Red Wine cloudy and bitter

[Seasider]

We have just bottled our first batch of wine 'Kenridge Connisour Merlot' (3 days ago). we have been through all the fermentation stages, de-gassing and stabilizing, the SGR was at 0.990 after day 8 and remained at 0.990 throughout - finings was added at stage 4 (stabilizing) but no sweetener. added as this was our first batch we couldn't tell if it needed sweetening. we did not use a filter when bottling (maybe we should have) as the wine is thick, cloudy and tastes bitterr - is there anything we can do to rescue it ?

 

[proksy]

I am still new to this but from what I've gathered from friends and family that do this and from people on this forum is you should probably let it age for a year or two. Whether or not you want to back sweeten is completely up to your taste so no one can really tell you yes or no on that but I've heard aging can make something that tastes sour, bitter and starchy at first into an amazing wine. I have tasted a batch of merlot a friend was making years ago and it tasted straight horrible when I tried it then. A few months ago I was telling him that I was ready to start making wine myself and he reminded me about that wine and told me that batch ended up being the most delicious he'd ever made. I know aging will help this and I imagine others on here will say the same.

 

[robie]

The bitter taste is typical of a newly made wine.

Did you rack after fining and before bottling? If so, how many days after fining?

 

[Seasider]

pardon my ignorance, very first batch and keep seeing the word 'racking' and assumed it meant 'bottling' .the instructions did not give any specifiics on racking - so, without actually knowing what racking means I can only say, that we syphoned from the carboy 7 days after adding the fining agent

 

[winemaker_3352]

So you bottled 7 days after fining?

It is likely you bottled too soon - you may have some pectic haze. Finings won't get rid of pectic haze.

Or it could be bottle shock - if it is - i will go away in week or so.

Racking means to siphon the wine off the lees into a clean sanitized container.

 

[robie]

pardon my ignorance, very first batch and keep seeing the word 'racking' and assumed it meant 'bottling' .the instructions did not give any specifiics on racking - so, without actually knowing what racking means I can only say, that we syphoned from the carboy 7 days after adding the fining agent

Yea, this terms can be a challenge some times, especially when one assumes the other person understands. We have all been where you are, so don't sweat it.

Racking is the process of siphoning the wine off the sediment or lees from one container to another, clean container.
I don't know your particular instructions, but for me, 7 days is pretty quick for bottling after fining.

One thing is for sure, if it is cloudy in the bottle, it will forever remain cloudy. So, to get rid of the cloudiness, you will likely have to open each bottle and pour it back into a carboy.

The bitterness/tartness can be explained by one or both of the following:
1) New red wine, like merlot, is always going to be tart until it has aged for at least several months and maybe longer.
2) The wine was not fully degassed. This is a common problem for new wine makers. Sometimes it is hard to know when the wine is fully degassed.

I'll assume for a moment that you still need to degas. Open a bottle and listen if you get a little pop as the cork comes out. By little pop I mean a pop greater than you typically get when you open a bottle of commercial wine.

The pop may indicate you have not fully degassed.
Next, put your finger over the top of the bottle and shake the bottle well. Remove your finger. Did you get a sudden release of gas coming out and/or did you get lots of foaming and fizzing inside the bottle after shaking? Either of these indicates you need more degassing.

If you want further proof of excess CO2, pour the wine in a pitcher or wine decanter. Immediately taste it and remember the level of tartness. Leave it for about 30 minutes and taste it again. Has the tartness subsided some or a lot? Some or a lot also indicates too much CO2.

The presents of CO2 in the wine at fining can negatively affect the fining, so if you have CO2, that is likely why your wine did not clear.

If CO2 is the problem, after pouring bottles back into carboy, degas again. As long as tiny bubbles keep coming up the sides of the carboy, you need to continue degassing. When you think you are done, fill a bottle halfway with wine and do the above shake test. It should not fizz or pop a lot when you remove your finger. repeat degas if necessary.

For cloudiness - You can go buy some superKlear and following its instruction to fine again. Or, you can let the wine set in the carboy, under air lock for about 30 to 60 days to allow sediment to drop out.

After sediment drops out, rack to a clean carboy and bottle. DO NOT BOTTLE UNTIL THE WINE IS PERFECTLY CLEAR.

I know this degassing thing sounds complicated. Believe me, we all went through this. Ater you get the hang of it, it will be a piece of cake from then on.

Good Luck!!!

 

[cpfan]

"thick, cloudy, bitter" - not sure about the thick. The 'cloudy' could be caused by siphoning up sediment when bottling. "Bitter" could be because it is a young wine, but is more likely because you did not degas fully. This is a very common problem with first wines.

Racking is the act of transferring a wine from one vessel to another, usually leaving the sediment behind,

Vineco instructions show three different brands across the top...Ken Ridge Classic, California Connoisseur, and European Select. There is no brand called "KenRidge Connoisseur". It's not important to your question, but which is it? Ken Ridge Classic (blue box) or California Connoisseur (mostly white box with picture of a vineyard)? These Merlot kits were big sellers when I ran a store (until Sept 2007). Actually, the last couple of years they were #1 and #2 in the store. Customer feedback was extremely positive even for young wines.

Steve

 

[winemaker_3352]

Yeah Robie is right - we have all learned by mistakes.

A good way to tell if the wine is perfectly clear - hold a flashlight on the carboy - if you see a beam in the wine - it is not clear.

 

[Seasider]

wow, thanks guys - all of these comments are extremely useful. We followed the instructions thoroughtly and yes, we did transfer (rack) the wine 3 times in total before bottling - the instructions said to add the finings at stage 4 then leave for 6 days before bottling - we left for 8. It looks like we could have a de-gassing problem so will take all of these comments on board and try to rescue what we have and leave it to mature for a while.

 

[Arne]

If you have any more problems with terms that are used on here, go to the sticky above this post. Explains most all the terms that you will use. Arne.

 

[robie]

Seasider,
If it is just a CO2 problem, you don't necessarily have to take the wine out of bottles and put it back into carboy. You can buy yourself a nice wine decanter or use a tea pitch when you serve the wine.

Open a bottle and pour it into the decanter. Swish it around a few times to get some air in it. Let it set in the open decanter for a couple of hours, then serve. "Open" meaning covered in a way that air can get into and out of the decanter. Swish it again a couple of times while it sets. This will allow the CO2 escape before you drink it.

Actually, most wine, especially homemade tastes better if it is decanted for at least 30 minutes, even if it is properly degassed.

 

[Seasider]

Thanks Robie, unfortunately we emptied the bottles back into the carboy and added some more finings before I read your last message - we are grateful for all the advice and have used it (and stored it for future use) we will also invest in a decanter - fingers crossed !

 

[xoltri]

Thanks Robie, unfortunately we emptied the bottles back into the carboy and added some more finings before I read your last message - we are grateful for all the advice and have used it (and stored it for future use) we will also invest in a decanter - fingers crossed !

I had to do this with the first wine I made also. It was a Gewurztraminer and it was gassy, even though I used a drill mounted whip to degas. Since then I invested in a vacuum pump to degas and it has made my wine-making life a lot easier. I also use it to rack wines between carboys which means I don't have to lift full carboys off of the floor anymore.

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