So I moved in May, 2016 to our new home that was going to have major renovations done after we moved in. (I'm a contractor so that was a given!) I had 5 carboys in various stages of completion:
1) Lodi Cabernet - ready for bottling
2) Argentine Malbec - ready for fining
3) Pinot Noir - ready for fining
4) Brunello - ready for fining
5) Aglianico - ready for bottling
They got packed into a room (with a/c) and lots of boxes surrounding them. I was able to check on the airlocks. However I was not able to get to set them up for next stage processing until last week - December 25. So they have all been in carboy storage for 7 months.
I decided once I got them into my new wine processing room to check them out. They were all really smooth and delicious except for the Cabernet and the Malbec.
Both of them had a stronger than normal licorice taste and smell. Otherwise they are delicious! I'd like some feedback on what I could do before bottling to help tone that taste down or supplement it with something else. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
As a side note I took samples in to my supplier (Defalco's Houston) and let them taste and they suggested I add tartaric acid to the carboy a little at a time. We tried this in a small sample glass and it did tend to soften the licorice taste.
1) Lodi Cabernet - ready for bottling
2) Argentine Malbec - ready for fining
3) Pinot Noir - ready for fining
4) Brunello - ready for fining
5) Aglianico - ready for bottling
They got packed into a room (with a/c) and lots of boxes surrounding them. I was able to check on the airlocks. However I was not able to get to set them up for next stage processing until last week - December 25. So they have all been in carboy storage for 7 months.
I decided once I got them into my new wine processing room to check them out. They were all really smooth and delicious except for the Cabernet and the Malbec.
Both of them had a stronger than normal licorice taste and smell. Otherwise they are delicious! I'd like some feedback on what I could do before bottling to help tone that taste down or supplement it with something else. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
As a side note I took samples in to my supplier (Defalco's Houston) and let them taste and they suggested I add tartaric acid to the carboy a little at a time. We tried this in a small sample glass and it did tend to soften the licorice taste.