Some really tart wine

[duffymp]

Hi, This is my second attempt at making a Johanisberg Riesling from a kit. I have followed the directions exactly and have kept my equipment very clean using 1 step for everything. Both times fermentation occured like normal (Primary fermentator is the white bucket with a fermentation lock), waited the standard 14 days or so until fermentation stops. I check the specific gavity and everything seems normal. I rack the wine to a glass carboy for clearing, use the additives for clearing per the kit. I wait for another couple of weeks (with a fermentation lock on the bottle) for the wine to clear and rack one more time to get even better clearing. I taste the wine at this point and both times the wine is extremely tart. It should be a lot sweeter being it is a Riesling. Kind of bummed being that the kits are rather expensive. Should I add some sugar to sweeten the wine up prior to bottling or just chuck the whole batch (one again)? Will it get better once it is bottled and sits for a year or so? What do you think and any help would be great.

 

[CoachPieps]

I think you should try some acid blend. Here's how to test, take a single glass of the wine. Just add a little acid blend to the glass, use just the tip of a spoon, less then a 1/8 of a teaspoon. swirl it in the glass unitl the crystals disappear and let it sit for a minute, then taste. Then repeat, until you get the taste you like. If that is the trick, add one tsp per gallon let it sit and taste, I bet you might need two or three teaspoons per gallon.

 

[duffymp]

Thanks

I will give it a try and let you know how it goes... Thanks a lot!

 

[vvolf34]

How old is your wine? That tart taste could just it being young. I have a Piesporter kit that needs to age for 4 months minimum. 6 months to 1 year will be better. I am not even going to touch it until the 4 month point.

 

[duffymp]

re:

The wine is still in the secondary fermentor and I as going to bottle it this weekend. I have, in the past, found that if the wine tastes cruddy going into the bottle, more than likely it is not going to taste all that great on the other end. If it is ok to good going in, it is excellent on the other end.
Do you agree?

 

[vvolf34]

I do not have a lot of experience, but my first kit of Black Cherry Shiraz breeze tasted like crap in the secondary, about 4 weeks later of bulk aging, wow what a difference!

My Piesporter at last racking didn't taste very good when I racked for bulk aging. I hope in 2 more months it will taste better. My Ice wine kit is like drinking jet fuel and I know I need to wait at least 6 months for it to mellow, bulk aging in a 3 gal carboy.

Apfelwein taste like crap till the 6 month point and is even better at 1 year. So I don't know if I agree with that. I bulk age, so I guess I have the luxury of changing things before it goes into the bottle.

I personally do not think you can make a good assessment of something that is just finishing up in the secondary.

 

[duffymp]

re:

Jason, What do you bulk age in? Just curious is all. You may be right and what I think I will do is bottle half with out adjusting the acidity and the other with and see how it all comes out. Thanks for the info.... What type of kit did you use for the icewine? I would love to try that one out!

 

[vvolf34]

I bulk age in glass carboys.

I have the Wine Expert kit for Ice wine, but wish I would have gotten the RJS kit instead. My Piesporter is RJS and I can tell a difference. I will be starting a RJS Reisling Auslese tonight.

This pic is a little old, I have racked the Piesporter off the lees and it is bulk aging in the same type of carboy.