RJ Spagnols Quality of Cru Select Kits

[mhenry41h]

Just wanted to get a quick opinion for you experienced kit makers regarding the Cru Select Series. I got some terrific feedback from you all regarding the overall quality of kits and what to look for which was great help! There are so many Id like to make in the Cru Select that Id like to give it a shot if, in your experience, thin wines arent too thin. Im specifically interested in these:

Red:

Old Vine Zin
Bush Vin Grenache
Aussie Chiraz
Pinot Noir
Amarone
Chianti

White:

Viognier
NZ Sauv Blanc

I wonder if the advice given will be to focus on the En Primeur series...?

 

[honkey]

I ordered the Australian Shiraz and I was told that it is a good one from a few people. I can't wait to see for myself.

 

[cpfan]

I have really enjoyed the Cru Select kits, eg Cab Shiraz, Shiraz/Viognier, NZ Sauv Blanc, Italian Chianti Riserva, German Gewurztraminer. But I haven't made a lot of kits since the grape skin kits arrived on the scene, so I can't compare to them.

Remember the Cru Select Italian Valpolicella Ripassa, Okanagan Valley Red Meritage, and Australian Bush Vine Grenache include the dried grape skins.

Steve

 

[mhenry41h]

Im quite enamored with the selection of that series yet so scared to make a thin-garbage wine! I had a wine party Sat night where we had commercial versions of: Rioja, Grenache, Malbec, Zinfandel, Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, and a home kit bottle of Pinot. Well, the commercial wines were all delicious but that Pinot ended up in the sink. Thin, no tannins whatsoever, no finish...heck...no flavor. My goal is to make bottles Id be proud to bring to a wine party and stick in blind with good results.

Would you say the grape skin kits are far superior to the ones that dont have them?

 

[cpfan]

Most Important Question...what kit was the Pinot made from? And how aged was it?

Personal Experience from Aug or Sept 2006...we opened two bottles of Shiraz that I made (one was unoaked and from a Vinterra kit, not certain what kit oaked one was from), and two bottles of commercial Shiraz (Naked Grape unoaked Shiraz, and an Australian oaked Shiraz, possibly Banrock Station). Neither of the commercials are particularly expensive, but both bottles of the home made were empty before either of the commercials. Then I opened a bottle of the Cru Select Cabernet Shiraz, and at least two of us felt it was the best of the bunch.

The Cru Sel Cab Shiraz had been started July 2005. The Vinterra was started March 2005. I believe that I received the other Shiraz in a swap with a customer so it was probably younger.

Steve

 

[Wade E]

The Cru Select will not make a thin garbage wine especially the few with grape pak!!!!!!!! The ones without grape pack will come close to the ones with but will still make a great wine. The whites will be 2nd to only the En Primeur!!! I would not be concerned with a bad wine at all choosing Cru Select!!!!!!!!!

 

[mhenry41h]

Most Important Question...what kit was the Pinot made from? And how aged was it?

Personal Experience from Aug or Sept 2006...we opened two bottles of Shiraz that I made (one was unoaked and from a Vinterra kit, not certain what kit oaked one was from), and two bottles of commercial Shiraz (Naked Grape unoaked Shiraz, and an Australian oaked Shiraz, possibly Banrock Station). Neither of the commercials are particularly expensive, but both bottles of the home made were empty before either of the commercials. Then I opened a bottle of the Cru Select Cabernet Shiraz, and at least two of us felt it was the best of the bunch.

The Cru Sel Cab Shiraz had been started July 2005. The Vinterra was started March 2005. I believe that I received the other Shiraz in a swap with a customer so it was probably younger.

Steve

You are speaking my language. The Pinot was a kit my aunt had made and from what she said, it was a cheap kit she may have paid 59 bucks for. It was dreadful. I am personally a HUGE fan of Zinfandel and Malbec and was desparately sad to see that those kits arent made in the En Primeur series. I originally planned to only make the En Primeur thus I had to look at Cru Select. It sounds to me like this isnt a bad thing! I will likely make all of the reds that are available in En Primeur, but it looks like getting my absolute favorites will require the Cru Select.

 

[mhenry41h]

The Cru Select will not make a thin garbage wine especially the few with grape pak!!!!!!!! The ones without grape pack will come close to the ones with but will still make a great wine. The whites will be 2nd to only the En Primeur!!! I would not be concerned with a bad wine at all choosing Cru Select!!!!!!!!!

Thanks Wade E. You have put my mind at ease!

 

[Wade E]

Good call asking us before purchasing as there are some prety lame kist out there, mainly the lower 10 liter kits though and even with those there are a few gems in there, usually whites though for those.

 

[mhenry41h]

I hesitate to be a pain to you guys, but I just feel like asking people experienced with them is a much smarter way to go. Please forgive my newbie-ness! My wife and I are true wine lovers and we intend to make this a passionate hobby for the both of us. We really want to grow some vines and eventually make our own wines from scratch but lets face it, we need to make kits for a while and appreciate winemaking from the ground up. Thanks again.

 

[Wade E]

DO NOT hesitate to ask here, its why we are here!!!

