What now..throw it away or try to salvage?

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fisher59

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Newbie here with unsual wine problem.
2 1/2 years ago we started making concord grape wine from our grapes. After primary and secondary fermentation, we racked it a few times to get clarity. We were to the point of trying to determine how much sweetener to add to the wine. We like sweet wine, not dry. Due to tragic events in our family the wine was never finished.

What do I do with it? It is still in gallon jugs and a carboy, about 6 gallons total. It is very clear. It tastes bitter. I don't know what it needs or if it has gone bad.
 
Was it sealed up? Is it brown? Does it smell funny? If not continue on course, backsweeten, stabilize with sorbate and KM. If its to acidic you can put it out in the cold and let some of the tartaric acid drop out, you could even consider doing a MLF on it if it still to acidic, but concord I think tastes best with some acidity to stand up to the sweetness. WVMJ
 
Thanks for the info. They still have the airlocks on them. They are clear and red. Smell like grapes. I'll check SG tomorrow.

How do I check acidity? What is MLF? Don't forget, I'm a newbie to this.
I have some sorbate, but it's a couple of years old. What's the shelf life?
I've ordered some more. I'll wait until it comes in and use it.

phf
 
Yes wait for your new sorbate, I think the shelf life is only a year. When you say its bitter do you really mean tart and acidic? It shouldnt really be bitter having aged for over 2 years. You probably dont have a CO2 problem now. An acid test kit can be bought at a good homebrew supply store. WVMJ
 
I would take a small sample, chill it to the temp you would serve it at, sweeten it to taste and taste it. If you plan to backsweeten that will balance the acidity so you really would not have to worry about an acid test kit if you find you enjoy the backsweetened sample. But definitely use fresh sorbate, and if your campden/k-meta is more than 12 months old I would replace it. (Though, you can still use the 'old' KM to sanitize, so there is no waste.)
 

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