Hello everyone,
I've posted on this subject before, but as a fairly new home wine maker, I've really been unable to accurately describe what I am tasting, so I've probably been mis-representing it in previous posts.
Basically, in all the samples I have taken of the wine(s) I have made, as well as a finished bottle of "kit" wine I bought from a local do-it-yourself winery, I have noticed a certain flavor. I want to emphasize that they don't taste "bad". I don't think there is anything wrong, and i am pretty confident that I have done my kits properly. Not sure about the one from the store, as I couldn't observe their processes.
I know it's going to be hard to answer my questions if I can't really articulate what I am trying to say, but I'm hoping someone will follow what I am rambling about, and might have noticed it too.
Here's one key factor: None of the wines I have tasted (with the possible exception of the kit wine from the store) have really had a chance to age properly. Friday, I couldn't stand the wait any longer and opened a bottle of RJS Grand Cru Intl Red Zinfandel I bottled a little over a month ago.
It tasted good, but it didn't taste like any Zin I had ever had before. I would chalk it up to the wine just being very young, but the fact that the store bought bottle of kit wine I tasted had the same flavor kinda spooked me a little.
Now, to describe the flavor, if I can: I guess I would maybe describe it as slightly "tart". It has a dry finish, but has a sweet-ish quality. That may just be the tart flavor I am describing. I would suspect a C02 issue, but there's no evidence of that in my bottle. However, the one I bought from the store was a little foamy, maybe, if that makes sense. Not bubbly, but slightly foamy, like on the legs if you swirl the glass. If I didn't know any better, I might suspect Co2, because it has a certain bite to it.
Ok, I need to stop rambling and let someone respond. Again, it doesn't taste bad, just different. It may very well be that I just need to hold my horses, and that I am just tasting too early. But the store where I bought the bottle says they age theirs at least 6 months, and it still had this flavor.
So, can anyone glean any sense of what I am tasting here? Is it kit taste? Just way too young? A little of both? If both, how much does "kit taste" tend to dissipate with time?
Thanks so much for your responses, and your patience.
I've posted on this subject before, but as a fairly new home wine maker, I've really been unable to accurately describe what I am tasting, so I've probably been mis-representing it in previous posts.
Basically, in all the samples I have taken of the wine(s) I have made, as well as a finished bottle of "kit" wine I bought from a local do-it-yourself winery, I have noticed a certain flavor. I want to emphasize that they don't taste "bad". I don't think there is anything wrong, and i am pretty confident that I have done my kits properly. Not sure about the one from the store, as I couldn't observe their processes.
I know it's going to be hard to answer my questions if I can't really articulate what I am trying to say, but I'm hoping someone will follow what I am rambling about, and might have noticed it too.
Here's one key factor: None of the wines I have tasted (with the possible exception of the kit wine from the store) have really had a chance to age properly. Friday, I couldn't stand the wait any longer and opened a bottle of RJS Grand Cru Intl Red Zinfandel I bottled a little over a month ago.
It tasted good, but it didn't taste like any Zin I had ever had before. I would chalk it up to the wine just being very young, but the fact that the store bought bottle of kit wine I tasted had the same flavor kinda spooked me a little.
Now, to describe the flavor, if I can: I guess I would maybe describe it as slightly "tart". It has a dry finish, but has a sweet-ish quality. That may just be the tart flavor I am describing. I would suspect a C02 issue, but there's no evidence of that in my bottle. However, the one I bought from the store was a little foamy, maybe, if that makes sense. Not bubbly, but slightly foamy, like on the legs if you swirl the glass. If I didn't know any better, I might suspect Co2, because it has a certain bite to it.
Ok, I need to stop rambling and let someone respond. Again, it doesn't taste bad, just different. It may very well be that I just need to hold my horses, and that I am just tasting too early. But the store where I bought the bottle says they age theirs at least 6 months, and it still had this flavor.
So, can anyone glean any sense of what I am tasting here? Is it kit taste? Just way too young? A little of both? If both, how much does "kit taste" tend to dissipate with time?
Thanks so much for your responses, and your patience.