Packlab Pinot Noir - double kit

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lovibond69

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Hey gang,

I just purchased a double kit of Pinot Noir from Amazon (Vintagemaster). I started both kits and noticed that the smell of the grape juice concentrate was off - old and faint acetone odor? Is this normal or did I get a bad couple of kits?

I have made many other kits in the past and have never noticed this odor before...any thoughts?

Thanks in advance,

LB69
 
To add - the other kits I have made, the smell of them wasn't wonderful (not like fresh juice) but they turned out well enough. Is this normal?
 
How about this? Are there tell-tail signs to know when you have a stale kit? Would freezing the juice affect its final product?
 
Hope this helps some...

With ~10 kits under my belt I've yet to encounter one that didn't smell right or have a color that would suggest to me that it was bad. All my kits have been bought from the same LHBS, not mail ordered, so if it were mine and had even a hint of acetone smell I'd bring it back to the store. I did bring one kit back before even starting the kit when I noticed it had a date label that gave me pause. LHBS took the kit back without question and exchanged for a kit with a fresher date sticker.

Is there a date sticker on the kits that you bought? RJS CS told me that their lower end kits have a shelf life of 2 years, their high end kits 1 year and all their other kits about 18 months.
 
Hard to say, but when looking at Vintagemaster kits on Amazon, you are basically getting two kits for about $70. My experience so far has been that you get what you pay for in wine kits, and at roughly $35/batch, this is the cheapest wine kit I've seen. That being said, you definitely should not be smelling acetone. I would contact the manufacturer.
 
Hmmm.... wish I could say I spent only $70. I paid $245 for two, 4 week, 6 gallon kits - it came with a bucket, corks, hydrometer, etc.

Its fermenting nicely now in my Blichmann 14.5 conical. It smells much better now. Maybe there is hope? This Pinot Noir did not come with oakchips, which I was surprised to see? Do you think it would come out better if I add some to the secondary?
 

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