First bottle from homemade wine kit

[jakejoe30]

I have done a beaverdale Shiraz 30 bottle. From start to bottling took just over a month. It doesn't taste like any Shiraz I've ever tried. Tastes like a more acidic grape juice. Gravity was spot on at 990 when bottled. It is alcoholic due to experience. Is it because I should leave it bottled for longer? Thanks

 

[johncrobinson]

Well i don't know if it will ever taste like Shiraz,! But it will improve with a bit of bottle age

 

[chris-s]

I have done most of the (old) Beaverdale reds multiple times, including the Shiraz, and they generally taste similar to the specified grape variety bearing in mind plenty of variability in region etc. I think they improved a bit over a couple of months in the bottle but not much.

I haven't done a new Shiraz but the two new kits I have done are noticeably thinner and I haven't noticed much change after 6 weeks and 8 weeks.

I suppose we all have different reference points so it is difficult.

For me, the new Beaverdale are nearer but not quite a bottle marked 'table wine' rather than the old which were as good as a supermarket bottom shelf bottle, maybe £5-8 these days.

I don't know if that helps at all.