"Pinky" > wrote in message
. uk...
> I am responding on the NG. It is a good idea to do this since you will
then
> get more information/help from different people. Also other will also
learn
> from the ensuing posts. Which is how this NG works and why it is so
> successful.
>
> We need some more information before anyone can give you real help.
> 1. What is the fruit of the "fresh berry" wine. What sort of recipe did
you
> use?
>
Okay we will start with the strawberry. It was strawberry wine. I
handpicked the strawberries, crushed the berries by hand through cheesecloth
to get the juice. I used a recipe I found on the Internet for Strawberry
Wine. As for specifics, I can get those too if necessary.

> 2. What is the name of the wine kit i.e. both the name of the type of
wine
> ( e.g. Merlot, Chardonnay ) and the name of the kit manufacturer( e.g.
> Winexpert, Spagnols)? Did you read and follow the instructions???
>
The two wine kit wines that I made were as follows:

A.) Chablis Blush -- Vintner's Reserve -- Followed directions explicitly.
This one tasted okay, but had a hint of a bitter flavor.

B.) Riesling -- Vintner's Reserve -- Followed directions
explicitly
This one taste like a 40 of Mickey's Malt Liquor that is flat.
Definitely not the way a Riesling should taste. The taste is similar to the
taste that I developed with the Chablis Blush, and now with the Strawberry.
I know it must be an error in the process because I am consistenly
developing similar tastes. It is very frustrating that they do not taste
good, but I am not planning on giving up anytime soon.


> 3. As much information about the fermentation period that you can give.
> a. Original SG
> b. Final SG

I do not have these numbers readily available as we recently moved.
The wine was not transported. I can tell you; however, that the specific
gravity measurements were exactly where the kits said they should be when
measured, when racked, and when bottled.

> c. Secondary fermentation -- did you rack off the fruit at all?

Yes I racked the fruit wine once, and it seemed to clear up very
well after that. I only racked it one time though. Should
I have done this more?
>
> 4. How old is the wine now. Has it only just finished fermenting? Was it
> degassed? Has it been aged at all? Has it been stabilised? Has it been
> bottled?

The Chablis has all been consumed, but it would be approximately one
year and 4 months old now. The Riesling is approximately 8 months old now,
and the Strawberry is approximately 4 months old now. I am not sure of the
degassing process. Can you explain this to me in detail? The wine has been
aged since bottling according to the numbers posed above. Yes it was
stabilized, and yes it has been bottled.

It does not taste like wine. I cannot explain the taste well. Perhaps if
you enter further directed questions I would be able to communicate more
effectively. I entered it into a wine competition in the Kentucky State
Fair. I knew it would not do well because it did not taste like it should,
but I wanted to gain exposure to events such as that.
>
> Try and give us at least the above information and anything else that will
> indicate the sort of background to the wines made and even of your own
> experience

With the kit wines I used potassium metabisulphite as a sterilization
agent....with the Strawberry wine I used Campden tablets. Could the levels
of the sulphites in my wine be the problem? What would this cause?
>
I do not know how to tell whether or not a wine will go bad. Can you
present this information? I was told strawberry wine will not be good after
6-12 months. How true is this?

> Finally as a total guess --
> I am suspecting that the wines are just much too young. Early tasting can
> be confusing to a beginner. The bouquet and taste of wine, the feel of it
in
> the mouth, changes immensely with judicious "aging" New wine is inevitably
> coarser than the aged product.
>
> That's enough from me now. Try and see this reply as a pointer towards
help.
> If you respond I am sure that you will find the NG very useful
>
>
> "John Fouts" > wrote in message
> .. .
> > Hello all,
> >
> > I am hoping that you all might be able to help me out. I have made two
> > wines from kits, and one wine from fresh berries. The bouquet of the
> > wines
> > I have made have always been good; however, the actual taste and
> > aftertaste
> > of the wine has been .. well .. not so great. It has a bitter taste to
> > it,
> > and is also very alocholic tasting although the actual alcohol content I
> > do
> > not believe is that high. Do you have any suggestions on what I might
try
> > to avoid this in the future? What causes this bitterness? I have read
on
> > the Internet that the bitterness or astringent taste can be caused by
too
> > many tannins in the wine. I also learned that this could be due to
> > crushing
> > the fruit to violently. I had two wines made from kits in which
> > concentrate
> > was the initial starting point. Crushing the fruit too hard or fast
would
> > not have caused these wines to develop with this bitterness as I had no
> > part
> > in producing the concentrate that I purchased. I heard that PVPP or egg
> > whites could be used to help pull the tannin taste out of the wine, but
I
> > am
> > not sure that an overload of tannin in the wine is my problem. Any
advice
> > would be gladly accepted. Please respond to my email if possible
> > primarily,
> > or to the newsgroup if you cannot respond via email.
> >
> > My email address is
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>