What is the greatest wine you ever made?

[JohnT]

Ok, so why not a poll? please list the best wine you ever made, the year, the variety, and perhaps any reason why you felt it was so great.

You can even include kits, but I prefer if we could hear about wine from grapes.


I'll start - 1999 gangiovesse - sugar and yeast levels were perfect (no additions) and I used a medium toasted oak for the first time. Won several medals in competition.

 

[wyntheef]

Good idea. I'm looking forward to seeing what is at the top of peoples own lists. I really haven't been at it too long, so I don't have a lot to draw on.

Personally, I think I have made some o.k. wines (translation - drinkable), but I wouldn't consider any of them really good, let alone great. I'm hoping to change that soon with a couple high end kits and some imported juices.
For now, I'm going to say the best stumbling around I have done in my basement has resulted in a Chambourcin. I didn't have a clue what I was doing so it's kinda remarkable it was any good at all, but there ya go.

I guess the vintage was 2007, and it was from already fermenting juice I bought at Mazza Winery.

It won the 'Hey, this is ain't bad!' award at a few friends houses.

 

[contactme_11]

A few years back I did a peach wine, I think it was a 6 gallon batch. It was by far the best wine I had ever made. All of it was drank by 4 people in less than a week.

 

[Tom]

About 10 years ago I made a Ice Wine. Only have 2 - 375ml left. I put this up to retail Ice Wines and won hands down @ my Wine Club a few years back.
Next would be my Peach followed by Strawberry

 

[Luc]

Not easy but here we go:

Absolutely first: elderberry for red, and elderflower for white, strawberry for blush.

Second best white: apple-peach from storebought apple-peach juice.

Luc

 

[djrockinsteve]

Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot 2007, or so I'm told. Better than what's sold in the stores. Very hardy with the oak.

Figure with all that I make one or two ought to be good.

 

[Boyd]

That is hard for me to say cause I don't drink much of what I make.

My youngest daughter who is my taster tells me my wild grape wine is number one followed by wild black raspberry.

Had a glass of 2 year old wild grape for x-mas last year and it tasted pretty good although I am not an expert.

 

[Tom]

I hope she i of age...

 

[seth8530]

Milk wine.. Hands down! Even tho its the only actual "Wine" ive made. Not counting sugar pee. or kilju

 

[WaWa]

Kiwifruit, 2nd batch and next would be the citrus (grapefruit and tangelo)

 

[Boyd]

I hope she i of age...

39 should be close enough I think.

 

[Tom]

COOL Mine is 38 .. looks 19 still gets carded.

 

[Runningwolf]

Mine is 19 and thinks she's 25, knows everything and the world owes her everything. But going into 2nd year at Penn State and growing out of it.

 

[pwrose]

Tom,,, now seriously,,,, is she available,,, (looks around for wife) tell her I'm 38 too, and I make a pretty good wine.


Best wine I've made so far,,,,
would have to be the 45 day apple cider/wine (cider is anything under 8% right, well this was about 10% so I guess it was wine)

although I made some blackberry in '99 that when the last bottle was found after I transfered back to NC from Maine in '04 my dad paid me $100 for it. So I guess that was probably the best one so far. No I didn't take his money it was my dad, but he was offering that much for it. LOL

 

[Rock]

John this is a very good question,it could of been a 2004 zin and merlot,or a 2006 cab/merlot,hands down i think its the 2008 chilean syrah my brother and i made.or maybe my 2008 petite syrah ah.these all did very well in competions as well. These are all from grapes.

 

[Wade E]

Rocks Petite Syrah was as good a wine as Ive ever tasted! As for me Id say it was a 2007 Black Currant slightly oaked. Next would be a Blueberry Mead. As for reds Ive mainly been making kits but that has changed and making from grapes now but nothing spectacular yet.

 

[myakkagldwngr]

I haven't been making wine long enough to really even join in, but I would have to say my blackberry from last year would be mine.
It's a year old now and I only have 7 or 8 bottles left from a 5 gallon blindly made batch.
I hope one day to say I can make wine.

 

[Racer]

2006 or 2007(don't remember for sure) Malbec.Grapes were from california, Bulldogs vineyard(winepress forum member). The acid was low, ph was high(4.0), and brix was 27º. Watered it back to 25º brix and added tartaric acid until ph was at 3.6 and pitched yeast after a 3 days cold soak. Added sta-vin medium french oak cubes during bulk aging. I got right at 6 gallons of finished wine from (3) 36 lb. lugs(still have a case left of it too). Everyone who has tasted it keeps telling me I need to quit my day job and make wine instead. I politely remind them of 2 things 1. I don't have a large fortune that I can turn into a small fortune by trying to run a business and 2. 1 or 2 really good wines does not make someone a good vintner yet. I'll be glad to keep trying though..

I'm looking forward to this years harvest because I'll finally be able to get a harvest from my valvin muscat vines. The last 2 years in a row I've left 2 clusters per vine and just taste tested the grapes. If I can get the same taste in a finished wine like they taste when ripe on the vine I will have a new all time best wine to brag about!

 

[Midwest Vintner]

off the wall wine: raspberry chipotle

off the shelf wine: pecan

on the deck: pineapple

on the food: jalapeno