Strong taste of alcohol.

I made wine from supermarket grape juice. I got a dark rosé wine with an alcohol degree of only 9. But it have a strong taste of alcohol.

Why my wine have this taste ?

Is it due to the yeast strain ? I use an uncommon belgian wine yeast because it is hard to find lalvin yeasts in Europa.

Is it due to the fact I didn't rack my wine into a secondary fermenter and I let it on the lees during 6 weeks ? Maybe I'm wrong and it is not an alcohol taste but the taste of dead yeasts ?

Does someone have already experienced a such taste ? Is the taste really different between on the lees wines and racked wines ?

If you taste the wine from primary fermentation after being there for 6 weeks I would strongly suggest you are tasting the yeast and other additives. Its no way near a finished product. Only 9% alcohol, suggests unfinished fermentation, depending on your pre fermentation gravity reading. What is the gravity reading now? If it is low enough move it to secondary.

5 years ago I made a wine from Welches grape juice and it seemed to have a very strong alcohol taste. What I believe occurred was that the taste of the grape (in this case US Concord grapes) was so light that it was over powered by the alcohol. What I did with the wine was to add 5 pounds (weight) of frozen berries (Blueberries, raspberries and strawberries) to the wine and did not touch it for about 6 months. This gave it a very nice taste.

Do you know what variety of grape was used in the grape juice you purchased? I do not believe that the yeast had anything to do with the taste because it was a wine yeast nor do I think not racking sooner had anything to do with it. There is a difference between what we in the US term "table grapes" and "wine grapes." Making a good wine from table grapes is challenging due to their lower sugar content and less intense flavor. If you ended with an alcohol of 9%, and assuming you fermented the wine to a "dry" state, you probably started with a Specific Gravity of approximately 1.060. Red wine grapes normally fall into the 1.085-1.100 range.

Is it totally done fermenting? If so, get it in a topped off carboy with an airlock and let it sit for a few months. I think you are just tasting a young wine and it takes a while for it to come around and taste right. Arne.

Rocky said:

5 years ago I made a wine from Welches grape juice and it seemed to have a very strong alcohol taste. What I believe occurred was that the taste of the grape (in this case US Concord grapes) was so light that it was over powered by the alcohol. What I did with the wine was to add 5 pounds (weight) of frozen berries (Blueberries, raspberries and strawberries) to the wine and did not touch it for about 6 months. This gave it a very nice taste.

Do you know what variety of grape was used in the grape juice you purchased? I do not believe that the yeast had anything to do with the taste because it was a wine yeast nor do I think not racking sooner had anything to do with it. There is a difference between what we in the US term "table grapes" and "wine grapes." Making a good wine from table grapes is challenging due to their lower sugar content and less intense flavor. If you ended with an alcohol of 9%, and assuming you fermented the wine to a "dry" state, you probably started with a Specific Gravity of approximately 1.060. Red wine grapes normally fall into the 1.085-1.100 range.

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We posted at the same time, Rocky. Think maybe I like your answer better. We are kinda saying the same thing, tho, but I do like the idea of more fruit. Arne.

Thanks for replies.

Only 9% alcohol, suggests unfinished fermentation, depending on your pre fermentation gravity reading. What is the gravity reading now? If it is low enough move it to secondary.

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The wine is old, it was bottled 9 months ago and I don't have gravity mesurement tools. I used a "vinometer" to have the degree of alcohol and compared it with the computed degree from the sugar content of the juice. The sugar content allow a maximum of 9.5 degree, so i think the fermentation was complete.

I would strongly suggest you are tasting the yeast and other additives.

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I only added the yeast. I read on internet racking was done to avoid a dead yeast taste in the wine.

the taste of the grape (in this case US Concord grapes) was so light that it was over powered by the alcohol.

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Maybe it is the explanation.

Do you know what variety of grape was used in the grape juice you purchased?

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No, but I think it is a mix of many varieties.

If you ended with an alcohol of 9%, and assuming you fermented the wine to a "dry" state, you probably started with a Specific Gravity of approximately 1.060. Red wine grapes normally fall into the 1.085-1.100 range.

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In the new try I'm making, I added some red raisins (dried grapes) in order to:
- add more sugar
- maybe enhance the taste
- give the yeasts some nitrogen

I think you are just tasting a young wine and it takes a while for it to come around and taste right. Arne.

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I made this wine 9 month ago, I also though to a young wine but now it still have an alcohol taste.

Did you backsweeten when done fermenting and before bottling?
If not, you are going to have a very bitter, bland wine which could be leading to your taste you speak of.

