Other Paklab Kits

[Tom]

Congrats!
How fast did your reward last? LOL

 

[WhineMaker]

Congrats!
How fast did your reward last? LOL

Not very long at all!!

Actually put a bottle in the fridge so we can taste it chilled tonight, only problem is I have to work until 8:00!

My wife promised me she would not open it until I get home...

 

[Tom]

BUT,
Will she really leave it alone?

 

[WhineMaker]

Just a heads up.. If anyone is considering trying any Paklab kits, Amazon.com is giving 15% off through May 31st.. Just use code WINEKIT5 at checkout..

 

[tonyyy_11111]

comparison ?

any taste comparisons with other kits or comercial wines .. and what flavors come through i would appriciate your opinions

 

[mikez104]

I say If it's good enough for you to drink it's good enough to make wine. Just don't use distilled water.

Why not distiller water? What about reverse osmosis?

 

[wines just fine]

Darryl, I'm curious, how did that Barolo turn out?

 

[WhineMaker]

The Barolo came out just okay.. Had nice flavor, but was on the thin side.. In hindsight I should have either cut it down to a 5 gal batch or added bananas etc to increase body, or both.. I have had better results with the white wines, with the chardonnay being a staple in our household.. I also made the Moscato which IMHO did not represent it varietal at all.. I tell people it's an off-dry non-oaked chardonnay. Still a very good every day drinker though..

 

[WhineMaker]

any taste comparisons with other kits or comercial wines .. and what flavors come through i would appriciate your opinions

IMHO, these kits are on par with most entry level wine kits. They are not great at reproducing true varietal flavors, but they do produce a decent table wines. It's all about expectations, just do not expect too much and I believe you will be happy.

 

[wines just fine]

Thanks, I picked up one of these kits last month when Paklab was at Costco.

I think I'll add the raisins, bananas and oak like I did to the Merlot.

It turned out to be quite drinkable after a year of aging.

 

[chitownwine]

5g instead of 6 question

Hey whinemaker you mentioned that you would have made the barolo 5g instead of 6. I am new to wine making and picked up a barolo kit on amazon to start off learning with.
I would like to make 5g instead of 6 since I have heard from other threads this was recommended so results arent as thin. For this would I need to get a 5g carboy instead of 6 so I can still top it up since I only have a 6g one now? Also so I am assuming to make 5g just lower the amount of water and keep everything else the same as far as the ingredients and the length of time at each step? One more question any time particular type of oak chip you recommend since the kit did not come with any.

thanks for helping out a newbie.

 

[KSmith3011]

Welcome to the forum. I use Paklab for a basic table wine. I make just over 5 gallons in the primary, this allows me to have some extra for topping off. As far as oak, it is a personal preference. I keep mine on oak for about 6 weeks, a nice heavy american oak is what I like. Most important, have fun. Paklab is a cheap kit so play with it. Add oak, tannin, raisins, banana soup, whatever you like. FYI, it will need to age for a year or more to have a proper taste.

 

[rat]

instructions

I need the instructins for a wine kit "reserve du chateau" pinot noir. It's a 4 week kit. It was given to me and has no instructions. Help!!

 

[cpfan]

I need the instructins for a wine kit "reserve du chateau" pinot noir. It's a 4 week kit. It was given to me and has no instructions. Help!!

If this is a Paklab kit, then here are the instructions.

http://paklabproducts.com/pdf/4WkWinemaking.pdf

Steve

 

[gird123]

Hi all,

I was just looking for an update on how every ones paklab kits are turning out. I have a system i like.

I make them at 5.5 gallons. In primary I add 2# raisins and 1/3 cup ground American oak. I rack into secondary on 1/3 cup American oak chips and 1/3 cup French oak chips. 6 weeks rack, stabilize, and clear. Bottle in 2 weeks.

They make an OK can table wine, not something I would share with some one with refined taste.

Nate

 

[mikez104]

I assume these paklab kits is similar to the Vino Italiano on amazon. I did the chardonnay and it turned out good. I followed the instructions and added some medium roast oak. Next time I'll add more. It is by no means a great wine but very drinkable and I like it.

I have a cabernet sauvignon from the same company in the secondary now aging. I tasted it and it was pretty good but needs some oak. I didn't do anything special to it ether except leave out the mystery pack of chemicals a the end of the primary ferment. I assume that there is sorbate in there. I added a pinch of kmeta instead. I added sorbate to my pinot noir I did from juice and it is horrible. I wont use that stuff anymore without some experimentation. I used the 1/2 tsp per gallon when I tried to sweeten it a little and now my pinot tastes like bubblegum but that's a whole different story.

These kits are fun to do and tasty.

 

[gird123]

Yeah, Vino Italiano on amazon. I like them.

 

[HugoBOSS]

Hi everyone
1st post on this site and newbie winemaker.This forum is great, so much infos here helped me out in my introduction to this great hobby!
Only 2 kit made yet, a paklab reserve du chateau BC style merlot and a WE world vineyard pinot noir. So far so good the merlot turned out better than the pinot, at 6 months old each, the merlot is medium bodied, soft and fruity not very alcoolic (only 12%) a great daily drinker for the moment but I let it age. I will cetainly not be affraid to serve to guest when it will hit his 1yr mark. I went to paklab factory at boucherville yesterday to buy 4 pail kits at the price of 3 and saw they have a new premium pail kit that come with a big bag of crushed grapes. So far for the red I remember they have a spanish one, an italian and a french pinot noir. Do somebody here have tried it?

 

[gird123]

I have not tried them. Must be nice to drive up the the factory.

 

[HugoBOSS]

I have not tried them. Must be nice to drive up the the factory.

Yes it sure is nice they have some products available not llisted on their online sale site. The premium kits with grape seem only available at the factory retail store for the moment. The crushed grape bag can be bought appart, im tempted to try it with the kits I bought but im wondering if it will raise my S.G too much