How should fermented plum wine taste?

[feffer]

I know taste is very subjective, but I'm looking for some guidelines. The primary ferment is nearly done, the must/wine is not sweet, and the SG is 1.012. I hope to get a dry, not sweet, dinner wine at the end.

At this point, the plum taste is evident, but the wine is somewhat harsh, with some tartness. The pH is lower than 4.0 but that's the low point on my test-strips. The alcohol content is heading towards 14% when SG goes down to 1.00.

What should I be looking for in the taste?

thx
A new wine-maker,

feffer

 

[Yooper]

Mine finished at .990. It's tart, and tastes a bit like a concord grape wine with the tart finish, but with a definite "plum" flavor.

 

[feffer]

The moderate tartness, I do not mind, but there is a harshness that is worrisome. I'm getting some pH strips with a lower range. What sort of pH should I be looking for at the end of primary fermentation?

Also are there additives to correct an overly harsh taste?

 

[Foomoochoo]

Most "Green" wines will taste tart or harsh. Takes time for the flavors to mellow out. This is why people age their wine for months and sometimes years. Your wine sounds like it tastes exactly as it should at this point.

The SG should keep dropping though, there are many factors involved.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Most "Green" wines will taste tart or harsh. Takes time for the flavors to mellow out. This is why people age their wine for months and sometimes years. Your wine sounds like it tastes exactly as it should at this point.

The SG should keep dropping though, there are many factors involved.

+1. Let time work for you. A decent plum wine takes time, but is certainly worth the wait. Regards, GF.

 

[feffer]

OK, I understand patience is called for. This is my second year. Last year's batch did not fully ferment and ended sweetish. OK, for a desert wine...good flavor. This year, I've done three 5 gal batches with variations, but all plum wines. The primary fermentation is done and all ended around SG = 1.00 with no sweetness noticeable. The pH was 3.4. They are now in secondary carboys, one with oak chips, another trying MLF (not sure if this is useful), and the third w/o additions.

I'd like to end up with wines suitable for the table -- drinking with food. I'll taste again in 4-6 weeks when I rack. I assume that after several months, I'll be able to get a better handle on what the taste is going to be. At that time, I may try slightly back-sweetening samples or making other additives. Any pros or cons to this idea?

 

[Yooper]

OK, I understand patience is called for. This is my second year. Last year's batch did not fully ferment and ended sweetish. OK, for a desert wine...good flavor. This year, I've done three 5 gal batches with variations, but all plum wines. The primary fermentation is done and all ended around SG = 1.00 with no sweetness noticeable. The pH was 3.4. They are now in secondary carboys, one with oak chips, another trying MLF (not sure if this is useful), and the third w/o additions.

I'd like to end up with wines suitable for the table -- drinking with food. I'll taste again in 4-6 weeks when I rack. I assume that after several months, I'll be able to get a better handle on what the taste is going to be. At that time, I may try slightly back-sweetening samples or making other additives. Any pros or cons to this idea?

Depending on the OG, you should expect them to ferment to .990 or so. After they are clear, you can stabilize (with sorbate and sulfite) and sweeten to taste. What I like to do is to sweeten just under where I like them, as they seem to get sweeter in the bottle. What I mean is take out a sample of the wine. Add simple syrup (sugar or honey dissolved in some water) and taste. You can do a couple of small samples- sweeten one to 1.000, one to 1.004, 1.010, or whatever. Find the one you like best, and then sweeten the whole batch to just under that SG. So, if you love 1.016, sweeten the whole batch to 1.014. Keep it in the carboy a few more days to make sure fermentation doesn't restart, and then bottle.

 

[feffer]

The OG ranged from 1.108 to 1.120 -- the third batch was in between. I used Red Star Premier Cuvee and moved to the secondary after the fermentation really slowed down -- the SG didn't seem to move and bubbling was very little. Perhaps I moved it too soon or started with an OG too high, but they all seemed to end around SG = 1.000.

So the main purpose of the secondary carboy is to finish any residual fermentation and "clear" the wine? Meaning, after the wine clears, I can back-sweeten as explained and there's no reason to leave the wine in the carboy once it's cleared and taste-adjusted? No aging function going on here? That all happens "in the bottle?"

I'm confused because various recipes call for racking 3, 4 or more times and of various durations? I want to be patient, and yet move the process along correctly.

 

[Yooper]

The OG ranged from 1.108 to 1.120 -- the third batch was in between. I used Red Star Premier Cuvee and moved to the secondary after the fermentation really slowed down -- the SG didn't seem to move and bubbling was very little. Perhaps I moved it too soon or started with an OG too high, but they all seemed to end around SG = 1.000.

So the main purpose of the secondary carboy is to finish any residual fermentation and "clear" the wine? Meaning, after the wine clears, I can back-sweeten as explained and there's no reason to leave the wine in the carboy once it's cleared and taste-adjusted? No aging function going on here? That all happens "in the bottle?"

I'm confused because various recipes call for racking 3, 4 or more times and of various durations? I want to be patient, and yet move the process along correctly.

Well, the reason to rack is to get the wine off of the lees. Once the wine is completely clear, and no new lees form after 60 days, it can be bottled. It can be bottled sooner, but you'll have a cloudy wine with sediment and floaters in it if it clears in the bottle. It's sort of gross, so I never bottle a wine that isn't clear enough to read a newspaper through and not throwing new lees after 60 days after racking.

It's true that bulk aging can be beneficial, but only because a carboy full of 6 gallons of age ages more uniformly and slowly than in separate bottles. If the wine is clear and ready for bottling, it doesn't matter where the aging happens.