Sour wine taste after primary fermentation

I started a batch of wine 12 days ago (Welch’s Grape juice frozen concentrate)

Recipe
22 cans Welch’s Grape juice frozen concentrate
*5 gallons water
*3 tsp acid blend
*1 tsp pectic enzyme
*5 tsp yeast nutrient
*5 tablets sodium bisulfate
*4 cups sugar
*1 pack of montrachet yeast

I started with a SG of 1.100 (NOT airlocked)
Racked after 10 days and the SG was 1.000(I would stir it every day) It is now airlocked.

I tried a few sips of it before racking and it tasted very sour. Its kind of hard to describe the taste other than sour/bitter. But it did not taste good.

I was wondering if this has happened to anyone before and what might have happened?

I cleaned and sanitize everything before and after every use, so it should not be a sanitary issue. So I am not quite sure what went wrong. The fermenting looked healthy and I kept the temperature between 64 and 75 while it was in the primary as well.

I hate to dump out yet another batch of wine.

I am not a fan of adding acid blend to a Welche's concentrate wine that is pretty high on the juice level like this. Welche's grapes are more acidic than wine grapes so this may be your issue. Also white grape alone needs to be sweetened a little otherwise you get that bitter taste you are experiencing.

So this batch is not ruined at all. Personally I might raise the PH just a little with 2tsp of potassium bicarbonate. Let this sit another 30 days or so because it may have a little more fermentation to go and clearing. Then add sorbate and Camden to keep from having further fermentation. If you like a drier wine then just add one more thawed can of frozen white grape juice concentrate as a minimum. Just up the concentrate or add sugar if you want it sweeter.

The batch will be fine. If after the bicarbonate, stabilizing and sweetening if it is still not to your liking then put it in a dark place for another 3 months. Try again.

Welche's wines can be good. I don't think you did anything terribly wrong so keep at it.

Those concentrates contain acid already , so don't add acid blend to them. You can try to add some tannin to it to even it out or,
When it's time to rack them, top off with water or hit it up with a commercial wine that similar to cut that sourness.

I pick up a Carlo Rossi like wine that's a gallon and decant them in 750's to use as a cutter/top off.
This way you get a new gallon jug to make another wine in, plus you get a few bottles of wine to add to the cellar.

Tasting at this stage can't really tell you anything unless you are a very experienced winemaker.

Time is your friend.

PSUolive said:

I started a batch of wine 12 days ago (Welch’s Grape juice frozen concentrate)

Recipe
22 cans Welch’s Grape juice frozen concentrate
*5 gallons water
*3 tsp acid blend
*1 tsp pectic enzyme
*5 tsp yeast nutrient
*5 tablets sodium bisulfate
*4 cups sugar
*1 pack of montrachet yeast

I started with a SG of 1.100 (NOT airlocked)
Racked after 10 days and the SG was 1.000(I would stir it every day) It is now airlocked.

I tried a few sips of it before racking and it tasted very sour. Its kind of hard to describe the taste other than sour/bitter. But it did not taste good.

I was wondering if this has happened to anyone before and what might have happened?

I cleaned and sanitize everything before and after every use, so it should not be a sanitary issue. So I am not quite sure what went wrong. The fermenting looked healthy and I kept the temperature between 64 and 75 while it was in the primary as well.

I hate to dump out yet another batch of wine.

Click to expand...

Me and my dad have the same problem with some of our batchs. After primary it tastes sour/acidic. Yet When I pass it around to friends no one notices and its all gone. I noticed leaving it longer in a bottle makes it taste abit better but gases build up and blow my lid right off..... he leaves his for 3-4 months mine is bottled after 2 weeks and gone in a month. im going to try low acid apple juice next time and see if its better.

Try using Lalvin 71b-1122. It ferments to about 13% but also ferments malic acid which is high in Concord grapes. The batch I made was more fruity and less tart. Really good for young wines.

Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Home Brew mobile app

C2H6OH said:

Try using Lalvin 71b-1122. It ferments to about 13% but also ferments malic acid which is high in Concord grapes. The batch I made was more fruity and less tart. Really good for young wines.

Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Home Brew mobile app

Click to expand...

+1

That is actually the yeast I use in all my Welche's wines and I think it does a great job.

Arpolis said:

+1

That is actually the yeast I use in all my Welche's wines and I think it does a great job.

Click to expand...

It looks like im going to have to order some in, they don't carry it here but they do carry lalvin EC-1118. Welch's wine was something i was considering, but then i seen sunripe had grape juice to, I think its abit cheaper i just havent read the indredients yet.