Tastes a little bit too strong.

[BigT]

I have a batch of blueberry that has been aging about 6 months and the alcohol taste is too strong. The ABV is 13.5% but the taste is strong. I want to dilute it with 100% blueberry juice but I will have to order it so I'm wondering about how much it'll take to tone down 5 gallons. I don't want to over dilute it so I'll just add it to taste but I want to make sure that I get enough BB juice.

 

[Johnd]

I have a batch of blueberry that has been aging about 6 months and the alcohol taste is too strong. The ABV is 13.5% but the taste is strong. I want to dilute it with 100% blueberry juice but I will have to order it so I'm wondering about how much it'll take to tone down 5 gallons. I don't want to over dilute it so I'll just add it to taste but I want to make sure that I get enough BB juice.

Three things will happen, you'll be diluting the ABV by adding juice with no alcohol, you'll be boosting the flavor, which will mask the alcohol, and the sweetness of the juice will also work to smooth out the alcohol flavor. Just adding sugar may solve your problem and won't dilute appreciably.

Adding a gallon of juice with no alcohol will take your ABV to 11.25, but the sweetness and flavor will also reduce its bite. You shouldn't need any more than that, maybe not even half a gallon, depends on your taste. You can freeze the leftovers for the future. Don't forget the sorbate!

 

[rustbucket]

BigT,

I made a Cellar Craft Red Mountain Cabernet that had that strong alcohol taste when I bottled it. When I asked the proprietor of the store where I bought the kit about it, he told me that the overwhelming alcohol taste was due to bottle shock and suggested that it would go away with a little aging. It's now a year later and that Cabernet is one of the best that I've tasted. The alcohol taste is completely gone and in its place is a high end classic cab bouquet and flavor.

Be patient! Let the wine mature at least three months after bottling before you taste it again. By that time, you should notice the alcohol taste diminishing and the blueberry fruit flavors to be more dominant.

 

[Scooter68]

Why not just take a cup of your wine and backsweeten it with a simple syrup. See how that affects the flavor and bite that it has now.

BUT FIRST - At 6 months you could still stand to wait another 3 months at least before trying to solve the current issue. It may go away your taste buds may still be feeling the bite of a young wine.

 

[NorCal]

Be sure to sterile filter or Sorbate before back sweetening.

 

[BigT]

Thanks for all of the advice. I'm not sure what I'm going to do but you've given me a few options. I'm new to wine making and I haven't mastered the patience part of it.

 

[Scooter68]

Thanks for all of the advice. I'm not sure what I'm going to do but you've given me a few options. I'm new to wine making and I haven't mastered the patience part of it.

I'm still working on that part too.

One way is to break down your batches into 1 gallon carboys. Takes more time to rack them individually but... you can experiment and bottle early a limited amount and still do the waiting on the majority of it (assuming a 5 gallon batch as a baseline.) You can even have a dry, semi-sweet and a sweet wine from a single starting batch.