 

[cpfan]

mhenry...

Another RJ Spagnols brand to consider (and I'm surprised Wade didn't mention it) is Cellar Classic Winery Series. These come with a tub of grape skin jam.

Guess what??? California Old Vine Zinfandel and Chilean Malbec.

You probably should make a couple of Cru Select kits (without skins) to help you learn the processes before you try the grape skin kits. Especially with RJS kits, pay attention to the instructions, as they differ from brand-to-brand.

Also get a large primary fermenter to start (at least 7.9 US gallons), as it sounds like you'll be graduating to the grape skin kits soon, and they need the extra room.

Steve

 

[Dugger]

Since you're talking about the Spagnols kits, have you considered the Cellar Classic Winery Series, which are between the Cru Select and the En Primeur. These are only reds, mind you, but all have wineskins and are supposed to be very good. I've only just started my first - the Super Tuscan - so have no taste experience yet, but others praise them.

Edit - sorry, cpfan, didn't see your post!

 

[edv]

I agree with those giving thumbs up to the 16L CruSelect Kits.
I've made well over 100 of them.
You can't go wrong with the NZ SauvBlanc or Aussie Chardonnay for the whites.
For reds, I've tried most. My favorites are the Valpolicella Ripassa, Merlot, Amarone and ChiantiReserva.
The kits do NOT turn out thin at all (unlike the PakLab kits LOL!)...even if you use water for top ups instead of wine (although you should use wine). Just make sure you don't hold back on any de-gassing...it's the most critical step.

Now if you're cheap like me, and you want to get the most out of kits, you could start a WinerySeries Kit (like SuperTuscan) and then start a CruSelect Merlot a week later, stealing the grape skins from the Tuscan and donating them over to the Merlot. So charitable! Like Robin Hood.

 

[mhenry41h]

I agree with those giving thumbs up to the 16L CruSelect Kits.
I've made well over 100 of them.
You can't go wrong with the NZ SauvBlanc or Aussie Chardonnay for the whites.
For reds, I've tried most. My favorites are the Valpolicella Ripassa, Merlot, Amarone and ChiantiReserva.
The kits do NOT turn out thin at all (unlike the PakLab kits LOL!)...even if you use water for top ups instead of wine (although you should use wine). Just make sure you don't hold back on any de-gassing...it's the most critical step.

Now if you're cheap like me, and you want to get the most out of kits, you could start a WinerySeries Kit (like SuperTuscan) and then start a CruSelect Merlot a week later, stealing the grape skins from the Tuscan and donating them over to the Merlot. So charitable! Like Robin Hood.

Cool idea! Thanks!

 

[David04472]

I've made several of the NZ Sav. Blanc and Viognier .... I will be making several more of the same. Make sure you let them age for 12-16 months .... a major world of difference.

 

[wineh]

Im quite enamored with the selection of that series yet so scared to make a thin-garbage wine! I had a wine party Sat night where we had commercial versions of: Rioja, Grenache, Malbec, Zinfandel, Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, and a home kit bottle of Pinot. Well, the commercial wines were all delicious but that Pinot ended up in the sink. Thin, no tannins whatsoever, no finish...heck...no flavor. My goal is to make bottles Id be proud to bring to a wine party and stick in blind with good results.

Would you say the grape skin kits are far superior to the ones that dont have them?

If you put kit versions of those varietals up against a commercial pinot, you'd probably still spit out the pinot noir. Everything but the pinot would be way darker, richer and fuller bodied than the best pinot noir IMHO, so maybe compare a pinot to a pinot and see what you think. I guess you can tell I'm not a fan of pinot noir.

 

[mhenry41h]

I've made several of the NZ Sav. Blanc and Viognier .... I will be making several more of the same. Make sure you let them age for 12-16 months .... a major world of difference.

My wife and I LOVE good Viognier. They say its the red drinker's white. My wife likes red but prefers whites, I vastly prefer reds but tend to fall in love with richer, higher alcohol, fuller bodied whites when I try a good one. How would you describe the Viognier kit you made?

 

[David04472]

The Viognier was excellent. I made a kit in 09, one in 10, and just put up a third. The 09 was great, the 10 was a little on the weak side (but so were the commercial pours), and the 2011 kit is probable the best I've ever tasted, my wine or commercial ( a good year for grapes is my guess). Go for a current Cru Select Viognier, let it age 12-18 months from when you bottle it, and then sit back and enjoy !!!!

David

 

[jwalker1140]

Since you're interested in eventually growing vines and making your own wine, I'd suggest making a couple kits to get a rough feel for how fermentation works but then quickly moving on to buying frozen grapes and/or juice from Brehm, or better yet, fresh grapes from your LHBS or a local vineyard if you're lucky enough to have one nearby.

My personally opinion is that working with kits gives you maybe 50% of the experience of working with real grapes. And since you say that's really what you want to do ultimately, why not get as much of that practical experience as quickly as possible? Buy "The way to make wine" and you'll be on your way. Or for free, go to MoreWine's website and download their guide to red winemaking pdf.