vinegar?

[jm75979]

Hello.
I am making (1 gal) strawberry wine from fresh-picked strawberries (4 lbs). I started by heating up the strawberries to about 200 for 30 minutes and let it naturally cool down in enough water to cover them. I added the sugar (2.5 lbs) and dissolved it when it was hot. My starting SG was 1.100. Now, it smells like vinegar and the SG is .990. It tastes very alcoholic and bitter. No strawberry taste at all. I suspect it is soured and need to start over and write this up to experience. Was cleanliness the likely problem? I would have thought the heat would have killed anything that might have been in it.

 

[salcoco]

there is a lot left out of your procedure. I would hazard a guess that yeast nutrient was not used. the yeast would have been stressed and volatile acid produced. sanitation will also cause these problems. were all of you fermenters and spoons etc cleaned properly?
I am not sue why you heated the strawberries, they could have been used without the heating. more info needed.

 

[Arne]

Is it all the way done or just done fermenting? If it has just quit, you are probably just getting yeast smells and taste. it has to clear, then get it off the lees, then probably age for a while and things should taste better. One thing you can try now is draw a small glass and add some sugar to it. That will probably help bring the fruit forward. I am thinking you are just dealing with young wine smells and taste. Arne.