6 replies to this topic

[catbackr]

My Brew King Reisling has been in the carboy for 3 months. I bottled it this weekend and got my first glass. It was ok, drinkable, and all that but i thought it was fairly flat and lacked "body". I followed the directions on the kit to the letter, but it seemed to me that i used a lot of water to top off the carboy when i racked it. Would topping off with wine have been a better choice and could this explain the lack of body? BTW, this is my first attempt at making wine.

[P Cuthbert]

Hello catbackr;

It is probably a combination of things.
Yes, topping off with too much water can cause your wine to taste a bit weak. It is also possible that bottling shock has caused some of this loss of flavour. Did you taste the wine before bottling? If so, does it taste a bit diffent after bottling?

Pat

[catbackr]

No, i didn't taste it prior to bottling...we just stuck a bottle in the fridge and drank it when it was chilled! I've never heard of bottle shock but we'll see if it improves. I noticed some other conversation around the same topic and thought i'd add that this was a 6 gallon kit. Thanks.

[P Cuthbert]

I hope that it improves for you. I think that the Winexpert brochure suggests a one month minimum aging for Vintners Reserve whites, and 1 to three months minimum aging for the Selection kits.

Pat

[Matt L]

Hi,

I just bottled this same kit a few weeks ago. I had some straight out of the carboy before (and while .... ) I bottled it. It tasted real good with all kinds of flavor, apple, fruit etc.

I then got a little excited and opend a bottle a few days later. It tasted quite flat and a little lifeless and was wondering if I did anything wrong. I let the rest sit and we opend one last night. The flavor and body came back but not quite as much fruit as right out of the carboy. It has been in the bottle since 5-22

I am sure it will improve even more as they sit a bit longer. I plan to open a bottle every couple of weeks so I can watch how it progresses.

Hope This Helps,
Matt L

[Haagen]

I share your pain.

[Envchemist]

I have been surprised at how much wine changes in just a few months. My cab/merlot tasted weak when we bottled it, but after aging it was one of the best wines we've ever had. I do tend to top with real wine and not much water. I know the kits are made to have some water added but sometimes (particularily with the BK cab/merlot) you get a lot of sediment and have to top again after racking the second time. The upshot of this though, is that there is still hope! lol A wine before it's time...

Nydia