pack definitely taste better on toast!


But the raisins are best on cereal. 
Mike, i'm glad to see that your sense of humor hasn't gone up in flames.


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## ibglowin (Jun 29, 2011)

Plus we won't have to oak our wines as long this Summer with all this smoke....


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## Rocky (Jun 29, 2011)

Bnailz, 


I neglected to mention that if you do not follow the guidelines in my previous posting, _all is not lost!_ Look under the "Wine Expert" heading for a post entitled _"when good wines gone bad"_ and read it thoroughly. The basic tenet of the thread is that most wines can not only be "fixed" if there is a problem or they do not meet expectations, they can be made into great wines. 


Even though you may be new at this hobby, it is not too early to start learning some of the possibilities. Joe has a lot of experience and heconstantly exhorts us to "think out of the box." I highly recommend you learn his methods.


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