I just picked up a WE Marlboro SB this week. First time I have bought a wine kit on Craigslist. I got the SB and a WE PR Nebbiolo along with some misc. equipment and some beer bottles for $50. I have turned down CL kits before because I was unsure of their handling but these looked to be in like new condition and from this year so I'm calling that a win. Anyway, I will start the SB this weekend and it will be about a month behind the FWK one I have clearing.
Phil, I would not call that a "win," but I would call it a "steal!" It looks like you got about $250 worth of wine kits (even at Label Peelers best price) along with some equipment. Good for you.
Wow! How is that even possible?
I think his wife told him to downsize. I had to take some stuff I didn't really want but it was worth it. I buy semi-regularly on CS and have seen kits offered from time to time. They are usually cheap, old and beat to hell. I knew what these were when I saw the photo so jumped on them. I thought I was done fermenting for the year.
I purchased a used #40 press using Facebook Marketplace two years ago. The couple had made wine for years, but stopped, and had just moved. Why they advertised equipment AFTER they moved is beyond me. I got the press, 2 demijohns (25 and 54 liter), 75 corks, hundreds of capsules, and miscellaneous junk (including a double-lever corker that was more rust than steel) for 40% of the price of a new press. The press is in great shape, so it alone was worth the price.
My experience and understanding are white grapes are pressed after harvest and normally do not come in contact with the skins as red wines do. I was a volunteer worker (really a neighbor) at a winery in New York and all white grapes were harvested, crushed and the juice only was fermented without contact with the skins. My understanding is this is typical of white wines.
This is normal, although "no contact" can last several hours, depending on circumstances.
Yeah, after all my whining it came out pretty nice. Flavor is great too for so young. I have a WE Private Reserve Sauvignon Blanc in clearing that is about a month behind this one. It will be a good comaprison in 6 months or so.
It seems to be only in the white varieties, and I don't think there are any whites in the Forte series. Interestingly, all of the whites from the Tavola series have been removed from the offerings at Label Peelers. They have been working on the issue for more than a month now with no word or progress reports. That is disconcerting.
Matteo, is there anything you can tell us or any progress reporting available on the search for a solution to the "off-color" issue with the whites? Could it be oxidation? I have racked my SB and the color is still way off. The taste is not what I would consider "characteristic" of an SB. I realize that the wine is young, but it would have to undergo a major change in both taste and appearance to bring it to an expected level.
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