Life span of a wine kit

[Tom Miller]

How long is an average wine kit viable? The reason I ask is that sometimes you will see a good wine kit sale but it might be a few months before you can get to it. I assume that most kits have been sitting in a warehouse for some time before they are sold to the consumer. Can I stock up without worry?

 

[cmason1957]

I would say at least a year and probably more like 18 months with no worries whatsoever.

 

[Doug’s wines]

Researched awhile ago as I was about to make a kit that was very old (3 years) and below is an excerpt from what I found on another board. In general it seems kits last 12-18 months from production. I went ahead and made the kit after replacing the yeast and kmeta. Tossed the clearing agents and let it clear naturally. Wine is tasting pretty good (about 2.5 years old) and almost out of it now.

This was taken from the Wine Expert website:

Winexpert doesn't publish an expiration date for our wine kits, since they don't 'expire,' as such. Our guideline is for users to make their kits in a time period 12-18 months from the packing day, depending on the conditions under which the kit has been stored during that time. Because of their higher brix and acid content, smaller-volume kits (under 15 litres) tend to have a longer shelf-life, while larger-volume (15 litres and over) last for a bit shorter timespan.

It's important to note that the kits don't suddenly stop being viable. They may have oxidised a bit, if storage conditions were not optimal, and this could result in some loss of fruit character or aromatics. But on the whole, they still turn out quite well. In fact, without a side-by-side comparison with fresher kits, most people simply don't notice a difference.


From the RJ Spagnols website:

Q. What is the shelf life of the kit? How do I know how old it is?
A. On the label that says the type of wine you have is a date code, this is the day the kit was manufactured. The code is simple, YYYYMMDD, so a kit that has 20070214 was made on February 14, 2007. If they are stored correctly 4 week kits will last 18 months, 6 week kits will last 12 months. After that the quality will begin to decline, the juice oxidizes just like wine does.

 

[Keith5]

I bought some items off CL and was given a 9 year old RJ Spagnols Grenache kit. I figured WTH and pitched fresh yeast and fermented it Last September. It did oxidize a bit to reddish brownish color and it’s obviously not as good as fresh but it’s drinkable. Has decent flavor and actually has been great as a red cooking wine for gumbo, roasts, etc.
since I do this for fun, it was fun learning and was my first taste of Grenache.
Just pitch some fresh yeast and see. It may not be your best, but for $2 yeast investment, you’ll probably like it better than your 401k YTD return right now. LOL

 

[Tom Miller]

Thanks for the replies guys.

 

[szap]

The key is a fresh yeast

 

[szap]

Interesting the questions on old wine kits. Three posts today. Quarantined wine makers finally having time to make that wine kit

 

[stever]

I started a WE lodi cabernet that was at least 5 years old the other day. Fresh yeast pack and it is bubbling away now

 

[Tom Miller]

I started a WE lodi cabernet that was at least 5 years old the other day. Fresh yeast pack and it is bubbling away now

Good to know.....let us know how it turns out.

 

[stever]

Good to know.....let us know how it turns out.

So the last couple years have been interesting and wine making has not been much interest. So after two plus years in the carboy, we finally siphoned off a glass. Was not expecting to have drinkable wine actually but it turned out to be a decent port. So cleaning bottles now and will bottle later today. Going to call in "Coachella 2020 Cabernet Porto" or something like that. I will have a bunch of wine making stuff for sale soon; carboys, corker, bottle drying rack, etcetera.

 

[FlamingoEmporium]

Well I might have to find out if 10 years is too old.

i feel bad now, visiting my daughter in NY and she said “I need to talk to Mark” (he’s actually the one who got me started) “because he was going to let me borrow some things to make the wine kit my husband got me years ago”

so today we headed down to the basement and there it was, a winexpert 6 gallon Cab Sauv kit. I looked at the manufacture date, it was 2012.