The only thing I can think to do at this time is what @Arne recommended, let it sit some more and hope for the best. I am guessing it will end up being a learning experience, like we all go through.

Did you backsweeten when done fermenting and before bottling?
If not, you are going to have a very bitter, bland wine which could be leading to your taste you speak of.

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I didn't, but i think to add a lot more dried grapes to my next try, in order to increase the sugar.

The only thing I can think to do at this time is what @Arne recommended, let it sit some more and hope for the best. I am guessing it will end up being a learning experience, like we all go through.

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Yes, I will taste it regularly to see how it evolues.

A hydrometer is the only way to tell if wine is done fermenting.

You don't mention using potassium metabisulfite - that is essential to stabilize the wine and keep it from spoiling.

If you decide to sweeten the wine, you need to add potassium sorbate. Otherwise your bottles may explode.

I didn't use any sulfites. To keep the wine from spoiling, I bet on a good sanitation and on pasteurized grape juice. I will see how it evolues, and if I need sulfites for my next tries.

If you decide to sweeten the wine, you need to add potassium sorbate. Otherwise your bottles may explode.

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Thanks, I didn't think about it.

For my next tries, I think to add a lot of sugar before the fermentation, so the yeasts will consume it until the degree of alcohol will kill them, letting residual sugar. But the final SG will be above 0.995, and it will be hard to know when the fermentation ends. May be by looking at the airlock activity and by computing the degree of alcohol from the initial SG and the actual SG.

For example, if I have an initial SG of 1.120, and a yeast that tolerates 14.5 degrees of alcohol, the final SG will be 1.010. But the yeast tolerance is approximative, so I probably will have to let the wine 2 more weeks in the demi-john with airlock, to be sure the fermentation ended.

I've made wine that has a yeasty taste, it was very different from the taste of alcohol. If your numbers are right, your wine is 88% water, 9% alcohol and 3% everything else. My theory would be that with your Rose, that the "everything else" does not have enough flavor to mask the alcohol, so the alcohol is pronounced. Everything being the same and adding sugar to another batch would only make the problem worse.

Making wine from juice/grapes that are intended to make wine with have the benefit of nice flavored, as well as higher sugar levels.

My one experience in making a wine (strawberry-raspberry) was fun for me and for the people I gave it to...


I started with white raisins (approx 14 oz). processed in small batches in an old coffee grinder. I added 2 lbs sugar, about 3/4 gal of spring water, yeast nutrients and starter, 8 oz orange juice, 1/2 lb sliced strawberries, 1/2 lb processed raspberries, and pitched my yeast right away, as everything but the orange juice was already room temperature.

I allowed primary fermentation at a temperature of around 85 degrees for 3 weeks ... this results in a very fast fermentation cycle. The airlock stopped bubbling somewhere around the middle of week 3. Every other day, I would shake the bottle to flip the yeast cultures and get them working strongly again. The final 3 days I let it sit and settle out.


I racked to secondary fermentation after 3 weeks ... wine was cloudy and pinkish/red. Taste of strawberry and raspberry was strong, and it was still a little sweet and the alcohol taste was quite pronounced (strong). I made a sample bottle (4 oz) and delivered it to the person who had requested the wine ... they wanted it just a little less sweet and much less alcohol.

After 2 weeks in secondary fermentation to confirm no further activity and allow settling, I added sodium metabisulfite to stop fermentation and also added finely ground bentonite clay in a warm water solution and allowed it to settle to clarify for 3 days before racking again to a 3 gallon open stainless steel cooking container, and added 1 gallon of spring water to bring the alcohol content down to around 20 proof (from near 35 proof). I also added strawberry and raspberry extract and a small amount of sugar (about 1/2 a cup to bring sweetness up just a little). Another 4 oz sample container to the recipient confirmed that they liked it just as it currently was.


I delivered 4 750 ml bottles, corked, to the recipient after allowing them to stand in my fridge for 1 week to ensure that they had settled and stopped fermentation ... once delivered they were set into a wine rack. No labels were applied, but the corks were wax sealed.

The remainder (5 more 750 ml bottles) were given away at Christmas of 2015 to co-workers. All in all, a fun learning experience in how to manage alcohol content in a wine by watering it down while trying to maintain flavor and sweetness.


**I should note that this wine was quite drinkable right after bottling, and they enjoyed 2 bottles with their Christmas dinner that year, with the wine aged approx 4 months (stored at around 45 degrees in a chilled wine rack). They finished up the rest by their wedding anniversary, I believe, about 7 months after that. I got no complaints at all concerning taste and sweetness after aging in the bottle.