Recently, Vineco advised us that two of their lines would be discontinued. These are the 23L Vinterra juices and the 18L KenRidge Founders. This is unfortunate, but not the end of the world!
Vinterra is an excellent example of what a no-water-needed grape must kit can do. There are other 23L pails of must out there, certainly, but we’ve never found one that can even touch the quality offered by Vineco in their Vinterra brand. Its a shame the sales numbers haven’t been there in recent years to justify keeping it – but have no fear, as many have discovered there are other great kits by Vineco around this quality and price level.
The second brand getting the ol’ axe is your author’s favourite – the top of the line (in our opinion, at least) product KenRidge Founders. This line contains some of the most bold and flavourfull red wines I’ve tasted. The Supertuscan in particular we found popular, with the Australian Shiraz a personal favourite. This comes with a bit of sadness, knowing that the KenRidge Founders wines I make in the next few months will be the last ever.
But there is still light at the end of this tunnel : Cellar Craft Showcase has a full lineup of 18L grape skin reds. A year and a half ago Vineco bought the popular brand Cellar Craft. Shortly after, they consolidated their brands to minimize duplicate products – a move that made sense. We have been slowly bringing in the Cellar Craft lines including Showcase. So far, I’ve tried the Amarone, Merlot and Viognier. All these wines were hits with anyone who tried, and delivered the quality that I had come to expect from a kit with the same format as the KenRidge Founders. Cellar Craft Showcase will make an excellent replacement once KenRidge Founders is gone.
So what now then? Well if you are a fan of Vinterra or KenRidge Founders, make sure to get your fill of these products before they’re gone for good. Estimated to be gone by mid-summer, you’ve still got a few months but it will crop up on you before you know it. Come get your last KenRidge Founders or Vinterra kit before they’re gone for good!