Review at Bottling Winexpert Eclipse Yakima Pinot Grigio

[BabaPerson]

I decided to go by the book this time. I even used both supplied yeast packs. Other than skipping the sorbate, I was a fundamentalist.

(Although I'm partial to reds, when I try the red kits, I find I never get the big, tannic, dry, old world taste I want. I use the grape skins in and out of the bag, change up yeasts with extra nutrients, add oak, etc. It gets a little fussy and clean up is messy. Towels get stained. My wife gets grumbly..., and I always think, "Maybe next time..")

By contrast, what a lark this Pinot Grigio was to make. So quick. Beautiful fermentation (with two yeast packs, pretty much guaranteed). Clean-up so quick! The wine is delicious. Just the right mouth feel, dry, almost, almost that elusive nose that is so hard to get in kit wine, but with the sulfite I may never quite get there. The color is great. And my wife prefers white anyway. No disappointments, no stains... Maybe not quite as interesting as my best reds, but I'm going to guess that in 6 months this will be my closest approximation to a modest commercial Italian wine. That's success in my book.

 

[Doug’s wines]

I really like this kit too. Btw for a cocktail, a little splash of a sweeter style spiced rum is good with this wine to create a simple, but enjoyable cocktail.

I’m also on the same page that kit whites are much easier to replicate the style of the commercial varietals. Creating complex big bold reds is much more of an art that requires wine maker skill. In general whites are less “adjusted” in production, drink younger and tend to show the fruit more than anything. Much easier to replicate in the home. The eclipse Sav Blanc is great, and the chardonnays are easy to adjust with either a little oak or some sur lie aging. All in much simpler and good tasting (as long as you like whites ).

 

[sour_grapes]

Agree 100% with @Doug’s wines on those comments. (Well, I cannot vouch for the rum comment -- never tried that!)