Disappointing first attempt

[psycho46]

Hello everyone, this is my first time here and i hope someone can help me.

Well, my first attempt at home wine making is over and i must say im not too happy with the results. Worst thing is, it was a kit, i only had to add water and follow the instructions, but the finished product has ended up slightly watery and with quite a acidy/vinegary twang to it. it is drinkable and does have some fruity flavour but its not good. what could i have done wrong? i followed all the instructions, it was a 7 day kit but took 2 weeks to complete as the fermentation seemed to go on a lot longer than suggested. If you have any pearls of wisdom that could suggest what the problem is please let me know. It was an Australian blend table red.

 

[bobsbeer]

Welcome. : You need a little patience. If you leave it alone in the bottle for about 4 months it will improve. With the cheaper kits it is better to slightly under dilute, which gives it a bit more body, and slightly ups the alcohol ABV. The trick with wine is to make more than you can drink. That way you don't notice the maturation period. While you are waiting for this one to mature you could try a WOW style white/rosé type wine. They are quicker to mature, about 4 weeks rather than 4 months. TBH I very quickly learned that you get what you pay for in kits. So I would recommend looking at the Beverdale and others, which are more expensive but you get a better end result. But stick at it, it's fun.

 

[oldbloke]

+1
A lot of chemistry happens in the first couple of months after bottling, it will improve.

 

[godfrey]

plenty of furit and berrys around at the moment

try a country wine....

plumbs are just ripening up for harvest
elderberries and blackberries are all plentiful now

rather than kits practice some small batches with real (free/foraged) fruits :thumb:

your kit should improve over time

 

[Boatbrewer]

To echo what bob says, Cheap kits are amost always disapointing - especially reds. Beaverdale kits are good and anything around the £12 six bottle mark should produce a nice wine.

Time is also an issue. One week wine is nonsense. A couple of months is more like it.

It anoys me that there are so many rubish kits making daft claims. It only puts people off what is an otherwise very rewarding hobby.

Invest in some good kits or try some of the WOW juice wines, but keep at it. Make one a week and be patient for a couple of months until you have built up a stock. Then enjoy :

 

[Ken L]

I'll echo everything that's been said above but I'm a little concerned about your comment that the wine tastes vinigary.
That's generally not a good thing.

You do need to be scrupulous about cleanliness and ensure that all of your kit is as sterile as possible and that your wine stays under airlock.

It's a PITA to start with but soon becomes second nature.
It also gets cheaper over time as you get used to transfering your cleaning solution from vessel to vessel, cleaning and then rinsing as you go.

 

[psycho46]

Thank you all for the replys and words of great wisdom. I have spent today bottling and now have 26 bottles put away to be forgotten about for a while, hopefully you are all correct and with time things will improve. I have also ordered a Beaverdale Pinot Noir kit and gone out and bought the necessary bits and bobs for my first WOW. Pure Orange Juice and Red Grape Juice, at least i thought i picked up Orange juice. On closer inspection at home it turns out i picked up orange, mango & passion fruit juice . Will this still be ok?

 

[oldbloke]

The mango might throw a bit more pulp than otherwise, but it should all work.

 

[JonnyD]

Old bloke, is there a post about, about what happens in the first couple of months. I fancy some nighttime reading

 

[tonyhibbett]

If it's a Wilco 30 bottle kit, you are on a hiding to nothing, especially if it's a red.

 

[oldbloke]

Old bloke, is there a post about, about what happens in the first couple of months. I fancy some nighttime reading

Ah, it was something I found on one of my wilder Google expeditions. Possibly by an upstart wine critic having a swipe at the establishment critics...
Basic idea was that very few (grape) wines actually benefit much from aging after the first 2 or 3 months, as most of the interesting post-ferment chemistry is done by then and further improvement is minuscule. Vintages are special not because they're old but because they were good from the off.

Can't find a bookmark in my browser for it.

High tannin stuff needs a bit of age though, obv.

This isn't it but it's interesting and broadly along the same lines: http://www.winetrail.com/agingwine.html

Exploration of the factors involved in aging: http://www.decanter.com/people-and-places/wine-articles/486706/unearthing-the-secrets-of-age

 

[CJR]

Psycho, who made your Australian table wine kit anyway?

 

[psycho46]

CJR, It was one of these kits

ww.australianblend (dot)co (dot) uk .wont let me post links yet.

Needless to say, I wont use it again.