Packlab Tweaked Vino Italiano Cabernet Sauv kit

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CBell

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Got a cheap Packlab kit from Amazon: Vino Italiano Cabernet Sauvignon

Added 1 lb Raisins, 3 bananas, and 64oz Blackberry Jam to the mix in primary (no preservatives in any ingredients)

Starting gravity 1.10, Ferment Temp 76F

The included grape juice smells/smelled horrible right out of the bag; hoping this improves a bit with time.

On day 5, today, sg is down to 1.045, everything is coming along nicely.
 
CBell, do you still have the "horrible" smell? That could be a concern. Was there a date code on the box? Was there any indication that the juice bag was leaking air?
 
Juice bag was airtight, it's starting to smell a little better. I think it was more of a strong and unexpected smell than anything wrong. I'm just not a fan of anything sweet so the concentrate in the kit was just offputting. At least, I hope that's all it is. If the stink is still there when we're done fermenting, I'll get my panties in a wad.
 
I have had a problem with all Vino Italiano kits. They all smell musty early and even as late as bottling. Give them 6-8 months and that musty smell fades. Really a turn off though. I have given up on these kits. Maybe my expectations are too high.
 
Roger, I know, you get what you pay for. I was just drawn to the low price tag.
 
CBell, keep your expectations high. I like the tweaks that you made to the wine and I would expect that you are going to have a very nice Cabernet with a great blackberry background taste. The bananas and raisins will add body. I think you are going to be pleasantly surprised.
 
Thanks Rocky, I hope so, guess we'll just have to wait and see how it turns out
 
I did this kit about a year ago and added a sliced banana (with skin), 6.5 oz of dried blueberries and 12oz of raisins. I reconstituted to a little more than 5.25 gallons. I also gave 1 oz each of hungarian med and American light oak for 1 month during bulk aging. It's not bad. Not my favorite kit, but what do you expect for two bucks a bottle? :D
 
I too have fallen three times for the low prices but I do have to say I have enjoyed two of the three. The last one is a cab and it is five months old and is not drinkable yet. The other two were a good bit quicker.

I do think it will surprise me in a few weeks though.

I Oakes it and put in raisins.
 
I'm planning on oaking this in bulk aging stage of the game as well. Making sp and dragon blood for quick drinkers so I'm prepared to let this wine age as long as it needs. Or at least I say that now...

Glad to hear that your experiences with this kit have not been 100% negative.

I'm not looking to make the best wine in the world, here. More get some practice with kit wine and the whole wine making process, so that my first kit experience is not with a $150 kit. I'd rather make any mistakes I'm going to make on a cheap kit. Bonus if it's palatable.

Tasted a drop of this last night at sg1.01. Sweet with definite blackberry flavor. No heinous off tastes. Obviously it's still fermenting so it doesn't taste great, but hopefully this is a preview of the flavors to come. I'm just hoping that the blackberry continues to come through.

Racking to secondary tomorrow per kit instructions
 
Wine is dry at .992, currently drinking the contents of my wine thief. Yeasty, opaque, not de-gassed, and with an alcohol bite. However, terrible smell, whatever it was, has faded. And, this stuff is drinkable. I added a handful of oak chips in secondary, has only been on the oak for 5 days. Considerable amount of lees, though, so planning to re-rack,de-gas add K-Meta, and fining agents that came with the kit on Monday 4/29. Definite blackberry undertones and I am beginning to see this wine's potential. Obviously still has a long way to go, but I'm not writing it off yet.
 
I just finished a bottle of Vino Italiano Cabernet Sauvignon that I made November 2010. No tweaks except for some oak cubes placed in the carboy after fermentation. It was good, probably slightly past its peak. Its my opinion that these kits are best at the 12 to 18 month age. I have aged some to 3 years but most seem to be the best at 1 to 1-1/2 years old. They will never be confused with a 20 dollar bottle of wine but are certainly better than any less than 10 dollar store brands.
 
I just used a pound of sunmaid raisins, any raisins should be fine as long as there are no preservatives.

Phil, good to know, mine will be bulk aging for a few months and then bottle aging the rest of the way. Haven't tasted since that last racking but interested to sneak a taste in the next week or two to see how this kit is progressing


Cheers
 
I made a cabernet/blackberry jam combo using Alexanders cabernet juice. It was a recipe I got from Longtrain. It is probably the best overall wine I have made to date. You will enjoy that.
 
Took a taste tonight from bulk aging. Have been aging with med. toast french oak chips. Has been oaking about a month and the oak flavor was a little past where I would like it. Planning to rerack off the oak this weekend. Overall impressed with this kit so far though, will know more once the oak flavors mellow some. Will probably taste again toward the end of summer. Again, making several quick drinkers so am in NO HURRY for this kit. SP and OB kits can be drunk in the mean time and I can taste this every few months. Hopefully I can give some of this blackberry cab away as Xmas gifts and it will be delicious. All my friends from work who have generously donated bottles have been nagging me for when they can have a bottle and I keep putting them off, wanting to have something better than a quick drinker to offer them.
 
I have tweaked several of the paklab kits, and have yet to have a bad one. The basis of my most recent tweaks are Zante currants, and Alexander concentrates instead of sugar to bring up SG to 1.10.

For a Red Zin I used 8 oz of dried cherries and 8 oz of Zante Currants with Red ZIn conc. It turned out quite nice. With the conc. you can go over 6 gal and not be watery.

I've been getting these off Ebay RESERVE DU CHATEAU

All that said any RJS Winery Series stomps all over the best Paklab kit.
 
I was about to post something unpleasant about Vino Italiano kits but decided to do a taste test first. Yep it is wine. After a year of aging this Barolo I'd have to say it is about average for the $1.50 a bottle category.
 
I was about to post something unpleasant about Vino Italiano kits but decided to do a taste test first. Yep it is wine. After a year of aging this Barolo I'd have to say it is about average for the $1.50 a bottle category.

Andy, have you made any tweaks to your Barolo?

The reason I ask is that I have made 4 of those kits so far (the brand vino europa that is sold at costco in canada) and the first two were made as per the instuctions. Right after bottling, I was quite disappointed in them and found them to be incredibly lacking in body. After 6-9 months, the flavor greatly improved but the body was still lacking. I ended up pleasantly surprised by the last bottle.

The other two that I am making have had several tweaks that should significantly improve their body. I am expecting that they will be pretty good at 6 months....
 
LeChat I agree time heals many of a wines wounds. And I suspect your brick and mortar Costco has better quality control than does Amazon's, push this old inventory, bargains. And Canada is more driven in wine making due to your taxation. My only tweak was to add a little concentrate for body as it is only a 7 liter kit and a supposedly muddy varietal. All the same my $90 to $110 kits yield a better end product. Vino Italiano reminds me of 2 buck Chuck.
 

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