Hi.....after making wine from my own grapes for the past 2 seasons, as
well as some zinfindal grapes I ordered thru a local supplier, I feel
it's time to splurge and buy a kit wine.
Locally I have a choice of Vineco or Brew King products.Has anyone
here used either the Selection Series from Brew King .......or the
Kendall Ridge or Legacy Series from Vineco? What results might I
expect from these "Premium" kits? My understanding is that the home
winemaking supply industry has much improved their product in recent
years by including more pure juice and less concentrate.....opinions
anyone??.....thanks ....Andy Jones ,N.B., Canada

We've made 14 kits, all brew king cause thats what our wine shops sell. We
love all the kits and we've tried most of the "California" varietals, both
red and white. We've done both the cheaper VINTNER"S RESERVE kits and the
more expensive SELECTION kits. SELECTION kits are worth the extra money if
you can afford them. We tweak them a little by adding more or less oak,
more or less water, and fermenting part of the "f" pack you find in some of
the kits. As I dont have the extra time required to make wine from grapes,
the kits are great for me. You can expect to get your money's worth no
matter which kit you get.

Good luck with your first selection,

Karl B
STL, MO



"Andy j." > wrote in message
om...
> Hi.....after making wine from my own grapes for the past 2 seasons, as
> well as some zinfindal grapes I ordered thru a local supplier, I feel
> it's time to splurge and buy a kit wine.
> Locally I have a choice of Vineco or Brew King products.Has anyone
> here used either the Selection Series from Brew King .......or the
> Kendall Ridge or Legacy Series from Vineco? What results might I
> expect from these "Premium" kits? My understanding is that the home
> winemaking supply industry has much improved their product in recent
> years by including more pure juice and less concentrate.....opinions
> anyone??.....thanks ....Andy Jones ,N.B., Canada

Hi,
For red wines in kits I use exclusively Selection International and
Selection Limited edition kits ( retailing at about £50). I find the
Vintners Reserve kits are just too thin.
For Whites I use UK kit series called Beaverdale ( retailing at about
£31 ).
This is because I find, generally, white wine kits produce a
"truer"/"better" end product although I prefer red wines.
It's been said many times -- but you gets what you pays for!

--
Trevor A Panther
In South Yorkshire, England
Remove "SPAMLESS" from my address line to reply.
All outgoing mail is scanned by Norton
Anti Virus for your protection too!

Andy j. wrote:
> Hi.....after making wine from my own grapes for the past 2 seasons, as
> well as some zinfindal grapes I ordered thru a local supplier, I feel
> it's time to splurge and buy a kit wine.
> Locally I have a choice of Vineco or Brew King products.Has anyone
> here used either the Selection Series from Brew King .......or the
> Kendall Ridge or Legacy Series from Vineco? What results might I
> expect from these "Premium" kits? My understanding is that the home
> winemaking supply industry has much improved their product in recent
> years by including more pure juice and less concentrate.....opinions
> anyone??.....thanks ....Andy Jones ,N.B., Canada


I have made wine from frozen grapes purchased from Brehm Vineyards:

<http://www.brehmvineyards.com/>

Exquisitely good stuff. It is simply crushed & destemmed grapes which
have been frozen (reds), or fresh-pressed unclarified juice (whites.)

A bit pricey, though. The stuff is shipped by air to an airport near
you, still frozen. You let it that and go to work.

All the best to one and all.

"Jim Howe" > wrote in message
news:bm8tb.149809$275.453715@attbi_s53...
> I have made wine from frozen grapes purchased from Brehm Vineyards:
>
> <http://www.brehmvineyards.com/>
>
> Exquisitely good stuff. It is simply crushed & destemmed grapes which
> have been frozen (reds), or fresh-pressed unclarified juice (whites.)
>
> A bit pricey, though. The stuff is shipped by air to an airport near
> you, still frozen. You let it that and go to work.

Wow, the stuff is pricey to begin with and you are getting direct air
shipment added on top of that?

So, where do you live and how much does air shipping add per pail for you? I
expect even if you live in Alaska, it's probably still cheaper for you than
it would be for me, given that I have the misfortune to be on the Canadian
side of the border. Not even sure IF Brehm will air ship to Canada.

Right now, if I want Brehm I have to order from Vancouver and get it truck
shipped for about $300 a pallet. Needless to say, not worth it unless
ordering in considerable quantity.

Brian

I've been making wine from kits for a couple of years now and can recommend
the Brew King Selection and International Selection wholeheartedly. I've not
tried the Vineco but have tried the CellarCraft and the Spagnols. I tend to
stick to the Brew King line because it's easier to find and I am familiar
with it. I have also made wine from Mosti Mondiale pure juice. All of these
are good choices if you stick to the premium lines, but remember... they
won't stand up as well to your whole grape wines, particularly with the red
varietals. They make good wines, but you will lose some of the nuances you
get from fresh grapes.

--

---------------------------------------------
Mike Polo
remove noharvest. to reply
www.nappingbear.communitytheater.org

The word bipartisan usually means some larger-than-usual deception is being
carried out.


George Carlin
"Andy j." > wrote in message
om...
> Hi.....after making wine from my own grapes for the past 2 seasons, as
> well as some zinfindal grapes I ordered thru a local supplier, I feel
> it's time to splurge and buy a kit wine.
> Locally I have a choice of Vineco or Brew King products.Has anyone
> here used either the Selection Series from Brew King .......or the
> Kendall Ridge or Legacy Series from Vineco? What results might I
> expect from these "Premium" kits? My understanding is that the home
> winemaking supply industry has much improved their product in recent
> years by including more pure juice and less concentrate.....opinions
> anyone??.....thanks ....Andy Jones ,N.B., Canada