The Complete Wine Taste & Aroma Kit

All the reviews about the poor quality of the box are true. When I pulled the product from the box screws came falling out. The hinges are poor quality and wood is cheap. I would not buy this as a gift for anyone. So far the scents we used actually have an aroma and have been useful. Overall, the price is high given the overall quality of the product.

Wine Enthusiast. Do you read your reviews? I took a chance that after multiple reviews about the box being broken & those reviews being several years old you would have fixed the problem but that's not the case (pun intended). Beware buyers, apparently Wine Enthusiast doesn't really want to fix problems and probably won't fix the problem with this product because it is the only kit of it's size so..tough luck. If you have time to return the product multiple times until you receive one that isn't broken, have at it. Or if you are like me and you can repair the box that it comes in, be prepared to do so. This was a gift and I took a calculated risk knowing I could fix it if need be. Other buyers should make sure they are aware of this 5 year old problem with this product. I wouldn't recommend it to a friend, they can borrow mine. On the plus side, this is a fun way to have an interactive wine experience with wine lovers. Caveat emptor!

I have experienced none of the problems other users listed here. Some of the aromas are very faint, but that is also how you would find them in wine. Also, i have noticed a marked difference between when i first started using the kit and now that i have used it a few times. The kit helps you train your sense of smell...that takes time. You will not be able to smell and identify all of these on your first time through.

Great gift for 60ish sister who loves, loves, loves fine wine and enjoys the company of other wine fanatics. She is always looking for something fun/interesting to do while sharing wine and this fits the bill. She loves it and asks us over for wine everytime I talk to her!

I bought this for my wife's birthday, and she loved it. I was a little worried about getting it after I read some of the other reviews, but I got it anyway, and I'm glad I did. We've had a lot of fun with it, and I'd recommend it for anyone who wants to learn more about tasting and appreciating wine.

[...]The kit seems like a great learning tool and though I haven't used it for very long, I am sure I'll be able to learn a lot from it.I do wish that the recommendations for using the kit were a bit more thorough.

I bought it and when I opened the box, it was cracked in the back. Because it was top heavy, it ended up breaking off. I called and reordered another one and the same result with the new box. I am just going to have to have the gift recipient fix it! I would recommend it if it was packaged better.

The foam that the bottles are set in are of poor quality and the bottles fall out. In addition when you open the box the foam on the top falls out. I expected higher quality coasters as well as more detailed information in the instructions.

Excellent tool to begin training my staff's pallate to recognize the finer details of wine and increase their general knowlege to boost wine sales.

Returning product due to being a gift for my father...but he couldn't smell the different smells...he is a smoker but I also felt you couldn't smell the senses it was supposed to teach you very well. Thanks!

The kit is great, but we didn't get a couple of the smell vials because they doubled up some. We received two sets of the same aroma, and have not gotten our replacements for the missing ones. Otherwise the kit is wonderful.

Bought as gift for wife (emerging oenophile); excited to receive. Mixed satisfaction with aromas. Have used handful of times and enjoyed trying to identify smells. Some very distinct, others almost too subtle to smell and/or do not match label. Hinges/small screws have pulled out of box top after a few uses. Overall, like the set, but not necessarily worth the price. Would have been better served working with local wineseller to find similar set.

I purchased this as a gift for my husband. While I agree with the comments about the box being poorly constructed, personally, I didn't buy it for the box. I bought it for the contents. This is what is disappointing. Several of the scent bottles from the first kit (yep, they sent a replacement) smelled like glue. There was no scent. Also, an essence bottle was shattered, and clearly was empty. The second box is not quite as bad, however an essence bottle was open a bit and leaking - and there still appear to be a few scents that are non-existent. I haven't gone through them all yet because I'm just too annoyed right now. Considering the fact that this is a taste AND aroma kit, it doesn't live up to its description. I am very disappointed in the quality. Unless, of course, glue is a wine scent. I'd like to note also that the kit I received today has a production date of 1/31/08 on the box. So it's almost one year old already. Not sure how I'll move forward with this.

Ok, the box needs help, so I got over it. The essences are great, the literature is great. It is a BIG hit at our wine tastings! I'm in charge of a group of 200 and we're having the best time trying to figure out how the writers of the wine descriptions come up with some of the flavors. I'll wear this one out and buy it again. I also have the [$]French Wine kit.

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