Off taste in muscadine wine

[Ernest T Bass]

Another question from Ernest T. I have some Muscadine/Elderberry wine that is about a year old and it has a off taste. I would call it a medicine taste, I've tried adding acid blend, pH was 3.4 and brought it to 3.0 with no change, added potassium bicarbonate and brought it to 3.6 with no change. I know this is hard to understand but the wine looks clear, but dirty. SpGr is 1.020 and taste pretty good except for the smell of medicine. Got any ideas?
Semper Fi

 

[garymc]

I've noticed some muscadine has a bit of a sting to it. I suspect it might be from too much time on the skins, so I press mine after 2 or 3 days of fermentation in the primary. (Note; I ferment my bronze muscadines on the skin for 2 or 3 days also, because the things are so tough I can't get much juice out of them otherwise.) Also, several of my wines have had that medicine smell and taste. I can't understand it. They're only 16 or 18 percent alcohol.

 

[DoctorCAD]

Every muscidine wine I have ever had tastes like medicine to me, that may just be a characteristic and not a problem.