wine batch came out a little sour (it never does this)?

[Zule]

Juice: Allen apple juice
Yeast: Premier Cuvee
notes: MIA (first time this happens, can't seem to find them)

I have probably made about 10-15 or so batches (carboy each carboy as a batch) of apple juice wine over the last +1 year. I usually put the juice in the carboy and ferment for ~3 weeks, rack after 1-2 months, another rack after 1-2 months, after bottle after 1-2 months.

My last batch I started with a low specific gravity (wanted to see what ~8-9% would taste like). I then racked it to another carboy about 2 month later, and after another 3-4 months I bottled it (yes only one rack)

Ive done this type of wine making with the apple juice several times (even sometimes racking only once) and at worse sometimes the wine would be a tad cloudy (with a one rack) or a tad yeasty tasting (not sure why it yeasty, seems random).

This time it taste more sour then any batch ive ever done. It is drinkable, but that got me left with a few questions:
1# Why is it sour like this?
2# Is it dangerous at all (the half a glass ive drank so far has giving me a small amount of heartburn)?

From what I read leaving your wine on the yeast/lees might make it taste a tad funny, but it should always be safe right? This is the first time Ive left my wine for 3-4 months on the lees.

 

[salcoco]

the sour taste is usually high acid. add a little sugar to your next glass and see if it more drinkable. I usually rack in first three days post fermentation regardless if juice or fruit must. the first sediment is full of dead yeast and live yeast. the live yeast no longer have any nutrients and began to consume dead yeast and impart a bad odor to wine. I then rack again in three weeks and again in three months. wine should be clear by this time and bench trial taste tests can be made to see if adjustments are required.

Back to original question the wine should be safe, sour is acid. due taste test with sugar syrup to achieve balance.

 

[Schattenmann]

I noted a sour taste in my first try with apple wine/cider the other day, this is what Bernard had to say about it

Hi Schattenmann, and welcome. I don't know the book but I generally distrust recipes. Much prefer principles that explain how processes work and why I should add (or not) any ingredient to a wine. You say the cider tastes "so sour" but I wonder if you added acid blend... In my opinion, the reason to add acid blend is IF - IF the wine (or cider) needs a kick because the flavor is too bland then you may need to increase the amount of acidity in the wine, but a) apples tend to contain malic acid more than tartaric or citric acid but acid blend is dominated by tartaric acid and b) unless the pH is very high the yeast will have no problem converting the sugars to alcohol. In other words, the only time to add acid before the fermentation has stopped is if the must is too alkaline and the only reason to add acid after the fermentation has ended is because the wine does not have the kind of kick that additional acidity would bring to it. But generally speaking apples have a fair amount of malic acid in them and malic acid is a fairly strong acid even in small quantities

But that said, does it taste "sour" or bitter. Acidity should make the cider taste bitter. Sour is a different flavor and sour suggests that there may be an infection in the cider/wine. Sour comes from bacterial action on the sugars rather than the fungal action of yeast. Sour suggests that while your equipment may have been spotlessly clean your sanitation processes may not have prevented or removed the presence of lactic or brett bacteria. So, sour or bitter?

But does it perhaps taste "hot"? I ask that because it must be very warm just now in your neck of the woods. Fermentation really needs to take place at fairly low temperatures (around 60 IMO) . So if the ambient temperature is about 75 and the fermentation process itself raises the temperature of the must another 10 degrees you are fermenting at about 85.. At such high temps the yeast will most likely produce fusel alcohol and that is what gives the wine a burning sensation in your mouth. Over time it will mellow out but that can take many, many, many months...
So, is it "sour" or "bitter" or ..."hot"?