My first batch

[Jer]

Hi all,
I am hoping I havent ruined my first batch.The recipe was passed on to me by a friend and was for a generic wine made from fresh homegrown grapes.I started the three gallon batch 11 mos. ago and was diligent about stirring twice a day through the de-gassing step then racked the wine twice and was really happy with the way it turned out. A little strong for my taste, 15per cent alcohol but not bad flavor.What worries me is that the wine which I kept stored in a 5 gal glass carboy in my garage has now lost its clarity and smells and tastes even stronger than it did when new.Is this normal or did I do something wrong?Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[Wayne1]

Hello and welcome to the forum! I see no one has taken a stab at this so guess I will. It sounds like you have not bottled your wine yet but that it has been in a 5 gallon carboy in the garage for 11 months and is tasting stronger now. I am not sure exactly what flaw tasting stronger would represent however I would wonder (a) how hot does it get in the garage? Could you be "cooking" the wine and inadvertently made a "sherry"? (b) has it been protected with sulfites? In both cases, perhaps stronger refers to an oxidized flavor. An interesting question!
Wayne

 

[ibglowin]

When you say its lost its clarity are you saying it went from clear to cloudy?
What were the storage conditions in the garage? Has it been under stopper or airlock. Did the airlock run dry?
Did you sulfite the wine? Did you top up the sulfites every 4 mo's along the way with 1/8tsp additional?
If it has not been properly protected, you could have some bacterial bugs growing in it. A pH analysis would help establish some of the susceptibility to bug growth. Lower pH's are less prone to bugs than a high pH.
Some more details would certainly be helpful here.

 

[Jer]

Hi Wayne thanks so much for your response.
Since posting my question I have done a little research and found that I have made a couple of mistakes. First I have had the wine stored in a half full glass carboy with an airlock but apparently it should have been in a smaller container to reduce air contact. I guess I thought the air lock was going to take care of that.
Second I have had the carboy stored in my garage which is not climate controlled and temp ranges between 35 and 75 degrees farenheit. I have kept it protected from light. I did use sulphites but no bentonite. After the second racking the wine was clear so I didnt think I needed bentonite.
Would it help at this point or is it too late?
Btw I happen to like sherry and the flavor of this does sort of remind me of sherry. I just dont want to poison myself by drinking it if its gone bad!
Thanks again for any input

 

[Wade E]

Yep, it has oxidized pretty bad at this point and I dont think clarity can be saved much at this point. Main problem was not topping up or racking down to a much smaller vessel. As to if its safe I would say it is but cant say for sure. It most likely tastes hotter as youve probably lost a lot of flavor that usually hides a higher abv. Oxidation is part of the process of making Sherry. Below is a link to making Sherry.
http://www.home-winemaking.com/winemaking-5.html

 

[Jer]

Hi Mike thanks for the input. I guess I was busy writing back to Wayne when your post came across. I think I answered some of your questions in the response to Wayne. As for the rest of your questions the airlock never did dry out...I added water several times. The sulphite I put in just before racking but never added any after that. As for the lack of clarity I guess cloudy might be a good description except that it is a uniform opaque as opposed to blotchy like clouds in the sky?
You mentioned a ph test for checking for bacteria...would there be a test kit available for this at most winemaking supply houses? Are there any other ways to test for bacteria?
Thanks again
Jer

 

[grapeman]

Two really big questions for you. What variety of grape is this made from? Also where are you from (state is close enough)?


I suspect this is a white grape of some kind if it appears cloudy or hazy. What you are seeing could simply be a protein haze in the wine. Never leave a carboy half full once it is past initial fermentation as it will oxidize. The wine will become bitter and darker in color as it oxidizes.


If it is a red, it must be more of a rose or blush if it is light enough to see it is cloudy..

 

[ibglowin]

The pH would only tell you if the wine would be more "prone" to bugs growing in it. A pH below 3.5 will not harbor growth very easily. A pH above it will allow for it to happen more easily. If your not seeing any colonies, or large things growing in it its probably OK.
Now whether or not it's drinkable is another question!

You mentioned a ph test for checking for bacteria...would there be a test kit available for this at most winemaking supply houses? Are there any other ways to test for bacteria?
Thanks again
Jer

 

[Jer]

Thanks for the response Richard.
I am in Utah near Salt Lake and the variety of grapes is a concord I think....they are purple and have seeds.
Do you think it would be safe to drink this batch as long as there are no visible colonies of crud in it?
Should I add sulphite at this point if I decide to go ahead and bottle it? Is there any thing I can add to sweeten it a little or is it too late for that?
Thanks again
Jer

 

[grapeman]

It will be safe to drink it, but it might not taste great if it oxidized too much. You need enough sulfite in it to protect it. It's hard to tell what you have in it from your notes to us. Keep good records of every step and every addition so when you run into a problem like this you can give easy answers to questions so we can answer you better.

 

[Jer]

Thanks everyone for the input and I will definitely do better on my record keeping with the next batch.
Before I bottle is back sweetening a viable option to improve the flavor of this batch?
Thanks again