WineXpert Private reserve (etc)

[joeswine]

You know you know I gave up a long time ago caring about what the manufacturers put into the wine kits what I discovered is what I can get out of them tweaking cheap wine kits not much different than expensive kits less wine, less water,more concentrate doesn't matter what matters is what you can do to improve these kids from top end to bottom again that's really what matters..
No different than the raw grape and the work you have to do to get to the finished produc.

 

[pacific_red]

Have been doing kits for 8+ years including many Eclipse. Did the new 14L Marlborough SB and the Dry Creek Chardonnay in November. SG on both was low relative to the old Eclipse kits (i.e., new at 1.084 and 1.082 versus the old Eclipse usually about 1.094), but otherwise good. Final gravity dry as usual, so just a little less ABV. Taste on both is very good (yes, pleasantly surprised!). This is fine for the lighter wines, but reds may be more problematic. In any event, since RJS is doing the same, there is no alternative with kits.

I tried the new 14 L Marlborough SB, but shorted the water by 2 L. It came out at about 14% ABV and initial tasting was very good with the characteristics of a NZ SB, probably equivalent to a $10 commercial bottle.