What happened to this wine?

[Ohio Bob]

I racked a 1g jug of Chilean Cab today that was from a purchased juice bucket back in the spring of 2021. It was leftover after several rackings. It was put into the 1g jug last August with about 1/16 tsp of Kmeta. Today it has a very distinct nose, medicinal or cough syrup. It tastes similar, a very upfront medicinal/candy/cough syrup flavor. And no semblance of a dark fruit flavor. I recognize this smell/taste as I’ve had it before in leftover jugs.

This wine is so distinct from the varietal that I don’t bottle it but drink it in a few days to see how it changes. It sometimes gets better but it’s also after I’ve drank a glass or two of it. I’m not convinced it’s bad but it’s not better than the bulk of the wine, which I am happy with based on my skill set.

Has anyone experienced this and can point to a cause?

 

[winemaker81]

Any sediment? How did you seal the jug? Airlock, vented bung, or screwcap?

 

[Ohio Bob]

Sediment was appropriate I think for 8 months in the jug, a slight red film, maybe slightly thicker than a film. The jug was topped off to an inch of the top. Airlock filled with Everclear.

 

[winemaker81]

Unfortunately I have no clue.

I've had similar happen -- one of last year's topup bottles, a 1.5 liter bottle, tasted odd at bottling time. No sediment, minimal headspace, and airlock was checked regularly. It tasted "off" from the other bottles, and I have no explanation. I kept it segregated and it was good enough to drink, but odd.

 

[Rice_Guy]

* your biggest risk is oxidation of ethyl alcohol into acetaldehyde. I describe this as apple at low level and as a burn at the back of the throat if the level is high. In a small container the percentage oxygen is higher with a given ullage. I could call this medicinal but wouldn’t call it cough syrup. Acetaldehyde has a detection level at 100ppm and can mask any fruity aromatics.
* sherry like, given enough time low level oxidation can transform into a sherry flavor, pleasing but no fruit.
* red film, if with fuzzy then a mold. if shiny metallic could be a mineral complex. Red? Most infections are whiteish

it has a very distinct nose, medicinal or cough syrup. It tastes similar, a very upfront medicinal/candy/cough syrup flavor. And no semblance of a dark fruit flavor.