Newbie...wine kits/country wine

[jb444]

Hi everyone, just to introduce myself I have never made wine in my life, but since leaving home I have begun to miss the "country wine" my father makes.

I've done a bit of reading around the subject, and have found it hard to find honest opinions on the following...
My father used to say that wine kits were awful and not worth the bother, and that the only home made wine worth drinking was country wine made with real fruit not concentrate that was aged for a year or so.
Just wondering if anyone who has made both wine kits and country wines what their opinion is on the two compared and if I could make good wine from kits.
When I say good I mean up to the standard of a fairly cheap wine bought from a shop.

I look forward to learning about winemaking, I have been brewing beer for about two years now and hope I gain as much satisfaction from making wine as well, and look forward to meeting everyone

Regards,
Chris

 

[Sacalait]

I make 99% country wines cause I've got most of the fruit required in the back yard. I love what I make but wouldn't cut down any other source or type of wine. To each his own, there's always room for improvement and there always will be.

 

[Wine Maker]

I make wine from either grapes or high quality juice. I have never made a kit wine but check out WineMaker Magazine. There were a lot of kit wines that placed medals in the 2007 WineMaker Magazine International Amateur Wine Competition. The kit wines were judges along side the juice/fresh fruit wines. Kit wines probably have come along way since your father made wine; don't discount them entirely but like I said, I do not personally have experience with them.