Howdy,
I am new at wine making and just learning how to make white wine with one of your wine ingredient kits. I am in the last stages and decided to take a small taste test even though I still have 2 or 3 days left in the last stage. It is terrible! Can the wine get better in that short period of time or is it to far gone and will not come out good? I followed the directions word for word.
I did find 1 difference in the articles and the directions given on the ingredients kit. Articles say not to put fermentation lock but the directions say to do so. I did and I am wondering if this is the reason for the result that I am experiencing.
Thank you,
Tom
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Dear Tom,
It is normal for the wine to taste disgustingly bitter at this stage of the process. Aging plays a very important and dramatic role in the development of the wine’s flavor and the rounding of rough edges, so to speak. The wine will experience incredible improvement over the next 30 to 60 days and then marginally so over the following few months.
One interesting thing you can do is to open a bottle of the wine every 30 days and take notes on your impression of the wine. In essence, make a diary of the wine. The more detailed the better.
At a certain point further down the road you will notice that the wine is no longer changing or improving. This may be at around a year’s time; it may be 18 months; it may be 9 months. Every wine is different.
A lot of factors come into play such as were natural corks or synthetic corks used to seal the wine bottles? Typically, natural cork will age the wine more quickly than synthetic corks. How much body does the wine have? Heavier bodied wines take longer to age the lighter boded wines, (Merlot vs. Riesling). These are just two examples of many.
Going back to your concerns, I would not hesitate to bottle this wine with great optimism. I see no reason to believe that it will turn out bad based on the information you have given.
Best Wishes,
Customer Service at E. C. Kraus
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Ed Kraus is a 3rd generation home brewer/winemaker and has been an owner of E. C. Kraus since 1999. He has been helping individuals make better wine and beer for over 25 years.
I had a batch of blackberry wine and a batch of current wine going at the same time. The current wine is sweeter, and the blackberry drier, but both have an aftertaste which is similar to fingernail polish remover. Why is this and what can I do to fix it
Becky, an odor of fingernail polish remover is a classic tell-tail sign that your wines are creating vinegar. Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do at this point. In the future please be sure to treat your juice or must with Campden Tablets prior to fermentation. This will eliminate any vinegar bateria that may be with the fruit.