WineXpert Would you buy a kit 1 year old?

[eblasmn9]

I bought a couple of limited edition whites that were over year and a half old. The Winexpert Gruner Veltliner I took a chance on knowing how old it was. The Winexpert Limited edition Pacific Quartet was almost two years old when I bought it not realizing it. Both of them were really nice sale prices. The juice looked and smelled good. I made them and they are two of the best whites I have made. I did swap out the yeast, K-meta and sorbate for newer.
Vendors seem to keep having sales and I keep buying so I have a lot of reds that are almost year old before I make them.
I would not have a problem buying a kit up to about a year and half old. I don't think I would buy a two year old kit intentionally.

 

[Bartman]

As everyone else has said, go ahead and get it if you still can. I would take the opportunity to consider an alternative to the standard EC-1118 yeast packet. I would go with RC-212 if it were me - you may need to add some nutrient to it though.

 

[Brew and Wine Supply]

Vendors seem to keep having sales and I keep buying so I have a lot of reds that are almost year old before I make them.
I would not have a problem buying a kit up to about a year and half old. I don't think I would buy a two year old kit intentionally.

Note to self.... more sales.....

 

[roger80465]

Note to self.... more sales.....

Great idea, Doug!

 

[tonyt]

If you dont I will. Hahaha. Make sure it was stored in air conditioned enviroment. Hot warehouse is a nono.

 

[kat50496]

I recently sent a question to WE regarding this topic. I am currently making a port kit that was given to me and was dated 2006. The juice was slightly oxidized but I think it will work for a port. I fermented it with about 8 lbs. of fresh cherries, and the result is. so far, very nice - nice port flavor with just a hint of cherry. It is currently clearing and I'm debating on whether or not to try to use the F pack (haven't opened it yet) or just to clear, fortify and bottle.

Anyway back to the OP's question - here is the response I got back from WE on my question:

Wine kits are a food item and have a shelf life. We prefer you produce them prior to 2 years in the box. Winexpert doesn't publish an expiration date-- our guideline is 18-24 months from the packing day, depending on the storage conditions that the kit has been kept under. Because of their higher brix and acid content, smaller-volume kits (10 litres and under) tend to have a longer shelf-life, while larger-volume (15 litres and over) have a bit shorter span. It's important to note that the kits don't suddenly stop being viable. They may have oxidised a bit if storage conditions were not optimal, which could result in some loss of fruit character or aromatics, but they still turn out pretty good--without a side-by-side comparison most people simply don't notice.

 

[tonyt]

Keith. Thanks for posting the WE response. That should be in the articles section or be made sticky.

 

[geek]

I had sent an email to them and finally got this response:

"Selection kits are fine for 18 months. It's actually the freshness of the juice that is at stake, not the dry-pack ingredients. They are good for at least 5 years.

Cheers,
Linda Kazakoff
Customer Service
Winexpert
1622 Kebet Way
Port Coquitlam, B.C. V3C 5W9
Canada
604-941-5588 Ext 241
888-424-4888"

....are they saying the yeast, sorbate, kmeta are good for over 5 years? Hmmm, I wouldn't count on yeast that old.

.

 

[Putterrr]

A couple years ago friends and I bought 9 kits of 3 year old WE Limited Editions off a guy that was clearing out due to health reasons. In the ones I made, i changed only the yeast. The other guys used everything that came with the kit. All our kits turned out fine and there was no difference between theirs and mine

cheers

 

[SouthernChemist]

I had sent an email to them and finally got this response:

"Selection kits are fine for 18 months. It's actually the freshness of the juice that is at stake, not the dry-pack ingredients. They are good for at least 5 years.

Cheers,
Linda Kazakoff
Customer Service
Winexpert
1622 Kebet Way
Port Coquitlam, B.C. V3C 5W9
Canada
604-941-5588 Ext 241
888-424-4888"

....are they saying the yeast, sorbate, kmeta are good for over 5 years? Hmmm, I wouldn't count on yeast that old.

.

She was probably referring the dry chemicals and fining agents, which should generally remain good for quite sometime if they are properly sealed and dry. The yeast won't survive for 5 years at room temperature, but it won't go bad in a short time, either. The juice/concentrate has the potential to go bad long before most everything else.

 

[bstnh1]

At about 80 cents a pop, I wouldn't take a chance on old yeast.

 

[scram]

Just a heads up. This thread is about 2 1/2 years old