madrean

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i've done something kinda dumb i think. with my 6 gal carboy full (wine ready to bottle but no bottler), i started to drink off it (not directly!!!) so that by the time my bottler came it had been sitting roughly 1/3 empty for about 2 weeks.

finally got the wine bottled. the next day my friend opened one of the bottles that he took home with him and he told me that he thought it might be turning.

so i uncorked one and noticed a what is kinda a slight sour taste, but not really. i'm hoping that it's all just subliminal. something that i'm looking for.

since then, i stuck my 6 bottles (all i had left from my portion of the 30 bottle batch-- friend got 15 bottles) in a little refrigerator in hopes of halting any potential "turning."

what do you guys think is going on?

hoping that when i had the big air space in the carboy, the wine didn't oxidize...

God Emporer BillyBrew

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Sorry that I can't answer, but if it makes you feel better, it does sound like something I'd do.

I wonder if you introduced some contamination when you opened the lid...

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Desert Planet Brewing Co.

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Yooper

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Define "turning" and sour. Vinegary? spoiling? old apples?

Oxidized wine generally turns color and tastes a bit like old apples, or a bit cidery.

I'm wondering if you got a bit of acetobacter aceti (vinegar bacteria). If that's what it is, there is no saving it. If it's mild and just "spoiling" from something else, campden tablets can help preserve what's left if it's not too late.

Lorena

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madrean

Recipes 

thanks for the replies.

well, there's no going back now because it's all been bottled now.

all i can do is drink them!!

i think they taste fine and my friend is making me paranoid.

next time i'll use one of those little hand pumps to take out any excess O2 (after fermentation is done).

madrean

Recipes 

i must add that the "portuguese floor bottler" is AWESOME!!!

Pilsner Pete

Recipes 

Since the wine was tested right after bottling, do you think it might be bottle shock?

Googling: "Bottle Shock" or "Bottle Sickness" as:

BOTTLE SICKNESS: A temporary condition characterized by muted or disjointed fruit flavors. It often occurs immediately after bottling or when wines \(usually fragile wines\) are shaken in travel. Also called bottle shock. A few days of rest is the cure. "

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Humer

Recipes 

Could be 2 things, if you let your wine sit in the carboy 1/3 empty for two week then it has oxidized a bit, which once in the bottle it should not get any worse. If you were taking samples from it then the question that I have to ask is , did you use a clean and sanitized siphon when you took your samples? Then you might of spoiled it and oxidized it, which will get worse in time. Pete brings up a good point of bottle shock. I have bottled wines (especially reds) that need to rest for a couple of months for the wine to come to it full potential flavor and aroma. Last thing is if you still like the way it tastes then keep pouring.

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