I know the chemicals have probably long lost their usefulness, but now I have to dig up a garbage can primary vessel and go see if my friend Mark has a spare 6 gallon carboy kicking around.

 

[winemaker81]

I know the chemicals have probably long lost their usefulness, but now I have to dig up a garbage can primary vessel and go see if my friend Mark has a spare 6 gallon carboy kicking around.

Yeah, nuke everything except the bentonite, unless is clumped. I'm interested in seeing how this works out.

I've made several kits that were 18 to 24 months old, one that was 36 months old, and all came out fine. Given that the kit in question was stored in a cellar that was presumably cool, it's entirely likely the kit will turn out well. I'm interested in your results.

 

[FlamingoEmporium]

Yeah I’ve got her an equipment kit and some fresh chemicals coming. It’s worth a shot.

how about the oak chips ? Or whatever flavor they are.

and now she’s already planning on a blackberry ferment this summer. We’re going to crack open the passion fruit wine I brought up to her this week. I’m pretty sure that will hook her.

“Given that the kit in question was stored in a cellar that was presumably cool”
it’s New York- basements are cold in winter and cool all summer

I have to wear my fleece jacket in these chilly NY mornings.

 

[winemaker81]

how about the oak chips ? Or whatever flavor they are.

if it's been kept dry, oak is fine.

it’s New York- basements are cold in winter and cool all summer

I grew up north of Utica, so that's my experience.

 

[FlamingoEmporium]

@winemaker81. we are mixing up the ferment on this cab now. Should I put in any enzyme and yeast nutrient ?

if we don’t need to add nutrient or enzyme, does the yeast get pitched right away ?

 

[winemaker81]

@winemaker81. we are mixing up the ferment on this cab now. Should I put in any enzyme and yeast nutrient ?

if we don’t need to add nutrient or enzyme, does the yeast get pitched right away ?

Unless there is a skin pack, I don't know if a maceration enzyme will do anything. Given the age of the kit, I wouldn't put anything extra in at this point.

I'd add 1/4 tsp K-meta to address any oxidation of the concentrate, and inoculate tomorrow.

I'm using the overnight starter -- 1 cup warm (90-95 F) water, yeast, 1 tsp sugar, and 1/2 tsp nutrient in a wine bottle, let it set overnight.

The kit shouldn't need nutrient, but I'd be tempted to add 1 tsp now, and 1/2 tsp in a couple of days.

 

[FlamingoEmporium]

Thanks. The juice in the kit looked fine in color etc. it foamed a bit when added to the bucket with water and bentonite. Fingers crossed. I’ll update after yeast is pitched tomorrow.

 

[Rice_Guy]

find out if 10 years is too old. . . Cab Sauv kit. I looked at the manufacture date, it was 2012.

The initial vacuum concentration processing of the juice which was used causes significant loss of fresh flavor. Cool storage is fairly slow for flavor change. (example jelly on the pantry shelf for decades) Oak is a tannin source which should be stable till combined with protein or oxygen in water. Metabisulphite in small quantity risks absorbing humidity through the Saran bag and degrading. Bentonite is a charged clay particle (salt) as long as dry it should not lose effectiveness,

 

[FlamingoEmporium]

Yeast just went in. The primary bucket has a sealing lid and grommeted hole for airlock. This goes against what I’ve been taught for primary ferment. Is a kit wine different ? Should it go under airlock in primary or just keep it covered ?

 

[winemaker81]

Yeast just went in. The primary bucket has a sealing lid and grommeted hole for airlock. This goes against what I’ve been taught for primary ferment. Is a kit wine different ? Should it go under airlock in primary or just keep it covered ?

Wine is wine, and being a kit doesn't make a difference in the process. I ferment all wines (grape, fruit, kit, mead) in an open bucket with a towel.

Keep in mind that kits instructions are designed for beginners with no experienced help, and for that purpose the reputable vendors do a great job. Experienced winemakers are not the target audience.