Finer Wine Kit New Limited Edition Kits Drop

[joeswine]

No WE KITS

 

[WineHombre]

No WE KITS

This is a Finer WIne Kits thread.

 

[joeswine]

This is a Finer WIne Kits thread.

Did I not read in the beginning about a wine expert kit ?

 

[Christopher Anderson]

I bottled the Zin.

It's not the same wine it was in June, when I last tasted it. At that time the ABV was noticeable. Now? It goes down smooth and is a very rich wine. However, I feel warm in the belly, so the ABV is definitely there. This is at 9 months. I'm planning to open a bottle every 3 months and update my notes on my site.

At this moment I'm a bit torn about my feedback to Matt -- at that time, the ABV was a serious flaw. Now? It's not. The super heavy body of this wine can balance the ABV so it's not a flaw. But it's hot. Folks that can drink a bottle of a typical table wine and not feel it WILL feel this one.

Note: As with @She’sgonnakillme, my kit is a beta -- the ABV is around 16%. Based upon feedback from the beta testers, the ABV of the production line is around 14% (according to @Matt_Pruszynski), so no one buying a kit now will experience the high ABV. I'm going to keep Matt apprised of my ongoing tasting results, and it's entirely possible he may bump next year's kit to a slightly higher ABV.


The wine has a rich Zin nose and the color is DARK, as dark as the grapes I added Color Pro (maceration enzyme) to.

View attachment 116045

The cubes are air drying on the counter. They'll go in the smoker in a few weeks. I'll probably do a brisket and a spatchcocked chicken.

View attachment 116046

Never thought of using the cubes in the smoker!! Duh! Great idea!!

 

[joeswine]

Never thought of using the cubes in the smoker!! Duh! Great idea!!

That could be a bit much even for A HEAVY RED

 

[winemaker81]

I opened a bottle of the beta Ultima Zinfandel kit. which has been in bottle for 2.5 months, 11 months since start. It's a young wine, so expectations are limited.

I'm honestly impressed. It's more drinkable than I expected. Very jammy like I'd expect from a Zinfandel.

Per usual, I tasted unaerated and aerated glasses. The aerated is fruitier and jammier than the unaerated.

Is it worth the premium price? That is open to debate. Ask me again in a year.

 

[leftiesrule]

I opened a bottle of the beta Ultima Zinfandel kit. which has been in bottle for 2.5 months, 11 months since start. It's a young wine, so expectations are limited.

I'm honestly impressed. It's more drinkable than I expected. Very jammy like I'd expect from a Zinfandel.

Per usual, I tasted unaerated and aerated glasses. The aerated is fruitier and jammier than the unaerated.

Is it worth the premium price? That is open to debate. Ask me again in a year.

With these ultima kits being about the same price as a bucket of frozen must do you see any compelling reason to buy the ultima kits over frozen?

 

[winemaker81]

With these ultima kits being about the same price as a bucket of frozen must do you see any compelling reason to buy the ultima kits over frozen?

I don't see any compelling reasons, but there is value in both choices.

Frozen must buckets are unprocessed grapes, which is generally better than typical concentrates. However, the quality will vary from region to region and from year to year, and may require adjusting sugar and/or acid. There is that normal amount of risk involved due to varying quality.

The Ultima kits are a high quality concentrate that have been adjusted to produce a consistent result. Having made Tavola and Forte kits, these are a step up from that, and the Zinfandel I made is better than any premium kits from other vendors that I've made.

 

[Christopher Anderson]

I don't see any compelling reasons, but there is value in both choices.

Frozen must buckets are unprocessed grapes, which is generally better than typical concentrates. However, the quality will vary from region to region and from year to year, and may require adjusting sugar and/or acid. There is that normal amount of risk involved due to varying quality.

The Ultima kits are a high quality concentrate that have been adjusted to produce a consistent result. Having made Tavola and Forte kits, these are a step up from that, and the Zinfandel I made is better than any premium kits from other vendors that I've made.

My idea on making kits (now on my 30th for this year alone. Thanks to all of you. I am now addicted) is to make a bottle that rivals $25.00 ones. Wife and I bought a $50.00 Tempranillo one from a good Texas Hill country winery. My Wild Grape modified version is better. And we got 26 bottles of it! I do have an ultima series Syrah that we made and it is in the 2 week sitting phase. Ordered a Novello Zinfandel just to try it. With shipping, it is less than the Wild Grapes or other cheaper kits.

 

[joeswine]

With these ultima kits being about the same price as a bucket of frozen must do you see any compelling reason to buy the ultima kits over frozen?

 

[Jovimaple]

With these ultima kits being about the same price as a bucket of frozen must do you see any compelling reason to buy the ultima kits over frozen?

It's still a kit, so in my mind it comes down to whether you want the already balanced must vs whatever you get with the frozen must that you would test and adjust yourself.

To me, a better comparison would be to other premium wine kits, rather than frozen must.

 

[joeswine]

Bottle this one today with a twist .
You know me I added tannins and raspberry extract to the primary.
Up front was deep Pino the middle smooth (13%abv ). And fruit forward , clean finish .
Yield was short 23 bottles, but most of my mix’s fall short on volume but great on flavor Oh well on to the next 6 kits in waiting.