# Astropaq: Has anyone used?



## gamble (Jun 19, 2017)

Found this product on Amazon 

https://astrapouch-na.com/products/#pagecontentbottom

Bag/bag in box wine storage kit. Seems expensive ( and not reusable) but I may see some use for a special purpose like backpacking.
Question: Has anybody used these? Are they worth it for an experiment?


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## dralarms (Jun 19, 2017)

That's some expensive containers.


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## Boatboy24 (Jun 19, 2017)

Looked into them about 6 months ago, but cost kept me out. Would love to have some in that packaging for hiking/camping/picnics though.


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## dralarms (Jun 19, 2017)

Boatboy24 said:


> Looked into them about 6 months ago, but cost kept me out. Would love to have some in that packaging for hiking/camping/picnics though.



Couldn't you use a hydration bladder? They're not that expensive.


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## Boatboy24 (Jun 19, 2017)

dralarms said:


> Couldn't you use a hydration bladder? They're not that expensive.



For ultra short term, sure. These allow you to 'bottle' and store.


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## dralarms (Jun 19, 2017)

Ok, I was thinking "bringing my favorite wine while backpacking"


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## Noontime (Jun 20, 2017)

About $1.00 per 750ml bag? That's cheaper than bottles at most online stores.


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## Noontime (Jun 20, 2017)

Of course you're committing to 400 astrapouchs of wine instead of bottles. The life of wine in an astrapouch is less than a year before it starts going down hill, so you either need to drink fast or just do a few per batch.


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## Boatboy24 (Jun 20, 2017)

Noontime said:


> About $1.00 per 750ml bag? That's cheaper than bottles at most online stores.



Yep, though they aren't reusable (as far as I can tell).


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## Noontime (Jun 21, 2017)

Boatboy24 said:


> Yep, though they aren't reusable (as far as I can tell).



Good point.

Although they're not reusable, there may be a few people who might see the value... hiking, sports, beach/pool. It's not like the bags will go bad.  I'd never thought of these as being an option, but it's quite possible a few bottles of wine from each batch may be going into bags. This was an insightful post, thanks gamble.


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## tjgaul (Jun 21, 2017)

Has anyone looked into the Invinity system by Master Vintner? $65 for the kit and $15 per 7 bags (3 L). Not super cheap, but not bad and seems like a good method for "bottling" and dispensing your daily drinking wines. This is not as portable as the Astropaq's, but it looks like a very user friendly storage & dispensing system.


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## dralarms (Jun 21, 2017)

I didn't see there were 400 pouches in a box. That's not so bad. But I don't think it's for me at this time.


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## we5inelgr (Oct 10, 2017)

This Master Vintner Invinity Wine on Tap looks like a very interesting system. I think I'm going to try it out with the kit wines that I will make.

The other system, AstraPouch, looks like it's geared more towards small wineries as their products can be 'branded.'

However, looks like the price of the 7 _(3 liter)_ refill bags for Invinity Wine on Tap are just a bit more than the cost for 30 premium corks.

My wife and I love the convenience of 'boxed' wine, just haven't found any except one _(wine cube)_ that is decent enough to drink on a regular basis. And sometimes those are not very good after a glass or two.

The wine 'box' thing is almost too convenient, especially with the whites that we keep in the fridge.
This could be a great alternative if I'm able to make kit wine that we enjoy, and I'll stick to bottling the wine I make from fresh grapes.


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## we5inelgr (Oct 10, 2017)

Noontime said:


> The life of wine in an astrapouch is less than a year before it starts going down hill, so you either need to drink fast or just do a few per batch.



Does it say that on their site somewhere?

If the wine is stored at the proper temp & humidity and in the dark, shouldn't the quality of wine remain the same as if it were in bottles...at least for under 3 or 4 years?


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## roger80465 (Oct 10, 2017)

tjgaul said:


> Has anyone looked into the Invinity system by Master Vintner? $65 for the kit and $15 per 7 bags (3 L). Not super cheap, but not bad and seems like a good method for "bottling" and dispensing your daily drinking wines. This is not as portable as the Astropaq's, but it looks like a very user friendly storage & dispensing system.



I owned a similar system a few years ago, planning to bag, store and age my wine to save the aggravation of bottling. I learned (sadly) that aging more than a couple months results in a strong likelihood oxidation. I lost most of a batch because they just don't age well in bags. For me, I might use them for things like skeeter pee or a white that you plan to drink quickly. Possibly a red that has been bulk aged to readiness. Either way, I would plan to drain them in a few months.


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## we5inelgr (Oct 10, 2017)

roger80465 said:


> Possibly a red that has been bulk aged to readiness. Either way, I would plan to drain them in a few months.



Yes, sounds like the best way to utilize this type of 'delivery' system. Bulk age first, then put in the bags and use in less than 6 months.

wine can last in a carboy just as long as in a wine bottle – years! In fact, you can think of a carboy as one big wine bottle.


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## kire (Oct 17, 2017)

I looked into the Astrapaqs a few weeks ago. The president of the company sent me the following reply which was very informative. Personally I am still debating whether it is a good fit for particular use cases like concerts and glass free areas.

"For BIB and pouches, if you bump your SO2 to +15 ppm over what you use in glass bottle and make sure your total dissolved oxygen (DO) is less than 1 mg/L, then you can get upwards of 12 *months.* Most flexible packaging is only good for 6-9 months as home winemakers tend to have 6-7 mg/L oxygen, which is very high. * The free molecular oxygen in the wine is the gating factor to life, not the package.* Below 1 ppm, the package becomes the concern after 12 months.* Do not use BIB or pouches for long term storage unless your using my 20L BIB."


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## we5inelgr (Oct 22, 2017)

Interesting reply. Thanks for sharing as it seems that info would apply to not only the Astrapaqs, but to perhaps other 'bag' type systems generally speaking.
Sounds like the goal here is, if using one of the bag packaging, to drink the wine within 6 months.


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