RJ Spagnols Amarone

[DrJack]

I was wondering if anyone has tried the Amarone-Italian kit yet and how it has turned out? I have no idea as to what the taste of Amarone is and local places here can't tell me anything about it so I thought I would ask. Might be my next kit to try after I finish with the Meritage kit that is getting happy right now.

 

[Laurie C]

Love it...go big with the kit size and give it some time...old world/wonderful

 

[DrJack]

So I just picked up the Italian Amarone Cru Select kit today. Any advise?

 

[ArdenS]

I can't speak to the RJ Spagnols kit, but I did a Cellar Craft Amarone. Like you, I had no idea what an Amarone tasted like with what few bottles I saw in the store being way beyond my price range. But I have found that I very much like the taste of the Amarone. If you like big reds, I'm positive you like this one.

 

[robie]

I think I read that amarone is Italian for "little bitter".

That is what my Mosti Renaissance Amarone with raisins is now, three months into bulk aging.

I don't know if it is the amarone process or what, but I can't seem to get the CO2 taste out of it. It's in a carboy with an airlock. I degassed early on with a drill and stir blades. I have tried degassing several times since with the vacuvin. About a week ago I was getting some CO2 (tiny, fizzy bubbles), but now I am not getting any, even with the wine warmed to 78 F. Still tastes like massive CO2!!!

I know I have to be patient, cause I believe it will eventually be fine.

This doesn't necessarily reflect what anyone else's kit will do, because I have heard nothing but good about this wine on this forum.

 

[Dean]

Richard, I think you are just tasting young wine now with your Amarone. Commercially, the wine isn't sold before 5 years, so the youngest you will find on the market are 05/06 bottles. Even with a kit, Amarone takes a looooooooong time to come around, with small kits taking 1 year and larger kits taking 2 years or longer! Of all the wines that someone can make, Amarone is the worst one for the impatient.

 

[Dean]

So I just picked up the Italian Amarone Cru Select kit today. Any advise?

Make it, age it, then enjoy it

Seriously....age it well and you will be rewarded.

 

[Wade E]

yep, give it lots of age!

 

[robie]

Thanks Dean,

Yeah, the instructions say the MM Ren Amarone is "drinkable" in 6 months, but gets better with a little age. I have always intended to break out a bottle or two after 6 months and save the rest for two years or so. I have my doubts that it will be drinkable in 6 months, it is already 3 months old.

My wife and I enjoy buying and trying commercial wines, so I don't think we will have too much trouble waiting. Last night at a local resturant we tried the best Pinot Noir I, personally have tried to date. It was a 2008 La Crema from Sonoma Valley. Sometimes it can be the influence of the food that makes a wine seem so good, then later one tries it and it doesn't even taste like the same wine. Well, today I bought a bottle at Costco, so we will see... I believe it will prove to be the wine that is so good.

Again, thanks for the encouragement on the Amarone.

 

[ibglowin]

I will have to give that one a shot next time I hit the wine shop.

 

[vcasey]

Richard I bulk aged mine for a year and we really enjoyed ours at bottling but 6 months later it started to shine and is even better today. Best thing you can do is just forget it and hide it from yourself. Don't even bother tasting, just find something else to do and let it age. You'll be very glad you waited.

 

[robie]

VCasey,
That's what I will do, thanks.

 

[DrJack]

Well I started this kit yesterday afternoon. Not really much to report as of yet other than I almost forgot to add the raisin pack that was under the bag of juice. So far everything is good, temp is at 74 degrees, I looked this morning and it smells great. Still a little early for the fermantation to start yet but I hope that by the morning that it will have taken off. Wish me luck with this one.

 

[Wade E]

Let this bulk age as long as you ca stand it and if you have the means also cold stabilize this kit so that it doesnt drop wine diamonds in your bottles. This wine is awesome and I snuck this in on a bunch of guys that only make wines from grapes and attest to the fact that they can spot and taste a kit wine a mile away and hate it and they all loved this wine, then I layed it on them and they were all shocked!!!!!!!!!!! Mine is alittle over 2 years old now.

 

[RickC]

I made the Mosti All Juice kit with raisins and 3 oz additional Hungarian oak (per Joseph's recommendation). Your kit may contain more oak so wouldn't blindly recommend adding more without tasting. I bulk aged for 9 months and waited 6 months after bottlingbefore first taste. WOW, we were thrilled with this wine. I intend to leave it alone for a while more but would definitely recommend Amarone. I also had fits degassing this wine. It seemed to kick off CO2 much longer than any I have made.

 

[DrJack]

Well I bottled this batch of Amaron this morning. The smell was wonderful and a small sample at the end of bottling was amazing. Nice flavor, not much of a green taste to it. I can't wait until next year until it is actually time to pop a cork and have a bottle.

 

[hannabarn]

I made a MM Ren Amarone a little over a year ago! However there are only about 6 bottles left of that batch,,(sampling and giving away)! My next kit is aging and instead of sampling this one, I just open one of my remaining from the other kit. Every bottle is better than the last one!!

 

[uavwmn]

Dr Jack, lots of age. It is a beautiful thing!! Never had an Amarone until I tasted a bottle of my neighbors. It is a great red wine.