WINE JUICE PRICING 2012
After a trip to Corrado’s Market in Clifton NJ today, I thought I would list the prices from their printed price sheet to share, and to save for the coming years for comparison. Someone told me they are $8 higher than last year. I know the olive prices are the same, and they are also from California, so I am not sure why the grape prices are higher, shipping/fuel prices are the same for both, unless its a commodity issue.
Wine presses start at $600 for the smaller versions, so if you are new to winemaking and don’t have the time or desire to press the grapes by hand, perhaps you wold be better off just buying the juice.
If you do buy the grapes, you can have Corrado’s grind the grapes while you wait. This will save you many hours of work and manpower, and save you the cost of an extra piece of equipment. If you go this route, let the grapes sit 3 days to start the fermentation process before pressing.
However, if you buy the juice to skip this step, you must leave it open for 24 hours and you must add yeast to start the fermentation process.
Watch this video to see how much work is needed and how much time you are willing to invest in this process: www.vimeo.com/40702633 – and remember, making wine at home isn’t any cheaper than buying wine, its a lot more work, but the wine is a lot more consistent, tastes more of what like our ancestors produced and drank, and its a lot more satisfying knowing you made it yourself. In the end, it will take several months before you can drink it (if you start in early October, it should be ready by Easter and/or April), and it will cost you about $5 per bottle, all costs considered.
Winemaking is a living art, and as far as I am concerned, no wine is better with a homemade meal than a homemade wine. When you buy wine from a store, you don’t know how long it was sitting on the truck, in the sun, in the cold, how it was stored, or how close to the window in the store it sat before you bought it. Again, wine is a living drink, it changes over time and according to conditions, again, you will find more consistency if you make it and store it properly yourself.
Premium Lodi – 6 Gallon Pails
RED JUICE
Alicante $60
Barbera $55
Burgundy $55
Cabernet Franc $65
Cabernet Sauvignon $65
Carignane $60
Chianti $60
Gamay Beaujolais n/a
Grenache $60
Malbec $65
Malvasia Black $60
Merlot $65
Montepulciano $70
Mixed Black $65
Nero d’Avola $70
Nebbiolo $65
Petit Sirah $65
Pinot Noir $70
Rubired n/a
Ruby Cabernet $60
Sangiovese $65
Syrah $65
Valdespena $65
Zinfandel $65
WHITE JUICE
Chabils $55
Chardonnay $65
Chenin Blanc $60
French Colombard $60
Malvasia Bianca $70
Muscat $60
Muscat Canelli
Pinot Grigio $65
Riesling $65
Sauvignon Blanc $60
Semillion $60
Thompson Seedless $60
Trebbiano $60
Viogner $60
White Zinfandel $60
Four Aces California Juice – 6 Gallon Pails
RED JUICE
Alicante $50
Barbera $50
Cabernet Franc $50
Cabernet Sauvignon $50
Carignane $50
Grenache $50
Merlot $50
Mixed Black $50
Petit Sirah $50
Ruby Cabernet $50
Sangiovese $50
Syrah $50
Zinfandel $50
WHITE JUICE
Chardonnay $50
Muscat $50
Sauvignon Blanc $50
Thompson Seedless $50
Una Bella Mischiata 3 for $100 (18 gallons)
The 4 Acre Wine prices are far cheaper, I am told by a friend and fellow winemaker it is because the Lodi region only has quality growers, but those from other areas use several growers and the quality cannot be guaranteed the same way. I wonder if its worth it to get 3 6-gallon pails of the white just to experiment and see how it compares? It can vary from crate to crate and especially year to year.
JRCX 