Other Paklab 23L Onyx V Argentinian Malbec kit.

[phat]

Anyone else done this one? and how'd it turn out.

I grabbed it based on price, since I picked it up for 48 dollars (cdn) at costco with a promotion they were having.

No oak, no grapes, just a full 23 litres of must in a pail, It's sitting now clearing in a carboy after racking out of the secondary, degassing and fining. I am planning on racking it again in a few weeks onto some french oak, and pulling it off the oak after 6 weeks more or so, and letting it bulk age for a good while.

 

[edv]

I made this kit about 6 mos ago.
I found the results to be very 'thin'.
A bit of aging has helped somewhat (I know 6 mos is not very long LOL).
I'd say you need 'additives' during fermentation to make this stuff more drinkable.

 

[RCGoodin]

I made this kit about 6 mos ago.
I found the results to be very 'thin'.
A bit of aging has helped somewhat (I know 6 mos is not very long LOL).
I'd say you need 'additives' during fermentation to make this stuff more drinkable.

I started this April 8th. I'm going to add oak chips during secondary. Are there other additives I should be considering?

 

[rjb222]

Anyone else done this one? and how'd it turn out.

I grabbed it based on price, since I picked it up for 48 dollars (cdn) at costco with a promotion they were having.

No oak, no grapes, just a full 23 litres of must in a pail, It's sitting now clearing in a carboy after racking out of the secondary, degassing and fining. I am planning on racking it again in a few weeks onto some french oak, and pulling it off the oak after 6 weeks more or so, and letting it bulk age for a good while.

These are not juice must they are concentrate set up by pac labs. The idea to these at least with RJS pre set buckets is for people on poor well water to be able to make good tasting wine. They are set up and all you need to do is add the bentonite and stir then inoculate the yeast. Many people think they are getting juice and are very disappointed with the finished product as they wine made is certainly not up to the standard of good wine making practice and quality juice.

 

[Kerplonk]

I just bottled this as my first kit ever. Got it for about the same price. Straight out of the kit, the juice tasted very fruity and rough with a slightly worrying metallic underflavour. Racking to secondary, it tasted strongly of raspberry. On bottling, it has a very brief initial taste which is quite nice, followed immediately by a long-lasting tart, thick, sticky sour meatball, before finishing with a fair amount of lingering tannin. It tastes like a cheap, immature red that hasn't had time to breath. I definitely don't find it thin. We'll see how it improves in the bottles.

 

[RCGoodin]

I just bottled this as my first kit ever. Got it for about the same price. Straight out of the kit, the juice tasted very fruity and rough with a slightly worrying metallic underflavour. Racking to secondary, it tasted strongly of raspberry. On bottling, it has a very brief initial taste which is quite nice, followed immediately by a long-lasting tart, thick, sticky sour meatball, before finishing with a fair amount of lingering tannin. It tastes like a cheap, immature red that hasn't had time to breath. I definitely don't find it thin. We'll see how it improves in the bottles.

Kerplonk, how much water did you add? Did you process (top off) a full 6 gallons? When I made mine, I thought I'd have to add more than a gallon of water to make six gallons, so I reduced it to 5 gallons and its very full bodied.

I didn't get the sticky sour meatball taste....

 

[Benjamin2]

Malbec wine kit from Costco

I also made this Malbec wine kit purchased from Costco approx 10 weeks ago
Made it as per their directions and filtered one week prior to Bottling.
Just tasted the wine and also find it thin. Not bad on the nose but that's where it ends.

I have been making wine for 20 years and this is my first time using the Paclab Onyx V product from Quebec. I called customer service to inquire how much water they add to the concentrate. They say that is their trade secret. I think they are adding too much water. That's why the finnished wine is thin

I also purchased the French Chardonay and New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc
They are both very thin on account of too much water added to the concentrate. Will go back to making the Spagnol premium 18 litre kits and adding 5 litres of water. Still the one of the best product on the market.

