Chateau Classico 6 Week Wine Kit, Australian Cabernet Shiraz, 40-Pound Box

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 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.

I purchased this kit mostly out of curiousity. I have been making wine for a couple years and have only purchased Wine Expert kits which have been ok. This is the first 6week kit of any kind I have done. It is in the secondary aging at the present time but, when I transfered it and tasted it I was suprised at how well it tasted and the amount of body it had. I will do a update once I bottle it but, at the present time I am considering purchasing the Amarone version of this kit. Update on 07/09/2010. this wine has been in the bottle for a while now and is 6 months old from the day I pitched the yeast. Opened an bottle and was very suprised at how good it tasted compared to 3 months. I will let it age for 6 more months now. This is a kit I would do again.Novemeber 13, 2010 update. This wine has aged quite well. I opened another bottle and am impressed with the wine. Doesn't have any kit taste like I get from some of the other brands of kits. This is my 12 wine kit and one of the best so far. I will buy this one again and let it age for a year before consuming any.

I bought this kit along with a Cab Style back in October. I bottled them January 2, 2010. So far the wine is aging nicely. It has started smoothing out considerably. With a couple of more months of aging I expect it to be a very drinkable wine. Considering that it is $40-50 less than other kits I have made, it holds up well against those kits. I bought this one not only for the price point, but also because it is one of the only Dolcetto kits available.I was a little disappointed that no oak was included in this and the Cab kit.All-in-all, one will not be disappointed with the results, and a little tinkering may make it even better.Update 12/20/2011: I have subsequently made another Dolcetto, this time adding oak chips for a week after stabilizing and fining. This has really added some body to the wine and has improved the finished product immensely.

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!