Really bitter wine?

[Dustwing]

So, let me start this by saying I've learned my lesson, I'm gonna use better documentation next time

I started making a wine on august 2nd. I went to the store, grabbed 8 pounds of black grapes, two cans of guava puree, and two cans of pomegranite concentrate. Squashed the grapes, added the puree, added some filtered water, pectin, and yeast nutrient. Did not have campden tablets >.>

On the 3rd, I pitched the yeast (the homebrew shop had a loose recipie and told me to use red star champaign yeast. I figure they know better than I do ). It bubbled and frothed to the point of me having to clean out the airlock a number of times (one day I was cleaning it nearly on the hour-it was murky pinkness in there. I started using rum instead of water in the airlock-I've since bought vodka for this purpose).

I then racked it on the 4th or 5th, added campden tablets and set it out. Now, we live in florida so it's been hot. We try to keep it about 78, but it's probably closer to 80 or 82 on the tile where I have been keeping the wine.
It continued to bubble like mad untill about four/five days ago, and it's been still ever since. There was some gunk from the froth and there were a few grapes floating about in the carboy so I racked it today and did a snifftest and held some on my tongue to taste it- and man is it bitter. There's some fruit in there and a decidedly alcohol taste (the hydrometer reads 1.00, with just under 1% sugar- but again I'm new to hydrometers and I've lost the thing I wrote the starting gravity on ) but I'm afraid that it might be time to toss it and start over. I'm going to top it off with some simple syrup and wait, but yeah.

I have another carboy with 6 gallons of EdWort's in it (It sounded so good...^^; Did they really stop making Montrachet? I ordered 5 packets off of the net just in case) so I wont be too heartbroken if I need to toss it- after all that means I have a brewbucket and a 3 gallon carboy empty to experiment with. Gluten free beer might be nice- so I can see what the beer forum folks are talking about

Thank you to anyone who had the stamina to read all that! ^^; and yeah in advance, recipes are your friend -I have seen the light ^^;

(EDIT)
huh, airlock is going slowly- looks like something's coming off it. Simple syrup is almost chilled, so I'll be adding that in 5 mins or so

 

[summersolstice]

It's really difficult providing assistance with the details you've provided. You've indicated you'll take better notes next time and that's really the key to improving.

What kind of "black grapes" did you use? Table grapes typically don't make very good wine. Did you leave the skins on the grapes during fermentation? If so, that provided a lot of tannins.

Is the wine "bitter" or "acidic"? There's a difference and that would help narrow in on your problem.

What's the volume? I didn't read how much you made.

Red Star Champagne probably isn't the best choice and your fermentation temperatures are too high.

Your primary fermentation vessel is too small. Get a 7.5 gallon plastic pail or even an 8-10 gallon trash can. You don't need to put the primary under an air lock. Cover it with a diaper, t-shirt, or a towel secured with a large rubber band or bungee cord.

Two weeks is far too early to taste your wine. Don't dump it -put it in a carboy in a dark cool place and keep the airlock full. Check it again in six months and then decide whether you want to dump it.

 

[Dustwing]

Yeah, I used table grapes I wanted to get out to a vineyard but, long story short, that didnt work out.
The wine is definatley bitter rather than acidic, it lacks a bite or an edge and is much more akin to the taste you'd find on the inside covering of a nutshell.
I made three gallons total, and before the wine made it into the carboy it was in a 6 gallon brewbucket, though I was instructed to have the lid on (good god those are hard to get off too!) and an airlock in place. I figure it's still early, but yeah, paranoia is bad.

Thanks for your advice so far! I'm moving the carboy into a closet.

 

[summersolstice]

When did you have problems with the wine getting into the airlock? In the carboy? Three gallons of headspace in a 6 gallon primary should be plenty for any wine. I always keep my wine and mead in the primary during active fermentation and rack at below 1.20 or so when fermentation has slowed to finish in the carboy.

If you left the grapeskins in the must for a couple of weeks or more you could have extracted too many tannins. The "inside covering of a nutshell" taste you describe is tannins and if you didn't add tannin then they likely came from the grapes. Did you also crush the seeds? That's another likely source.

I'd advise using up to a pound or so of raisins or a can or two of Welch's Niagra next time as an adjunct to the fruit/juices, rather than table grapes.

 

[Dustwing]

The wine mainly got into the airlock within the first day or two it was in the carboy. I didnt know about the tannin in the skins so about a pound of crushed grapes (I think- a layer about an inch thick floating just under the surface) The grapes were seedless, so any seeds that were present were tiny and not crushed.

I daresay I'll stick to juices and raisins for a while

 

[JWHooper]

We used to have a pomegranite tree, and I never tasted a pomegranite that wasn't bitter. The seeds are particularly bitter, so if you crushed them that might be what you are tasting. Did you taste it earlier? Did you use enough pectin enzyme? Tell us everything you remember.

 

[summersolstice]

two cans of pomegranite concentrate

Pomegranates are acidic but I don't think they're bitter. Pectic enzyme would help pectin haze but wouldn't do anything to alleviate bitterness.

Are you a Richard Brautigan fan?

 

[JWHooper]

Bitter, sour, acidic, tart -- so confusing. I do think pomegranates are bitter, at least to me. The flesh is also somewhat acidic, I would agree.

Doesn't pectic enzyme also mellow out the flavor? I thought a lot of the bitterness came from the cell walls, which the enzyme breaks down.

Off Topic:
I have every Richard Brautigan book except the impossible to find "Lay the Marble Tea" poetry collection. In fact, I stopped majoring in English because my professors kept calling him a minor writer and marking down my papers. They are wrong. The French know that Brautigan is a genius. Eventually he will be "discovered" by the Lit snobs in America and take his place next to Mark Twain as one of Americas greatest writers.

Thanks to Richard Brautigan I majored in Computer Science instead of English and made a lot of money. The man could do no wrong.