2 Yr old wine kit

[sjzalew]

I've not made any wine in a couple of years and I have a Sauvignon Blanc wine kit dated feb2018. It's not been out of the box it was shipped in and for the last year it has sat in my garage. My question is, is it still good and will it not be a waste of time to make it?
Thank you

 

[salcoco]

replace the chemical and yeast should be good to go.

 

[Rocky]

I agree with Sal. Besides, it is mostly sunk cost at this point so you have little to lose but a buck or two and some time.

 

[TonyP]

I agree with Rocky that if you feel like doing it, go ahead. In answer to your question, though, the kit is quite possibly not good and a waste of time. You don't say where you live, but if your garage gets hot in warm weather (perhaps two seasons) it's possible the juice has broken down. At the least, the viscosity and ph will be impacted by warm conditions. Combine that with the possibility of freezing winter temperatures, and I'd say you may have issues.

Having said that, if you live where your garage is somewhat climate controlled, you'll be fine.

 

[tradowsk]

New yeast is a must, and replacing the stabilizers is a good idea too.

I would taste the juice to see where you are. Are there any "off" flavors? Anything like fermentation or rotten egg? Does the juice look homogeneous or is it separated? Does it taste like really sweet grape juice or is there something unpleasant in there?

Kits can last that long and be good depending on your garage conditions. You may not make the most fantastic Sauv Blanc that has ever graced the human palate, but it can still yield a good wine if you're lucky. No way of knowing until you smell/taste it!

 

[akron]

I did a kit about that old. It was stored in a basement that was pretty stable temperature wise. I went ahead and tried it anyway. Only problem I noticed was that the juice had crystalized some and I had to make sure it was dissolved well. Tastes reasonably as expected so far...just getting ready to bottle.

 

[winemaker81]

Last year I made a kit that was 3 years old. It had been stored well, and the wine is aging nicely.

I concur with the previous advice -- check the juice/concentrate, if it smells good it's worth trying. If your garage doesn't get roastingly hot, it's likely the kit is fine. The resulting wine may be darker than you expect, but that is only an aesthetics problem.

As far as I know, bentonite does not have a shelf life, so it is safe to use. Sorbate and yeast DEFINITELY have a shelf life, replace them. Not sure about the sulfite, but for the minor cost, throw out what came in the kit and use fresh.

 

[JPVagabond]

In another thread I asked if yeast is fine if it still activates. The answer was yes. So I've just used some 6 year old yeast and it's working fine. Why is everyone sayin hee that new yeast is vital? It's got me a little concerned.

 

[joeswine]

The yeast has a date code, follow that, yeast is inexpensive to buy.

 

[JPVagabond]

Too late for that I'm afraid. But thanks.

I'll let you know if I die.

 

[winemaker81]

The older the yeast, the less likely it is to be viable. As @joeswine said, yeast is cheap -- by far the least expensive ingredient in wine, so guarantee yourself a good start.

As long as the yeast is viable, I don't know of any problems caused by using old yeast, so you should be fine in that regard.