Today’s blog post is a bit of a sad one. As many of you know, I have enjoyed making the Vino Italiano wine kits and tweaking them to make customized wines.   I also have made a considerable amount of videos teaching people how to make their wine better with these wine kits by sharing my tips and modifications to the instructions.

I have received information today that the Vino Italiano line of wine kits has been discontinued.   PakLab, the manufacturer of these wine kits has officially discontinued the line.   The Reserve Du Chateau and Chateau Classico lines are still available and nothing has changed for these lines.

Vino Italiano Wine Kit Discontinued? NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

Rest In Peace, Vino Italiano

What I really liked about the Vino Italiano line of wine kits is that they were so in-expensive that there wasn’t a lot at risk when deviating from the instructions that were provided with it.   When you can get a homemade wine kit delivered to your door for $45 dollars US, you don’t have a lot to lose with experimentation.   As many of you know, I have been making and teaching people how to make a very nice wine from these wine kits by making simple modifications to the directions.

Another advantage to the low price point is that it is perfect for beginners who just want to get their feet wet without investing a whole lot of money.   When first starting out, there is the expense of winemaking equipment in addition to the wine ingredient kit.   While the equipment is reusable, the low cost of the Vino Italiano wine kits made it possible for someone who has never made wine before to do so for a total staring cost of around $120 including the basic equipment needed.  This translates to 25 bottles of wine for around $5 per bottle.   Each additional Vino Italiano wine kit would product 25 bottles for under $2 a bottle.

The low price point makes it very attractive to those thinking about giving wine making a try, but are on the apprehensive to start.   As a current alternative to the Vino Italiano line of wine kits, the Reserve Du Chateau line is a solid substitution for just a few dollars more.   It contains a little more juice concentrate than the Vino Italiano and the modifications to the directions that I recommend for the Vino Italiano  wine kits also work nicely with these wine kits.

EDIT: Check out my latest post on Vinoit Wine Kits

In a communication by PakLab, I have been told that the now discontinued Vino Italiano line will be replaced with a similar line, called Vinoit.   I am told by a PakLab representative that these Vinoit wine kits will be available with the same varieties that were offered in the Vino Italiano line.    These will soon be available for sale to the public.   I look forward to getting my hands on some of these and I am excited to give them a try.

Stay tuned for updates on this as I learn more.   I will try to obtain one of these Vinoit Wine Kits to review for you as soon as they become available.    Until they are, I will mourn loss of the Vino Italiano wine kits by switching to Reserve Du Chateau for a low cost wine kit.