What is the best and the worst you made in 2007

[Luc]

So it is that time of year.
You know looking back (in utter amazement ) at the past year and wondering why on earth you did some things you did.

So here we go, this IS about wine of course

The best wines I made in 2007:
- Elderberry / blackberry mix
- Strawberry from jam
- Apple from juice

The strangest wines I made in 2007:
- Beet wine (still has to mellow out, tastes still a bit like mud, but is
getting better each month)
- Wine from dandelions (which is now after 9 months
becoming a great wine !!!)

The worst wine I made in 2007:
- Kiwi wine. Really awfull. I hope my current batch which
just started fermenting turns out well.

You can find the recipes for the strawberry and elderberry wines
on my web-log in the archives ( http://wijnmaker.web-log.nl/ )

Ok thruth or dare
Who is next

Luc

 

[Sacalait]

The best for 2007:
Blueberry/grape juice concentrate
Muscadine

The worst for 2007:
Strawberry...used white sugar instead of brown!?!

Total production for the year was 45gals and came close to running out of empty bottles.

 

[Adolphus79]

Best:
Tough choice... I'd have to say either my Wild Berry Apple Wine, or a Cyser that didn't ferment out as dry as I was expecting.

Worst:
This one's easy... I tried to come up with a Twisted Tea clone that was basically iced tea wine. Came out tasting like fermented plastic for some reason...

 

[cpfan]

We mostly make kit wines. Plus this is tough for me to answer. WHY? Cause the reds, especially, are going to be aged for several more months. Also I just realized that we only bottled 8 batches of wine in 2007, and 3 were Amarones bottled in September & not being drunk yet.

Worst: Lodi Gold Pinot Noir (started in 2006, but bottled in 2007) This was a pail of juice that came frozen. The result is light in colour & taste. We, unfortunately, over-oaked it. Waiting to see if aging helps any, but I suspect that this one is going down the drain.

BEST White: OUR FAVE. Ken Ridge Showcase German Gewurztraminer.

BEST Red: Cru Select RQ Shiraz Viognier

Steve

 

[Noontime]

Not sure on the best yet, but I have a good guess for the worst.

I made a Zinfandel that got splashed around a bit while bottleing, and then I read in a thread on another forum that when de-gassing with a power drill, to not over do it so you get vortexes. Having never seen anyone else do it, I thought the more the better. So I'm guessing that wine's going to be a little oxydized.

Here's to 2008!

 

[smurfe]

Not sure on the best yet, but I have a good guess for the worst.

I made a Zinfandel that got splashed around a bit while bottleing, and then I read in a thread on another forum that when de-gassing with a power drill, to not over do it so you get vortexes. Having never seen anyone else do it, I thought the more the better. So I'm guessing that wine's going to be a little oxydized.

Here's to 2008!

If your sulfite levels were in range you will probably be fine. My best wine was a Blackberry made from Walker's Juice and worst was a Raspberry made from Vintner's Harvest canned juice and fruit. I think what made the raspberry not to my taste is I used Wine Expert Wine Conditioner to back sweeten and it gave the wine an after taste that is almost medicinal to me. I haven't opened one in a couple months so I don't know if it has mellowed any.

In regards to kit wines, it is hard to say as I bulk age all of mine for at least a year. Not because it is the in thing to do, but rather I have found it takes that long for the wines to reach a level that I find acceptable to drink. I an an unfortunate that detects the kit taste in most kit wines and for me, it takes about a year or better of age to have the taste leave the wine. I haven't tasted anything made in 2007 from a kit.

 

[yaeyama]

I used Wine Expert Wine Conditioner to back sweeten and it gave the wine an after taste that is almost medicinal to me. I haven't opened one in a couple months so I don't know if it has mellowed any.

Did you say, "Wine Expert Wine Conditioner"? The same one that caused my originally gorgeous Peach wine to become cooking wine? Okay, now I'm intrigued (and a bit pissed off as well). I'm going to start a new thread and see if others have had problems with this product.

 

[FentonCellars]

In 2007 I only tried one wine kit (winexpert Pinot Noir) and I did several things wrong that lead to a burnt rubber smell. I dumped it after consulting another local winemaker. Oh well.

Last night I started a winexpert French Cabernet Sauvignon. I'm hoping with my extra documentation with every action I take (WineMaker Magazine Log Chart), will help me either narrow down what I'm doing wrong or help provide me specific directions with good results. Here is hoping 2008 will be a better wine making year!

 

[weltercat]

My best: Blackberry, Plum, Kiwi-Grapefruit

My Worst: Blackberry Melomel maybe it just needs more time but it tastes bad so far.

 

[troton]

Best; A dessert concord fresh picked in Oct.

Worst. We did a Reliant grape. Everything went wrong from the beginning. First I picked in Oct and should have picked late Aug. It looked like mud from day wine. Played and Played with and finally bottled in March. Only had two bottled left by the time I cold stablized it twice. We brought it to a wine club meeting. The cork blow off like a champange. But boy did we have a good laugh. It was reallly bad. Not vinger just wierd. The other bottle uncorked it self in the cellar.

Last year was our first year. Did 4 different styles of concord. About 20 gal total and the gallon of Reliant.
Did one Kit this year. And going to pick Rubarb today.