Chateau Classico 6 Week Wine Kit, BC Style Cabernet Sauvignon, 39-Pound Box

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 had this item ordered under subscribe and save. The first one came normally with a set of instructions that closely resembled the other kits I have made in the past. It is currently in secondary fermentation. Can't comment on the final product but I will later. Since I was so late getting the first one going, the second kit arrived shortly after. The box was destroyed and put in another box for shipping. The wrong labels were included as was a note saying that they were all out of labels but could email them for some if I still wanted them. The worst part was the large sticker on the front indicating that the kit had an expiry date of 01-2015. I received this kit at the end of February. I also noticed that the instructions were slightly different, as were the contents - they included a package of yeast nutrient that was not included in the first kit, nor were they mentioned in the instructions. The instructions in the second kit appeared a photocopy (there was no colour on it as there was in the first kit) and it did mention that you were to add the yeast nutrient at the beginning.I can't help but think that this is what they do with their older kits - and them dump them on their customers that are willing to buy them more regularly. I've put this kit to test as it is much easier than sending it back. It will probably work fine (I will comment at a later date), but you can be sure that I've removed this item from my subscribe and save automatic purchases.

Before making this Chateau Classico kit, I mostly just had experience with WineExpert kits. This is considerably less expensive than the higher end kits by WineExpert or other makers. However, the maker of this kit includes corks, labels, and the shrink-wrap tops that give your kit-made wine a classier look. So, the big question is: how does it taste? I was pleasantly surprised with the early results of this kit, especially for the price. As you'll read in other reviews, the labels are a bit generic and the corks are not as long or as high quality as the better ones out there that you can buy in bulk; however, this is also not a wine that's likely to be cellared for years and years either. I also found the kit instructions to be clear enough. I'm favorably impressed!

As far as wine kits go this is a middle of the road kit. Not too cheap (Vino Italiano) not too expensive (Vitner's Reserve).I let the finished product age in a 6 gallon carboy for 6 months before bottling, and it turned into a Pinot Noir with a great palate. It begins light bodied, but becomes a medium bodied delight as it hits the back of your palate.This will give you the equivalent of a $15-$20 Pinot Noir for less than $3 a bottle just make sure that you age it for several months before bottling, you won't regret it.

I have made over 50 kit wines the past 6 years, mostly WineExpert kits bought locally. The juice was a bit weak but had decent sugar content. The first few tastings have suggested somewhat bland character, but certainly not bad. Pinot Noir kits are sometimes lighter in flavor than I like in a red, but that is often OK. My initial tasting supports this kit is on par with most I've made, and is 60% the cost! 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. The claim that this is a 6-week kit is pushing it a bit. Take the time to do an additional racking to further clear the wine. This is especially the case if you want to oak the wine. I spent about 8 weeks completing this kit, and then racked onto American Medium Toast oak chips an additional 4 weeks. The taste before and after adding oak was promising. Not sure I used the best oak for the flavor I was going for. It takes 6 - 12 months after bottling to craft a final impression. I may not buy this particular kit again, but will definitely try other Chateau Classico offerings.

I have made over 50 kit wines the past 6 years, mostly WineExpert kits bought locally. This was my first Amazon purchase and I am very pleased. My initial tasting supports this kit is on par with most I've made, and is 60% the cost! 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. The claim that this is a 6-week kit is pushing it a bit. Take the time to do an additional racking to further clear the wine. This is especially the case if you want to oak the wine. I spent about 8 weeks completing this kit, and then racked onto french oak chips an additional 4 weeks. The taste before and after adding oak was very promising. It takes 6 - 12 months after bottling to craft a final impression, but I would definitely buy this kit again from what I currently have to go on. No kit wine will ever stand up to an expensive wine made by experts, but this kit yields vert pleasing results to a home wine maker like me ;-)

missing bottle labels, email address and toll free number provided do not work!

still brewing looks good so far