Finer Wine Kit New Limited Edition Kits Drop

[Brant]

Just curious, have you done any blind taste tests with others comparing the excellent $10 - $15 wines to one of your kit wines?

Just last month we did a blind tasting at my house. I have a petite s. that I made a couple years ago that I put up against one of my favorite PS and a decent cab. Oddly enough mine was the favorite of 3 out of 4 people.

But I've also done this with other wines that I've made and this wasn't the case. Dont get me wrong, most everything I've ever made is drinkable but that covers a wide spectrum.

I started making wine thinking I would save money. Now I just end up opening more bottles than I used to. So I know it hasn't saved money but it's given me a fun hobby and made me more knowledgeable about wine, wine making and the science behind it. Like most on this forum, I geek out on it.

I do believe there are people who make kit wine and think it's amazing. My mother loves the wine I make but I think it's because she doesn't have a sensitive palette. I believe my pallete is very sensitive so I'm more in tune with what is actually decent vs mediocre. Everyone's tastes are different and some people are not picky. Unfortunately this is not me or my wife.

Some people would say I don't know what I'm doing and that is why I don't make amazing wine. I would argue that I don't believe it is possible to make AMAZING wines from kits. At least this has been my experience so far. Maybe I'll find a kit that changes this opinion.

In the past 4 days, I've had two different $35 bottles of cab sav and one $18 cab bottle. They were all very good and much better than my best kits. All were 2022 bottles... Silver Ghost, Tarot and Oberon. I have my doubts that anyone is making kit wines that would beat these bottles. They are very good and I highly recommend them. I don't normally drink $35 bottles but this past weekend was an exception.
Honestly, I wish I loved everything I made. I would probably feel a lot more justified and fullfilled in my winemaking endeavors. If I ever make a super bad a$$ wine, you can bet I will be telling everyone about it on this forum. I would even likely ship bottles at my expense to the main players on this forum just to prove I did something I didn't believe possible. Why would I want to keep something so amazing to myself? I would want the validation from my peers.

So far my money is safe and my ego is in check. this changes at some point.

 

[joeswine]

Well I can tell you I haven’t but others have and if you remember 2 buck chuck ?That’s saying it all , it’s all subjective to one’s own taste .
And I’d put my wines ( kits) up against vineyards any day .
If they’d allow me butt the won’t for fear of loosing to a cellar dweller

 

[winemaker81]

Some people would say I don't know what I'm doing and that is why I don't make amazing wine. I would argue that I don't believe it is possible to make AMAZING wines from kits. At least this has been my experience so far. Maybe I'll find a kit that changes this opinion.

The best wineries with the best fruit and best equipment and best winemakers cannot consistently make the best wine. And that's cherry picking the best of their grapes. There are too many variables that we cannot influence much less control -- we are at the whim of Mother Nature, Dionysus, and these tiny little creatures that do the real work. It's kind of amazing that we can make wine that is consistently good.

The fact is that few of us will love everything we make. I don't. I've had my share of bombs, but overall my wines are typically at least 85 on the Wine Spectator scale, and all but a rare few have been at least an 80. And I've had a few I'd rate a 90-91. Note that I don't have access to the best fruit nor the best facility, and I'm a self-taught amateur with no real winemaking education. But I do ok!

People like your wine? That is a win.

 

[Bmd2k1]

The best wineries with the best fruit and best equipment and best winemakers cannot consistently make the best wine. And that's cherry picking the best of their grapes. There are too many variables that we cannot influence much less control -- we are at the whim of Mother Nature, Dionysus, and these tiny little creatures that do the real work. It's kind of amazing that we can make wine that is consistently good.

The fact is that few of us will love everything we make. I don't. I've had my share of bombs, but overall my wines are typically at least 85 on the Wine Spectator scale, and all but a rare few have been at least an 80. And I've had a few I'd rate a 90-91. Note that I don't have access to the best fruit nor the best facility, and I'm a self-taught amateur with no real winemaking education. But I do ok!

People like your wine? That is a win.

Amen! My wines put smiles on folks faces -- and that's ALL that matters to moi ;-)

Cheers!