Award-Winning Kit Winemakers Roundtable

How do you make the best possible homemade wine from a kit? You know, something truly great that can stand out in a crowded competition and go toe-to-toe with a fresh grape wine? I reached out to four kit winemakers who all won multiple medals in the 2015 WineMaker International Amateur Wine Competition for their kit-made wines to reveal their winemaking secrets. Here is what I discovered! The Winemakers: Franco Costa lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He makes about 10 kit wines per year and has been involved in winemaking with kits for nearly 25 years. 2011 was the first year that he entered a competition and one of his wines won gold, spurring him on to enter more. He currently holds 17 medals. 2015 Medals at the WineMaker competition: (All wines made with RJS Craft Winemaking kits) Gold, 2014 Grand Cru California Muscat Gold, 2014 Cellar Classic Winery Series Super Tuscan Gold, 2013 Cru Select RQ Cabernet Sauvignon Silver, 2013 Cellar Classic Winery Series Italian Amarone Silver, 2014 Cru Select Valpolicella Ripassa Silver, 2013 Grand Cru International California Meritage Bronze, 2013 Cru Select