I have been making wine for just under a year. This is my fourth kit. I tried the other cheaper cabernet merlot 4 week kit sold on Amazon and was not very happy. So I decided to spend a little more money and see if there was a big difference. The directions were a little off but I've done this enough times now including making wine from fruit that I had a pretty good idea of the order of things. I did the full six weeks. I did not filter. I racked once at about 5 weeks and 2 times before bottling. It made 29 bottles plus enough to fill 2/3 of one. I put the 2/3 full bottle in a bottle I had with a screw top and kept it on the stove for the past 2 weeks thinking I might use it to cook. I poured myself a glass last night and neither my husband nor I could believe it! It was SO SMOOTH! It had great body. It was perfectly CABERNET like I was looking for all along! If I had filtered it might have a little better clarity than it does, but it really doesn't seem to be affecting the taste. I am so impressed with this brand I setting it up for automatic delivery. I also am going to try their Pinot Noir next and hope for the same results. If you like dry and smooth, this is the wine for you to make!
I have been making Chateau Classico kits for about a year now. The initial batches were as directed using included ingredients. The results were drinkable, decent wine. But adding Medium plus toast American Oak chips, really pushed these kits over the top for me. The result of putting this kit (and a Dolcetto) on oak for a week was a fuller bodied, immensely drinkable wine.
The kit does not include any kind of oak like some others. I may try adding some oak powder when I pitch the yeast in the next batch to see how the wine changes.
So far, I cannot complain about this brand of kit. I subscribe and save $15 per kit, which brings this kit in at almost half the price of some of the better known manufacturer's kits. With a little experimentation, you can get excellent results with this kit.
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Thus far I have made it the fermentation process and I have intentions of, upon completion of this kit, to put the kit into my 5 gallon barrel and let it bulk age for awhile. I must say I am pretty impressed with this one. I've added very little water, I'd say about 2.5 gallons over the fermentation/racking process. There has been little to no sediment and it tastes bold, like a Cabernet should. There is however no oak powder or chips included in this kit, thus explaining why I have the awaiting barrel. Of course the addition of the labels and the shrink caps and the corks make this kit very worth while. If you have purchased one of the cheaper kits on Amazon, good job its a good way to start. Now spend a little extra and get something much better. I'll wite up more at 6 months after bottling as this one will keep for a couple of years or longer in the bottle.
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This is the third of these kits that I have made to fill the rack while the other homebrews finish. I am impressed. I made this one and cut it back a bit, about 5 gallons. It was easy, fun, and it turned out just fine. Color is deep and pretty, no filtering, and it is a great little something to pull off the rack for that spur of the moment grill out, or for that evening glass. The taste is a bit lighter than a $15 bottle of wine, but for the price it is truely drinkable. I would put it between a cab and merlot in finish. I let mine age a bit in the carboy before bottle, and it just got better. For the novice, and for a good cheapie to grab out when you need it, perfect! For the price, it's a pretty good deal.
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I have made over 50 kit wines the past 6 years, mostly WineExpert kits bought locally. At 60% the cost of other kits I've purchased, this was a risk worth taking. Even better, these kits come with 30 corks, 30 labels, and 30 shrink-wrap bottle top covers, making the purchase a no brainer for me. This kit is still undergoing secondary fermentation in the carboy so I can't claim it tastes good or bad. That said, I recently completed another Chateau Classico dry red (Australian Cabernet Shiraz) and am thrilled with the results. It is certainly on par with any other similar wine I have made. I would definitely buy this kit again from what I currently have to go on. I plan to purchase other Chateau Classico kits in the future.
Great product Sugar Free just as good as regular.
