Great read.
I had already decided that I was going to stop making 6 week kits after my yeast experiment demonstrated the clear difference between the higher end and concentrated kits.
The Pinot Noir and Montepulciano blend had a great flavor profile right at racking and distinct varietal qualities, while the low end kits have an undefined red wine taste. Not bad, but very little varietal notability, and now I completely understand why. I was becoming aware that the higher priced kits contain higher quality juice, but this demonstrates that we are pretty close to producing the same quality as commercial wineries if we choose our kits well. It really comes down to the tricks and skill of the home wine maker as to what we are limited to. Very interesting.
I am currently giving kits with skins a higher priority in my mind, but the Pinot Noir did not have skins. It was just a high end kit and it still shines well above the 6 week kits. I am very curious to see how the three high end kits I have on the go come together with time. For the time being that will be my choice, unfortunately I have some time before I can really start comparing.
Knowing that the production of juice and concentrate is so widely used in the industry brings up some interesting questions as to cost per bottle. The playing field is pretty level with such a uniform practice. Obviously not all wineries are using concentrates, and there are going to be yield and cost differences per harvest and varietal. It would be interesting to see a more in depth break down of the other factors involved. Simply paying for a brand? Aging times, procedures and techniques, etc.