Question on new cabernet taste?
 

This was my first time starting with grapes, california cabernet
shipped to Ohio, everything is going fine and I just racked off the
secondary (lots of lees). The wine has a decent smell, but seems to
have an off taste of coffe or something simular to coffee. Is this
just from the young cabernet wine or is there a problem?

Thanks, Andy

Question on new cabernet taste?
 

> This was my first time starting with grapes, california cabernet
> shipped to Ohio, everything is going fine and I just racked off the
> secondary (lots of lees). The wine has a decent smell, but seems to
> have an off taste of coffe or something simular to coffee. Is this
> just from the young cabernet wine or is there a problem?

I made my first 5 gallon batch of california cabernet in Sept 2002
(shipped to Massachusetts) and had an off taste in the first couple of
months, but that's natural. I tasted just this month (after 12 months
of aging)and it's approaching the taste I would expect. Since I
expected all along it would take at least 18 months for this type of
wine to reach the drinkable point, I am going to wait another 6 months
before I bottle it.

Question on new cabernet taste?
 

I have noticed that sometimes kits (what I use) with oak chips added
sometimes taste very bitter at bottling. I had one that was so bitter
from the oak that I thought it was ruined. It took about a year for
the bitterness to go away, and it turned into a very smooth red. Not
sure why some oak chips do this.

If you added oak, that might have caused the taste you describe.

Question on new cabernet taste?
 

On 28 Oct 2003 13:04:50 -0800, (Luap) wrote:
Thanks for the replies, I will just have to wait and see how it ages.
Yes I did add oak from the start of the primary ferment. And the
grapes were purchased from a local wine supplier here in Ohio.

Thanks Again.

>I have noticed that sometimes kits (what I use) with oak chips added
>sometimes taste very bitter at bottling. I had one that was so bitter
>from the oak that I thought it was ruined. It took about a year for
>the bitterness to go away, and it turned into a very smooth red. Not
>sure why some oak chips do this.
>
>If you added oak, that might have caused the taste you describe.