Remember you only get what you pay for. In wine making there are no short cuts. Buy a good kit and you end up with a very good home made wine. Even better if you age it for 6 months.

 

[Andrewwarwick]

Made it with no great expectations. I added a banana and a muslin pack of skins I had already fermented in a Meglioli kit. It was thin, fruity, tasted nothing like a Malbec but was an excellent early drinker with zero KT after only 3 months. No comparison to any high end kit, but the price should tell you that.

 

[phat]

Made it with no great expectations. I added a banana and a muslin pack of skins I had already fermented in a Meglioli kit. It was thin, fruity, tasted nothing like a Malbec but was an excellent early drinker with zero KT after only 3 months. No comparison to any high end kit, but the price should tell you that.

I expect the banana and pack of skinswould have helped it
a bit. Mine's made with no additions to it, it's thin and fruity, but definately not zero KT, it had some pretty serious bubblegummy KT to it for a long time that has now mostly
subsided after 10 months or so, Wouldn't call mine an early
drinker.

 

[olusteebus]

I made a chardonnay by Vino Italiano and a zinfadel by Chateau du Reserve. I think they are paklab kits, not sure. They are 6 gallon, "4 week" kits. I love the chardonnay. I had to top off a good bit with a cheap chardonnay due to a racking accident (my first wine).

The zinfadel seems to be good, still a little young (6 months). It is in the bottle and I expect it to be pretty good for the price.

On both of those, I made only 5 gallons. I oaked the zin and added raisins to the chard.

I did not expect the same results as a 80 to 120 buck kit so I was not disappointed


Think I will try a riesling.

 

[roger80465]

I have made several of the Packlab kits with very mixed results. Many of the problems I take blame for. I have over oaked a Chateau Classico Amarone and a Vino Italiano Barolo. Most of the problems seem to be my over active imagination regarding what these kits could be. The best red was a Vino Italiano Rosso Magnifico that I made according to instructions as a 5 gallon kit. Second best was a Vino Italiano Riesling that I only back sweetened - no other tweaks. My complaints with these kits are that they are definitely NOT early drinkers. They all have a musty taste early that makes them quite unpleasant. My Riesling was lousy until the bottle I just opened at 8 months. Not a great Riesling but a nice white wine. I hope the Amarone will become drinkable in the next 3-6 months. It was started in June so hopefully by next June it will find its way into my rotation. As long as we maintain realistic expectations on these kits, they can offer some fun options as an every day wine.

 

[phat]

I expect the banana and pack of skinswould have helped it
a bit. Mine's made with no additions to it, it's thin and fruity, but definately not zero KT, it had some pretty serious bubblegummy KT to it for a long time that has now mostly
subsided after 10 months or so, Wouldn't call mine an early
drinker.

A final word on this guy.....

This wine got about 8 months of bulk age, and has been sitting in the bottle for
about a further 6 months. After 6 months in the bottle it has mellowed out and the bubblegummy Kit Taste is gone... I would call it a very "thin" red - it's absolutely not great (at least not as I like reds) but for for a lighter red it turned out drinkable, as in cheap drinkable wine that I use for kit toppers, and will occasionally open a bottle to have with a cheap bottle-sauce spaghetti dinner. to me, it's doesn't taste like a full bodied malbec - more like a cheap box pinot noir.

What the hey - it was cheap - I have much better stuff in the cellar.

 

[jimmythebrat]

Anyone else done this one? and how'd it turn out.

I grabbed it based on price, since I picked it up for 48 dollars (cdn) at costco with a promotion they were having.

No oak, no grapes, just a full 23 litres of must in a pail, It's sitting now clearing in a carboy after racking out of the secondary, degassing and fining. I am planning on racking it again in a few weeks onto some french oak, and pulling it off the oak after 6 weeks more or so, and letting it bulk age for a good while.

I did a batch of this Malbec (style) last winter and didn't mind it. So we have just put another on that was purchased last week at Costco. perhaps i will revisit you in a couple of months with an update. it is safe to say you almost always get what you pay for .......