[NoSnob]

I'm still a newbie, with 5 batches underway or completed. I have begun to drink and assess only two of them: a Cab-Merlot blend (WE Selection Original) and a Washington Riesling (WE Selection Estate. They are, respectively, 11 and 7 months old. For the past several months, I'll sample a bottle or a split now and then and this has been helpful to me to see how each batch comes along over time.

I expected the wines to slowly and gradually improve over time. Here's the thing: some of the latter bottles are not necessarily better than the earlier ones! For example, just when I think the red is almost ready to drink, I get a subsequent bottle that seems a bit more yeasty than the last.

I'm wondering how to explain this.

So here's my question: Is there a certain amount of variation in the quality of wine in various bottles of the same batch, so that improvement is not necessarily slow and steady for the better?
NS

[robie]

That is an interesting occurrence. I can't imagine the differences, other than what time can make. If you tried 5 bottles on the same day, they should be at the same level and taste, I would think.

As wine matures, it goes though phases and changes that can give different aromas and tastes. You might open a bottle at 12 months and find it pretty good. Open one at 14 months and it might not be so good. In other words, the wine can seem worse before it gets better. In the end, all things level out and the wine should be consistent.

A few other things that might (???) make a difference:
Cleanliness of each bottle.
How well rinsed is each bottle.
Bottle filled when source container was nearly full, versus bottle filled when source container was nearly empty.
How well any last dose of Kmeta was dissolved and stirred in.
Different corks and variations in how well a cork is seated.

[SpoiledRotten]

Originally Posted by NoSnob

I'm still a newbie, with 5 batches underway or completed. I have begun to drink in excess only two of them:

There... I fixed it for you!

[ibglowin]

"yeasty" ???????

That is not a term one usually associates with a young wine. Was this guy properly cleared or was there sediment? If so then that would sure be a source of an off "yeasty" flavor in some but not others I would suppose.

[docanddeb]

How old was the wine when you bottled it? You may have rushed it. Those wines, even kits.... should sit a while and age in a carboy before being bottled. The kit manufacturers tell you to get it in the bottle at 4-6 weeks... but that isn't necessarily the best advice! They want you to drink it up and make more!



Debbie

[NoSnob]

I bet I can guess how you figured that out!!

[docanddeb]

I've only done white kits and I let them sit far longer than recommended. I figured if there have been many samplings at 7 and 11 months... they have been in the bottle a while!
Reds take longer to come around, I understand.
Debbie

[NoSnob]

Originally Posted by ibglowin

"yeasty" ???????

That is not a term one usually associates with a young wine. Was this guy properly cleared or was there sediment? If so then that would sure be a source of an off "yeasty" flavor in some but not others I would suppose.

I think it was clear enough when bottled, but I was impatient and could have waited longer. The red was my first batch and I bottled it quickly like the instructions allowed for, but I now know better! Everything else, I followed to the letter because I didn't know better Ha
As to the yeasty: I see quite a few references in my reading to yeasty being a characteristic of insufficiently aged (green, young) wines. For this particular red, it was quite yeasty from the get-go but has gotten better in time.
NS

[docanddeb]

Make more wine.... more wine = more experience!! LOL

Practice makes perfect! and makes for good drinking!!

Debbie

[NoSnob]

Originally Posted by docanddeb

Make more wine.... more wine = more experience!! LOL

Practice makes perfect! and makes for good drinking!!

Debbie

Great advice Deb!
NS