First wine in the bottle

yep, got it bottled last night. It's an Australian Shiraz. I can't remember the brand name... Anyway, based on earlier tastes of the unfinished product, I'm pleasantly surprised. It's definitely drinkable. The only problem is that it doesn't have a lot of character. The flavor is very subtle, with no tannin taste at all. I think that's the best way to describe it.

My beer always mellows in the bottle and if this wine mellows, it won't have any flavor at all. For you with experience in this kind of thing, is this normal? Will it get more flavor? If not, what can I do next time to get more flavor?

If the tannin levels are low then it does sound like it's a 'drink sooner rather than age for years' wine. Particularly if you've tasted it now and get no harsh alcohol notes. However that doesn't mean it wouldn't benefit from some aging.
I assume it's a kit. What aging instructions did they give?

They said drink after one month, but don't let it set longer than 6 months. I think it's a Vinter's reserve kit.

I talked to LHBS guy, he said that if I want complexities, I should buy the $100 kit and not the $50 kit. Makes sense, the $100 kit had twice the juice in it.

I can't say I'm displeased. I've got 30 bottles of wine for about $50 and they're decent.

The $100 version sounds like the one Walker and Lounge Lizard tried. The one you have sounds great too - If you really like it I'd go get the more expensive kit and get it on now, drinking the one you've just bottled as it goes to secondary.
Nice work in brewing a wine btw! - On the whole they're easier than beer I reckon. It's good to see you posting in the wine section!

if you let it age 4 six or seven months it would get a lot better i have made a few of these a big part of wine making is patience

Caplan said:

The $100 version sounds like the one Walker and Lounge Lizard tried. The one you have sounds great too - If you really like it I'd go get the more expensive kit and get it on now, drinking the one you've just bottled as it goes to secondary.
Nice work in brewing a wine btw! - On the whole they're easier than beer I reckon. It's good to see you posting in the wine section!

Click to expand...

Thanks for the welcome!

It was pretty easy labor wise. I expect the next one will be easier since I've gotten over part of the learning curve. My only problem is that the kits call for 8 gallon fermentors and all I have is a 6.5. I'm probably going to deal with the clean up for a while before I break down and buy a bigger bucket.

Are the $50 kits really that less 'full" than the $100 kits. I was wondering myself what you get for the extra money.