Can it be fixed?

[BShuler]

My first try at making wine isnt going so well. I used a Winexpert Island Mist kit, rapsberry sangria if that matters. I accidentally added the F pack with the juice pack. My OG was 1.020 so I figured I already screwed up I pitched the yeast anyhow. That was 2 weeks ago i checked today when I reacked to a secondary its at 997-998. The taste was very bitter. Is there any chance of saving it or am I better off dumping it?

 

[WVMJ]

DO NOT DUMP! Is it bitter or carbonated? You can always add some sugar back after you stabalize it. All you did when adding the FPac was raise the alcohol level, you have fermented down pretty good, keep following your instructions and substitute sugar for the FPac when you hit that stage. Its really not that bad a FUp, its just going to end up a little hotter than was intended. WVMJ

 

[BShuler]

Its not really carbinated but it is bitter. I'll give it a week or so an try it again. I will also need to back sweeten it because it seams relly dry also.

 

[Arpolis]

Raspberry IS very bitter and/or tart when dry and young. Follow your instructions and give it some time. Once sweetened up a bit and aged a little it will get much better.

 

[BShuler]

I will give it some more time. I just didnt want to waste the fermenter space if it wasnt going to turn out any good. Is there any good way of sweetening it? (sorry for noob questions I never made wine before)

 

[cleverley]

I think all the things can be fixed, this is Experiment

 

[jensmith]

To sweeten wine. Safe and easy method. Add suger or fruit juice as you drink, sweeten by the glass. Long term storage or if you are to bottle it. Let age, let it clear, racking off sedement untill it no longer makes any. Add sorbate and campton per label amounts. Let sit one week. Sweeten to taste. Let sit at least a week and recheck for renewed fermentaion. If stable bottle.


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[BShuler]

I'm gonna rack it off the sediment sometime this weekend I'll try it again an see where its at. Itll be 4 weeks old now so I'm sure its mellowed out now, I'm sure not finished but its gotta be farther along then when I tried it at a week.

Do I degas it before or after adding sorbate an camton?

 

[jensmith]

Degass first. However, I have always let mine degass naturally so for manually degassing advise I could quote you what others have said but that would be it.


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[Arpolis]

I think it depends on the method of degassing. With a vaccume it does not matter IMO. But if using a wine whip to degas then use the Camden first because it protects against oxidization.

 

[MajorDisaster]

I would have added sugar and restarted ferment because OG was too low for me.

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[jpsmithny]

The most important ingredient in winemaking is TIME.

And patience on your part is going to be the hardest lesson to learn.

I know because I was there not long ago myself.

If it tastes bad now just let it sit, and sit. In fact let it sit until 6 months or so.

You might find it's mellowed by then.

 

[BShuler]

Pulled a sample an checked the FG today its still at .997. But the harshness an bitterness has mellowed out a lot after a few weeks. I degassed with a wine whip an drill. All in all its not bad but I'm gonna need to do something to add some flavor back into it and some sweetness.

 

[Arpolis]

Just add some Camden and sorbate and then add sugar back to desired sweetness. Just a little bit of sugar adds a lot of flavor. My last hibiscus raspberry mead was pretty bitter when dry but is super fragrent, fruity and just all around wonderful once I sweetened it to about 1.010.

 

[BShuler]

Just did the camden an sorbate. I'll let it set a couple weeks an go from there. I have table sugar an dextrose is either one better then the other?

 

[Arpolis]

For back sweetening it does not matter.

 

[Sammyk]

FWIW, this IS our favorite kit; have made 3 of them. We let them age for 3 months before we even try a bottle. We add 5 lbs of sugar up front or until we reach 1.085 and then the full f-pak at the end. The FG was around 1.010.

Don't think all is lost just add inverted sugar to your taste and bottle. Wait 3 months. Our first Mist type kit is almost 2 years old and is still very good.

 

[BShuler]

Just an update. I back sweetened to 1.009 an let it sit about 10 days an bottled it. All the bitterness has really mellowed out an cleared up very nice.

 

[Sammyk]

It will be EVEN better with a few months aging!