Wine kit-good as the grape?

[CoastalWine]

Hello
I am interested in making wine at home and looking for a good wine kit. It seems obvious that the finished product will only be as good as the grape juice. so my questions are;
1. What is your favorite home wine making kit (website)
2. Where can you purchase best quality grape juice or concentrate for smaller batches (I'm in Southern California)
3. Which is better Juice or concentrate?
At first, I only want to make a batch for 30+ bottles?. Make may mistakes then become more adventurous
Thanks!

 

[wineforfun]

Wow, you are going to get a ton of opinions on this.

In a nutshell, the higher end kits (18L with grape skins and oak) will produce a better product than the lower end kits (5 - 6L with no skins or oak). Now, that isn't to say you can't make a very drinkable table wine with the cheaper kit, it just comes down to "you get what you pay for".

If I was you, I would look at either a RJ Spagnols or WineXpert kit.

 

[richmke]

Hello
1. What is your favorite home wine making kit (website)

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=53986

2. Where can you purchase best quality grape juice or concentrate for smaller batches (I'm in Southern California)

You might be able to buy grapes direct from the vinyards. Short of that, 5 gallons fresh pails are the smallest I have seen. 1 gallon kits are available, but the 6 gallon premium kits will easily beat those.

3. Which is better Juice or concentrate?

Which do you prefer: Freshly squeezed orange juice, or orange juice from concentrate?

 

[joeswine]

In the mix

In the end it all comes down to your taste preferences as to what is good or better then the other. For me I've done the whole nine yards and in the end kits are easier and take up less time and room, but if you have a great deal of time ,money and a decent chemical background then try fresh grapes beings your in the correct area ,if not a 6 gallon fresh juice might be more to your liking, in the end it's all up to you ! always remember your wine in the end is only as good as what you started with in the beginning .

 

[bkisel]

Welcome to the forum!

Country/fruit wines are also a good place to start... http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=41825&highlight=DangerDave

 

[RCGoodin]

Making good wine from cheap kits

Listen to Joeswine. Follow his threads which will teach you how to make a so-so kit, and add the right ingredients to make a superb wine.

All the kits I process will have some tweak he has suggested.

I think one of his threads is "When good wine has gone bad.", or "Think out of the box."

I probably would not recommend to try his threads until you've made a few kits of your own.

I'd recommend looking on ebay for Eclipse options. It comes with no tax and free shipping.

Good luck and keep us informed of your successes and failures.

 

[drainsurgeon]

I checked the Eclipse kits on Ebay and Woah, for $160-$170 they should be shipped free LOL!
If you don't have a local wine shop to buy kits from, you can get kits shipped to you for 1/2 that amount. I've brewed about 65-70 kits now and found a couple of cheaper ones that aint bad. Island Mist makes two that I really like. Green Apple Riesling and Kiwi Pear are both pretty good. Some have stated here that if you take a cheaper 6 gallon kit and make it a 5 gallon kit that the flavors are much better. Midwestsupplies.com is one I have purchased from before but there are many on line sites to buy from. Good Luck and happy brewing!

 

[richmke]

Good deals (including shipping) are available from the Sponsors:
http://www.winemakingtalk.com/sponsors/

I have use Label Peelers, and Home Brew Supply. I have been happy with both.

Because of MAP, put the item in your "cart" to see the actual price. You can also see the shipping cost.

FYI: Ordering more than 1 kit at a time saves on shipping (not as much shipping to add another kit).

 

[bkisel]

Good deals (including shipping) are available from the Sponsors:
http://www.winemakingtalk.com/sponsors/

I have use Label Peelers, and Home Brew Supply. I have been happy with both.

Because of MAP, put the item in your "cart" to see the actual price. You can also see the shipping cost.

FYI: Ordering more than 1 kit at a time saves on shipping (not as much shipping to add another kit).

And wait for the sales!

 

[cmsben61]

sponsor sale

Home Brew Supply has 25% off Cellar Craft kits

 

[NorCal]

So. Cal. ? Find a local winemaking club that have connections with a vineyard with a destemmer that will sell you a few buckets of fresh must.

 

[kevinlfifer]

I am totally convinced that 6 gal (or 60 gal) containers of juice is the way to go. I still tweak them with grapes, raisins, or fruit. I toast my own oak. (fresh oak seems to matter). Cost in OH runs about $50 per 6 gal of juice. It's easier than messing with a large volume of grapes to press. I have found the juice buckets to make a better tasting and faster aging wine (drinkable sooner than kits).

 

[Noontime]

I absolutely recommend a kit for your first wine... it gives you everything you need including instructions, and lets you get familiar with the process (and spurs a lot of questions). The higher end (more juice less concentrate) 18L or pure juice kits make great wines. RJS, Cellar Craft, and Wine Expert are great choices. Keep in mind the reds will take longer to really shine, and both reds and whites should really be held onto for a year before you start consistently drinking them (in my opinion).

As you stated in your original post...the quality depends on your base ingredients. Being in California you have access to some great grapes (I'm in S. Florida...not so much ). Find a club or local store. If you're anywhere near Curds & Wine in San Diego, Gi and Arne will take great care of you.