WineXpert More winexpert woes

[wineh]

I'm a few days from putting on a private reserve supertuscan, and I noticed that the box started coming apart. Upon further examination, the juice is fermenting in the bag!
Contact sent to winexpert, but of course, no one works on weekends. Also contacted retailer, got some sympathy.

 

[joeswine]

and so it happens ,stay the course theirs always monday'

 

[sour_grapes]

and so it happens ,stay the course theirs always monday'

Except it is a holiday for some! (Not, I think, for @wineh.)

 

[wineh]

Except it is a holiday for some! (Not, I think, for @wineh.)

Ya, its called Family Day in Saskatchewan.

 

[pillswoj]

In Ontario it is also Family Day

 

[Brian55]

I'm a few days from putting on a private reserve supertuscan, and I noticed that the box started coming apart. Upon further examination, the juice is fermenting in the bag!
Contact sent to winexpert, but of course, no one works on weekends. Also contacted retailer, got some sympathy.

Had this happen a few years back. Dumped it into the fermenter and it turned out just fine.

 

[joeswine]

There's always the next day in wine making no matter how big or small the matter there's always the next day.

 

[wineh]

My retailer is getting a replacement kit for me! She suggested that I make the defective kit as a science project. I opened the bag, and it does not smell very good, almost beer-like. I'll put it on anyway, but my early suspicion is that it won't make it to bottle.
Thanks Prairie Bee Meadery!

 

[joeswine]

Don't waste your time

 

[wineh]

Don't waste your time

I had that thought Joe. I have a reserve carmenere that I could make up and add the grape pack from the supertuscan to it.
We'll see what the supertuscan smells like when diluted in the primary fermenter,then make that decision.

 

[joeswine]

Grape pacs are good to use , if you use it in the primary your SG. Is going to be around 14/15 % which isn't a problem as long as it's balanced.Your ph should be around 3.5.this makes for a Strong and good balanced wine.

 

[winemaker81]

I had that thought Joe.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. If the wine turns out ok, you win. If it doesn't, you're no farther behind, it just cost a bit of time and effort to find out.

 

[wineh]

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. If the wine turns out ok, you win. If it doesn't, you're no farther behind, it just cost a bit of time and effort to find out.

Made it up and pitched the yeast today. Fingers crossed
Elk burgers and wine for supper!

 

[wineh]

My retailer is getting a replacement kit for me! She suggested that I make the defective kit as a science project. I opened the bag, and it does not smell very good, almost beer-like. I'll put it on anyway, but my early suspicion is that it won't make it to bottle.
Thanks Prairie Bee Meadery!

So, I picked up that replacement kit at the end of March. It has been waiting in my basement for a spot in the lineup, which was going to happen today. Lo and behold, this one has also started to ferment in the bag. I will return it and get a Lodi Zin and call it a day. My rjs retailer still has an 18 litre version of their supertuscan which is very good, so I'll pull the trigger on that.
The "science experiment" is resting in the basement. It might be ok.

 

[winemaker81]

Contact Winexpert directly. They should be concerned that you got 2 problem kits in a row.

 

[wineh]

Contact Winexpert directly. They should be concerned that you got 2 problem kits in a row.

I did that last time, and the response from Global Vintners was 'contact your retailer', and not much sympathy. My retailer made things happen, so I'll rely on her.

 

[winemaker81]

I did that last time, and the response from Global Vintners was 'contact your retailer', and not much sympathy.

That is very disappointing to hear.

 

[wineh]

That is very disappointing to hear.

And yet not completely surprising. WineXpert has not been the same since Global Vintners exercised corporate control and unceremoniously fired Tim Vandergrift. (would it be 5 years ago?)
My retailer is on it and I will have a new kit tomorrow. Probably a Lodi old vines zinfandel. She said she would question quality control for me but I don't think disclosure will be forthcoming. In the end, I'm out nothing but time. Trying to be philosophical. Lol

 

[bstnh1]

Winexpert may have implemented a lot of changes that are not very popular. But if they screw up quality control and start shipping bad kits, it's gonna hurt them bad!!!!

 

[wineh]

Winexpert may have implemented a lot of changes that are not very popular. But if they screw up quality control and start shipping bad kits, it's gonna hurt them bad!!!!

Maybe. Living in a small city in the Canadian Prairies, my options are limited. It's 250km one way to my "local" RJS retailer, so my other option is to buy at the liquor store. For now, WineXpert (my retailer really) is looking after me, and that counts too.
I'm struggling to understand how I could be the only one to get (2 in a row supertuscan) bad kits. Is it possible that some people don't recognize that there should not be any "air" in an aseptically packaged juice? Could I really be that unlucky? I have records of well over 150 previous kits, and this never happened before 2021.
I have a feeling that we are going to be looking back at the previous decade as "the good old days" of kit winemaking.
Sorry, done ranting.