Help ....

[N.K.]

Hey ,

I have done a few kit wines now , trouble is I feel they are very disappointing .
I,m cant very really put my finger on it , but I think the best my to discribe it is that they taste "tart" .

I,m I doing something wrong .

Nikki

[malcmackenzie]

Kits

Hi Nicki
What kits do you use? and when you say 'tart' do you mean very dry and citrus acid tart?

I found some I use slightly woody or yeasty!

[Rich]

It'd be easier to diagnose if you put up your recipe,method and timeline. Then tell us what it tastes like etc.

Also Bob (Lockwood1956) does do a tasting service where you post him a 250ml sample and he'll give you his wine judge's opinion.

[rjb222]

i think more information is needed before weighing in on this one. Kit made oak added bulk aged or not red or white or both ETC.

[N.K.]

Thanks for the replies ,

I,ve done a Cal Con Shiraz , Merlot and Barolo , all have had 2 - 3 months of aging in the bottle .
Everything was done as per the instuctions more or less .
I opened a Barolo last night to try and well its tart .
Maybe dry is a better word because it not sweet at all , maybe borderlining on slightly sour ......
Its drinkable but I know it could be better .
The Merlot and Shiraz also have that " tartness " .

Nikki

[rjb222]

Thanks for the replies ,

I,ve done a Cal Con Shiraz , Merlot and Barolo , all have had 2 - 3 months of aging in the bottle .
Everything was done as per the instuctions more or less .
I opened a Barolo last night to try and well its tart .
Maybe dry is a better word because it not sweet at all , maybe borderlining on slightly sour ......
Its drinkable but I know it could be better .
The Merlot and Shiraz also have that " tartness " .

Nikki

All of these are reds. As a rule of thumb reds take around 6 months or longer to loose the edge or tannin bite. Wine will go through many stages of maturing even after they have been in the bottle for a year. I would venture you are tasting a young wine and your palette is used to a properly aged wine. This takes time to happen. Hope this helps.

[P cuthbert]

One of the things that has not been addressed here, but that I have found manifest in this way is: "Degassing".

Give this a try the next time you open a bottle.

Pour two glasses side by side. Cover one of the glasses with your hand and shake it up for a few seconds.

Now taste both glasses, the shaken one first and let us know if you detect a difference between them.

If you find that the shaken glass shows better, then CO2 is your most likely culprit.

Not to worry though, you can decant and allow the wine to sit for an hour or so before serving.

But, in future, a better degassing routine will help.

[lockwood1956]

They most certainly shouldn't be tart

if you care to send me a sample i will assess it for you (i will pm you my address if you need it)

what sort of wine do you normally drink (commercial)

and when you say the instructions were followed "more or less" which bits did you not follow to the letter? (can i ask)

regards
Bob

[N.K.]

One of the things that has not been addressed here, but that I have found manifest in this way is: "Degassing".

Give this a try the next time you open a bottle.

Pour two glasses side by side. Cover one of the glasses with your hand and shake it up for a few seconds.

Now taste both glasses, the shaken one first and let us know if you detect a difference between them.

If you find that the shaken glass shows better, then CO2 is your most likely culprit.

Not to worry though, you can decant and allow the wine to sit for an hour or so before serving.

But, in future, a better degassing routine will help.

Thanks I,ll try this , but I pretty sure I degassed alright as I used a wine whip .

Nikki

[N.K.]

They most certainly shouldn't be tart

if you care to send me a sample i will assess it for you (i will pm you my address if you need it)

what sort of wine do you normally drink (commercial)

and when you say the instructions were followed "more or less" which bits did you not follow to the letter? (can i ask)

regards
Bob

I would usually buy a Supermarket Merlot or Shiraz .....

By more or less I mean the timing , If it need racked at 10 days I might not of had the time to do it till 12 or 13 days say .

Nikki

[N.K.]

One of the things that has not been addressed here, but that I have found manifest in this way is: "Degassing".

Give this a try the next time you open a bottle.

Pour two glasses side by side. Cover one of the glasses with your hand and shake it up for a few seconds.

Now taste both glasses, the shaken one first and let us know if you detect a difference between them.

If you find that the shaken glass shows better, then CO2 is your most likely culprit.

Not to worry though, you can decant and allow the wine to sit for an hour or so before serving.

But, in future, a better degassing routine will help.

Well you sure hit the nail on the head , its wasn,t degassed properly .
Thanks so much its made a world of differents .
I gas my degassing routine hasn,t been great .

[NorthernWiner]

my degassing routine hasn,t been great .

I had this problem for awhile but resolved it by eating more Mexican food.

[N.K.]

[P cuthbert]

Well you sure hit the nail on the head , its wasn,t degassed properly .
Thanks so much its made a world of differents .
I gas my degassing routine hasn,t been great .

Happy to help.

You can spread your degassing over a period of 3 or 4 days, stirring for 3 minutes at a time. This will generally get the job done.