Looking for a birthday present for my father. Neither of us has ventured to the higher end wine kits yet. Seems like we should rectify that. I can get Cru Select wine kits from $90-$100. Same supplier has a smaller selection of the Cellar Classic Winery Series for $110. Seems like a no brainer to me to spend $10-20 and move up to a kit that includes grape skins. Yay/nay? Am I missing something?
RJ Spagnols Cru Select vs. Cellar Classic Winery Series
- Thread starter WI_Wino
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Boatboy24
No longer a newbie, but still clueless.
Go with skins.
You will get exactly what you pay for. The skin kits take a while longer to mature but are rich and complex. Cru Select are nothing to turn your nose up at though. You can get more regional choice from the Cru Select series while the winery series North American style is more predominant. Neither one will be a disappointment.
Dugger
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A couple of the Cru select reds have skins as well but they are dry skins; I prefer the wet skins (jam) of the winery series though, which, in addition to being good skins, also give you additIonal volume which means no topping up required.
As was mentioned, you get more choice with the Cru Select kits, including whites, but it looks like you are looking for a red. The Cru select BC Meritage is a particularly good kit if you go this route.
As was mentioned, you get more choice with the Cru Select kits, including whites, but it looks like you are looking for a red. The Cru select BC Meritage is a particularly good kit if you go this route.
Dugger
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You have to click on the individual wine to get more details, but it looks like the Meritage and the Valpol Ripassa are the only 2 with skins; I thought the Tempranillo had them but I either don't remember correctly or they changed it. First time I've looked at their site for a while and didn't recognize many of the box/bottle graphics!
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WI Wino, if you are going for a red wine, I strongly suggest going with the Winery Series. If you plan to make a white wine, I would go with the the Cru Select and save the money. The reason being the presence or absence of a grape pack. White wines do not normally sit on the skins anyway so you don't lose out on them. Reds need the grape pack for a fuller body, richer flavor, mouth and color.
Just pulled the trigger on two kits, WS California Old Vine Zinfadel and WS Rosso Grande Eccellente (Super Tuscan was out of stock 
). Now I just have figure out which one to give away. Next year we are going to have a pretty awesome wine tasting at his birthday party.
). Now I just have figure out which one to give away. Next year we are going to have a pretty awesome wine tasting at his birthday party.
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Awesome choices. Split the goods and you will both have a couple of very nice flavors to choose from when you want a bottle of wine.Just pulled the trigger on two kits, WS California Old Vine Zinfadel and WS Rosso Grande Eccellente (Super Tuscan was out of stock
The old man chose the Rosso Grande, I ended up with the Zinfadel. It's been sitting in a carboy for a couple weeks now, just checked SG and we are down to .996. Stabilizing/clarifying/degassing this weekend. Bottling, oh let's say sometime this fall/winter.
