Scott -

Hmmm. I think an honest answer to your question (about red
wines) would be a "maybe." For white wines, I think I could say "yes"
with a clear conscience, unless you are used to drinking $50 bottles
of white burgundy. For reds, though, it's a bit harder. There are
some really good red kits out there. If you are looking for a big,
tannic Cab, I don't think you are going to find anything satisfactory
in the VR line. I do like some of the VR reds -- I've made the
Chianti four or five times, and am always running out. Everybody
likes it; it's very pleasant to have with food, but it's not what
you're looking for.

In the WinExpert kits, your best bet is probably the Woodbridge Ranch
11 Cabernet Sauvignon kit. Plan to age it for a year or longer,
though. WE does not have any "grape pack" Cab kits at this time; the
"grape pack" kits (WE calls theirs "Crushendo") generally get the best
reviews among reds. You might check out the several WE Crushendo kits
that are available, to see if any of them appeal to you. I've done a
couple of them so far, and have been pretty impressed. Alternatively,
if you are looking for something with a lot of tannins, I believe I've
seen comments from Tim Vandergrift of WE that the Italian
Montepulciano (in the Selection International line) is about their
most tannic kit, so you might consider that one. Again, plan to age
it for a year. One more possibility you might consider is the April
WE Limited Edition red kit - a blend of Cab and Tempranillo from
Spain. The Limited Edition kits are "one-time" deals, but are usually
quite good. If you check around in the next few days, you should be
able to find retailers that still have some of this one available - it
will be arriving at US retailers over the next week or two, I think.
I did the LE Petit Verdot kit two years ago, and it is now really
impressive.

If you are interested in fresh grapes in the fall, there may well be
sources for those. There is a winemaker who posts under the name of
Yogi on winepress.us -- I believe he is in Colorado, and is a member
of a good-sized group that brings several tons of grapes every fall.
He might be a good source. I live in Minnesota, where you might think
fresh wine grapes would be about impossible to find -- but not so,
there is a gentleman in St Paul that brings in a truck-load every
fall. It may take some research, but I think you'll be surprised at
what's available, if you check around.

The other possibility is to order some pails of frozen crushed red
grapes from Brehm Vineyards. They are premium grapes from some of the
best vineyards in Napa, Sonoma, etc., and the prices reflect that.
You are making wine essentially from grapes, not a kit, so there is a
bit more work involved. But with Brehm grapes, you can definitely
make wine that will compare favorably with commercial reds up to, say,
$20 or $30 per bottle, at least. I won't say it's easy, but it is
possible. On the other hand, you can expect to invest anywhere from
$6 to $10 per bottle in raw materials, and it is nowhere near as "fool-
proof" as kits are, these days.

Sorry for the long post. I guess it really depends on what you are
used to drinking, and how much you are willing to spend on a kit (or
fresh grapes). For most of us, the answer is "yes", so I'd encourage
you not to give up quite yet.

Doug