Sorbitol taste in wine

[Polarhug]

A wildberry chocolate wine I have bulk aging, had a strange taste when I sampled this weekend.

The only way I can describe it was those fruity sugar-free candies that are made from Sorbitol. With a berry taste 2nd, then chocolate dead last. I researched that the berries I used (raspberry/blueberry/blackberry) can throw this taste.

It's laying on minimal lees - mostly cocoa nibs and cocoa powder. Should I rack off again? Will this age out? Anyone tasted this before? It's been stabilized but not clarified.

 

[Julie]

How long has it been sitting on the chocolate? This might be a young wine taste.

 

[ibglowin]

Did you add any Sorbate?

 

[Polarhug]

It's been in this carboy currently 3 weeks. I only added sulfite, no sorbate yet at this point.

 

[Julie]

I'm not sure if I understand what you mean by "Sorbitol." Is the wine done fermenting? Again, I think you just have a young wine. Three weeks, this can barely be called wine.

 

[Polarhug]

It's the only way I can describe the "off" taste. It's like sucking on a sugar free candy.

The wine is older than three weeks... its just been bulking for three. I think I did 1 week primary ferment, 4 weeks in a carboy off of the gross lees, then it's been racked a third time and we are three weeks into this. It is completely dry and i'm pretty sure it's done fermenting.

I don't plan on bottling anytime soon, just snuck a taste while working on some other wines. It will be quite a while before it's bottled i've just never encountered this taste before. It's odd.

 

[ibglowin]

Sounds to me like the dreaded KT or Kit Taste. It is most predominant when the wine is young but should fade over time as the wine matures. Who is the kit manufacturer?

 

[Arne]

If you were working with other wines, did you have a taste of them and then a taste of this one? Mite be mixing flavors. If so, try this one first. Just a thought. Arne.

 

[RemysMaster]

I work on a sorbitol plant and I can tell you that the berries you used do contain small amounts of sorbitol naturally. It could be where the taste is coming from.

 

[RemysMaster]

*I work in a sorbitol plant

 

[Polarhug]

It's not a kit. It's a country fruit wine, berries, grape juice, with a cocoa nib extract (self made).

I started it on my thick Amarone lees - with the amarone raisins still intact. I'll just wait it out and see how it tastes in a few months! Thanks for all the brainstorming.

 

[mmadmikes1]

It is still real young in wine age. Never sweat the young taste.

 

[Arne]

Did you start the Amarone with fresh yeast? Don't know for sure, but some have said if you reuse the lees more than once they can start coming up with strange flavors. Even at that if only once it could possibly be where the flavor is coming from. Just a thought, Arne.

 

[Polarhug]

I couldn't stand it, I did end up racking this off the thick chocolate nib and cocoa lees. Just in case that was the cause. Stabilized and sweetened with a berry F-Pac. The sorbitol taste is waning and is only barely there now. I'll check it in 3 months. I'll admit, I have a tough time staying out of things!

The Amarone was a RJ Premier kit and came with yeast. That could have been culprit also. Who knows?