My New Wine Has A Sour Medicine Like Taste And Finish

[MSLISAJ]

I grow my own grapes in Klamath Falls, Oregon and this was a very short growing season. While the fruit was beautiful and I got 70 pounds off my five vines they really needed another month of hang time to get really sweet. But the weather was about to start freezing so I harvested the grapes. While they were sweet I didn't feel they were sweet enough so I added five pounds of melted sugar to get my sugar content up. I crushed the grapes blended my melted sugar, added two packets of Lalvin RC212 yeast and it fermented really well. My Brix when I started was 24.5 and I fermented it to zero. At this point I added one teaspoon of Tartaric Acid. I have racked it twice but it has a sour, almost like letting an aspirin sit on your tongue too long taste. The alcohol content is big and the wine has good legs. The smell is pleasant and light. But the finish is very dry and sour. If I aerate a small amount in a glass I can soften this roughness. But what did I do wrong and how do I fix it? It would be a nice wine if I can get rid of that strong sour note............

Thanks for your help......

Lisa

 

[BobF]

It's really hard to say without tasting ... a guess is that the "really dry" is tannins and the sour is high acid from unripe grapes.

 

[MSLISAJ]

Well I think you're right about the high acid. In my studying of the problem I read that young fruit is has an high acid content. So there is the start of my problem. So now the question reverts too, How do I lower the acid content of the wine?

I'm going to stick it out in the shop where it's below 32 degrees at night and that should do some of it but maybe some bicarbonate of soda will reduce it?? I need some help here..............

Hope you guys have the answer for me as this will be a nice wine if I can Kill the acid...........

Lisa

 

[ellijaywinemaker]

if I have read this right you added tartaric acid to a grape wine. Grapes have natural tartaric acid and other acids and if they were not ripe enough when you picked them then you really made your wine very acidic. That is more than likely the problem. I would cold stabalize it and see how it turns out.

 

[Julie]

I think the advice you have received so far is right. Actually you should take an sg reading before adding any sugar and take an acid test. This will give you more control of how your wine will come out. Good Luck

 

[MSLISAJ]

So cold stabilization is the best way to go? Are there other was to reduce the acid? I'm going to buy a ph meter so I know exactly where I am. It's definitely not a tanin problem.

I so appreciate the help and advice.....

Lisa

 

[Wade E]

Cold stabilization is one way but you may also need the help of Potassium Bicarbonate to help drop out more acids first. Below is a link to it and where you can get it if you dont have a local place. I added another link below that for you to understand more about this process.
http://www.finevinewines.com/p-855-7375a.aspx
http://101winemaking.com/potassium_bicarbonate.htm

 

[MSLISAJ]

Thank you for the info and links. A couple of them didn't work but I get the idea and will start the process. Will get the ph meter so I know exactly what I have so I can dose this wine correctly. This will be a good wine when I fix it....

Keep the help coming.....

Lisa

 

[Tom]

Have you done a TA test?

 

[MSLISAJ]

Not yet for the TA test. But it is on my agenda to figure so I don't have this happen again.

 

[Wade E]

What didnt work as both the links are working for me. Do you have the means of cold stabilizing this wine?

 

[MSLISAJ]

Hi Wade E..........

Yes both links work perfectly on my computer. I first saw your post while I had my android and while I could read some of it the other wouldn't load and I condemned the links before I tried my computer. I will get the potassium bicarbonate and yes I have the means to cold stabilize the wine. The office in my shop will get about 30 degrees and it should do just fine. I'm feeling pretty good at this point with some studying of this problem and I understand it now. This will be a good wine I just messed up in the beginning and added extra tartaric acid "because I did it last year". But my grapes were different this year and this is where I got in to trouble. I'll let you know how it turn out when I get the ph meter, chemicals and get it cold.........

I so appreciate everyones help and it's just up to me now to follow your advice......

Thanks so much........

Lisa

 

[MSLISAJ]

Just wanted to give you guys some feedback on your suggestions and how well it's all working. I put some potassium bicarbonate in the wine and cold stabilized it for about a month. The results were amazing to see the white crystals form on the edges of the bottle and then fall to the bottom. I racked it off into a clean carboy and tasted it and it was 100% better and such a simple fix. Now I have racked it into my 5 gallon oak barrel and the wine is aging nicely and will be probably one of my best. But it sure didn't start out that way. The cold stabilization process was simply amazing and it worked!!

Thank you gentlemen for the great suggestion and for saving this good wine......

Lisa