First bottle after a month. Not what I expected.

[Grayson99]

I have done my first Beaverdale Shiraz 30 bottle kit.
From start to bottling took just over a month. It doesn't taste like any Shiraz I've ever tried. Tastes like a more acidic grape juice. Gravity was spot on at 990 when bottled. It is alcoholic due to experience. Also I can drink a bottle of wine and feel fine the next morning, However, this morning I feel lethargic and a bit rough. Is it because I should leave it bottled for longer? Thanks

 

[Johnd]

I have done my first Beaverdale Shiraz 30 bottle kit.
From start to bottling took just over a month. It doesn't taste like any Shiraz I've ever tried. Tastes like a more acidic grape juice. Gravity was spot on at 990 when bottled. It is alcoholic due to experience. Also I can drink a bottle of wine and feel fine the next morning, However, this morning I feel lethargic and a bit rough. Is it because I should leave it bottled for longer? Thanks

You say it’s like none you’ve ever tried, because you’ve never had 1 month old wine. It’s nowhere near done and may need years in the bottle. I never bottled a good red kit short of a year and some barrel aging.

 

[sour_grapes]

I have done my first Beaverdale Shiraz 30 bottle kit.
From start to bottling took just over a month. It doesn't taste like any Shiraz I've ever tried. Tastes like a more acidic grape juice. Gravity was spot on at 990 when bottled. It is alcoholic due to experience. Also I can drink a bottle of wine and feel fine the next morning, However, this morning I feel lethargic and a bit rough. Is it because I should leave it bottled for longer? Thanks

Welcome to WMT!

I agree with @Johnd above. And in answer to your specific question, I would opine "No": I think that is because of the ethanol in your wine!

 

[Scooter68]

Age is a friend to red wines. Your wine right now is about as mature as a 9 year old child.

 

[bstnh1]

I age my red kits no less than a year for the light bodied ones and 3 - 5 years for the heavier bodied ones. I certainly wouldn't expect anything good after only one month in the bottle. Wait at least one year and sample it then. Bet you'll be surprised!!

 

[winemaker81]

I agree that aging is required. No wine, red, white, or fruit is good at 1 month. Some lighter wines are good at 6 months, but a year is common.

At the same time, I disagree on waiting a year. Open a bottle every 3 months and write down your impressions. The first couple of bottles are not gonna be great, but overall this teaches you about how wine ages, and gives you a personal reason to let wines age longer. Some folks bottle part of a batch in 375 ml bottles and use them for sampling, which is a great idea.