RJ Spagnols Advice needed - Wine kit froze in shipping

[OhioLarry]

I bought an RJ Spagnols En Premier Italian Super Tuscan kit. Just after I ordered it the weather in Ohio turned very cold. The kit arrived today and I opened it up to find a pinhole in the bag with a very small amount of juice outside the bag. I cleaned it up and put packing tape over the hole to prevent more air getting in the bag. The bag is discolored in spots where the juice froze to the bag.

I have read that it is not a problem for the juice to freeze. Is this true?

I was not planning on starting this kit for about 10 more days due to my bucket already being in use. Is the small amount of air in the bag now going to be a problem? Is there anything I can do to prevent it from being ruined?

Is it already ruined? I would appreciate any advice. Thank you for your time.

 

[Rocky]

Larry, in all probability you will be fine. The concentrate is a high sugar content liquid with some balancing chemicals added and none of this should be affected by cold. Make sure you get the temperature of the juice into the mid 70's F before pitching the yeast. That is a really great kit, by the way.

 

[OhioLarry]

Thanks for the reply Rocky. I was hoping that would be the right answer and I would not have to try and return it.

I added a photo of the bag to the original post. The discoloration where it appears to have frozen was a bit disconcerting.

Is there any special handling to store the juice for the 10 days? Is room temperature olright or should I try and fit it in the fridge?

 

[Rocky]

Larry, I can't see any discoloration but the amount of foam in the bag may be a concern. If it were I, I would start the kit as soon as possible. I would advise you to go to Home Depot and buy a Rubbermaid "Brute" trash can (a 20 gallon with lid is about $20-24 or a 10 gallon, available on line only from Home Depot is about $19 without lid) and get the kit going. If you do this, make sure the "NSF" symbol is molded into the bottom of the can. You probably don't have to refrigerate the concentrate in the mean time, but it would not hurt to do so. It will just take a little longer to get it up to the mid 70's once you start. Here is a picture of the cans I use.

 

[richmke]

Time (short) and temp (low) is on your side. Start the kit ASAP.

I would be most worried about the tape coming into contact with the wine.

 

[wineh]

can you send it back?

It isn't really your fault it got cold out, or that there's a hole in the bag. Either the shipper or your supplier should be willing to replace that kit at no cost to you. Phone calls are almost free.

 

[OhioLarry]

Thank you for all the replies. I went to the local supply store and got another 6 gallon bucket today so I can get it started right away.

 

[Boatboy24]

You're going to need at least a 7 gallon bucket to ferment that kit.

 

[OhioLarry]

Jim, the instructions that came with the kit specify a normal 6 gallon bucket and 6 gallon carboy in the equipment section. The steps say to top up to the 6 gallon line. Are you talking about needing some head room? I have a wine making bucket that is made for this task, says it is 6 gallon but in actuality it is larger than 6 gallon. there is a ridge on the inside at 6 gallon.

 

[Boatboy24]

Oh, Ok. I was just talking about headroom.

 

[Dhaynes]

I suggest calling the company you bought the kit from. We have had 2 kits out of 32 we have bought that had leaked in transit. It wasn't cold enough for them to have frozen so I think it was just rough handling or a manufacturing defect. Both times it happened we called the supplier and they replaced the kit free of charge and paid the shipping. They had no interest in having us return the defective kit.


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[Brew and Wine Supply]

We had a pallet of kits freeze on us when we first opened. a lot of them leaked when we shipped them out. We also replaced a lot of them because when UPS found them leaking they destroyed them. I ended up making the rest over about a year and they were all fine.