Wine Kitz Atlantic

May 2008

Q: Do 15L-18L wine kits make a better finished product?

The short answer is a resounding yes……..but not in all cases.

A large kit format does not automatically mean a superior product. Determining factors are the quality of raw material contained in these kits and of equal importance, the manufacturer’s processing standards.

Quality indicators to look for include:

• Price: If the price/deal seems too good to be true then it probably reflects the quality (or lack thereof) of the content.
• Expiry Date: Reputable manufactures pride themselves on fresh product and always provide a consumer-legible expiry date. This date is often found on the box top.
• Ingredient Listing: Contents are usually listed in descending order. Grape juice and/or grape concentrate should always be listed at the top. Just as important, invert sugar should be listed at the very bottom of the list.

An ever growing percentage of winemakers are moving up from mid-range kits to these higher-end kits. These winemakers are discovering the merits and rewards of paying a few cents more per bottle for a superior product. When cellared and aged properly the end result is a smooth, bold, full-bodied wine with immense varietal character, flavour and aroma, comparable to a $20-$25 bottle of commercially purchased wine.

This being said, some winemakers avoid these larger kits due to their weight and bulk. The weight of these kits makes them a bit more difficult to handle and transfer into a primary pail. For those winemakers who feel challenged by the weight of these kits but do not want to give up the quality, there is an alternate option. The kit is called Elite Vintners.

ELITE VINTNERS

Elite Vintners offers an exciting new breakthrough for serious winemakers. Elite Vintners uses only 100% winery-grade varietal concentrate. There are no sugars, flavouring or aroma enhancers added. Elite Vintners’ advanced and innovative manufacturing technology has allowed for the design of an environmentally friendly wine kit series. This kit series is comparable to or exceeds the quality of any high-end wine kit currently available in the consumer-made wine industry.

Environmentally Friendly

This compact 6.7L of high-quality concentrate offers the following environmentally friendly features:

• Small 6.7L compact kit allows for more space-efficient shipping of product to retail stores, lowering the carbon footprint often created when shipping heavier kits,
• Bare-bones packaging reduces the excess use of printing products such as colour inks, etc.,
• Smaller packaging reduces the amount of waste product such as cardboard, heavy plastic, etc. sent to land fill stations
• Small package concept makes these kits user–friendly, avoiding the need to lift heavy kits and preventing messy spillage.

For more information on WK Elite Vintners visit:
http://elitevintners.com/splash.php