Smooth front but astringent aftertaste

[winechef]

I have a peach mango Chardonnay aged about 6 months. it tastes wonderful in the mouth, perfect balance of fruity notes , sweetness and acidity but after taste is still sharp and astringent. tannins don't seem too strong not sure why it is only after taste and not when wine is on the tongue.

I've added glycerine which smoothed the front taste but nothing is helping with the after taste.

does it just need more time, or perhaps egg whites?

 

[Hazelemere]

egg white will strip tannin and make it softer. Long aging could help but egg white works fast.

 

[winechef]

I'm. just not sure it's tannins that are making the bitter aftertaste or if it's something else. I didn't add extra. tannins with only 30% white grapes the white wine wasn't astringent before adding it.

 

[Hazelemere]

I'm. just not sure it's tannins that are making the bitter aftertaste or if it's something else. I didn't add extra. tannins with only 30% white grapes the white wine wasn't astringent before adding it.

peach skins are high in tannin. Inside of mango skins not sure.

 

[Rice_Guy]

Tannin; small chain tannin is flavorless > mid size is bitter > larger is astringent > and really big drops out of solution so is flavorless again. Astringent as with grape skins or soft apple tannins produces a rough sensation at 20 seconds when sugar and acids have washed out of your mouth. It slowly decreases lasting up to two minutes.
I am wondering if you are tasting acetaldehyde (oxidized ethanol). At low levels it mimics acid (dried apricot like) and at higher levels starts to give a burn in the back of the throat when swallowing. Acetaldehyde washes out of the mouth fairly fast.

Bitter; several ways to get it. Mid chain length tannin will be bitter. Another way to get it is from a wild lactic fermentation. Some strains will take yeast produced glycerol and produce bitter tasting acrolin.

We could use a good home test for total polyphenols. Too much of the chemistry is guessing. Once you are familiar tasting is a pretty good way to tell.

 

[winechef]

Is there a way to reduce the acetyl aldehydes. is it caused by using too much kmeta?

 

[winechef]

it's so clear so don't think it got oxidized. I was very careful with temperature and my stainless steel vat was filled to the top and sealed for 5 months. oxidation is always an issue but I'm not sure. my peach wines have been more susceptible than other wines and small batches I made before definitely had darker color and that really strong a'etylaldehyde taste, like apples or taste like beer.

but this is just a dry bitterness after taste.

I'm definitely paranoid. over oxidation since these are 250 liter batches. hate to lose 6 months of time

 

[Rice_Guy]

there isn't a practical way to remove acetaldehyde. You can mask that flavor as well as bitter with sugar. As always when sweetening do a bench trial to see if it accomplishes your goal.
Too much meta will give a burnt match flavor.

 

[winechef]

Unfortunately seems like it oxidized not sure how it went from almost perfect 2 months ago to undrinkable. I really follow every practice each batch, perhaps when transfering wine to tanks exposed to too much


I have one batch of wine that smells like matchstick like you mentioned, I must have double dosed kmeta. will that dissipate over time or is there a way to get rid of that smell. the flavor is ok not too off just bubbly again.

 

[Rice_Guy]

Matchstick; Mango Chardonnay will be low tannin, this would be at high risk if you splash rack. A tannic red might survive oxygen exposure. ,,, The factory method would be to treat with hydrogen peroxide. As a home wine maker I know that most consumers can’t identify sulfur (and folks in the wine club) I would let time consume it.
Acetaldehyde; I have tried to hide it as putting oak/ smoky notes into a red and tweaking the label as with “hints of apricot “ so that folks expect long flavor notes.

From a food safety point of view wine will be healthy. My wine making has evolved so that I add tannins (polyphenol antioxidants) to everything.