I started making wine about a year ago. The recipes I have been using are mainly from fresh fruit or fruit juice. If I understand the process correctly, I transfer the wine from the primary fermenter (plastic pail) to a glass carboy when the fermentation process has stopped. Every two months I transfer the wine into a clean glass carboy. There is always a little bit of the wine that isn't transferred over because of the lees/gunk at the bottom of the fermenter/carboy. I top the carboy up with water so there isn't too much head space which can create oxidization. The problem I am having, is that a lot of the wine is tasting really flat and watery. Is it because I am adding the water every two months? Should I not be adding water to top it up? Is there something else that could be going on?
Watery/Flat Wine
- Thread starter jhavl219
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Water is not really the best thing to top up with, it would be better to top up with a similar wine.
But I have to ask, why are you keeping the wine, especially a fruit wine, in a carboy so long and not bottling it?
Also, are you adding any K-meta? should be added every other time you rack, after fermentation if you are going to bulk age.
If you are just trying to clear it up have you considered a clearifier? I use Sparkaloid, works really well.
PS: the K-meta will help reduce the chance of oxidation.
But I have to ask, why are you keeping the wine, especially a fruit wine, in a carboy so long and not bottling it?
Also, are you adding any K-meta? should be added every other time you rack, after fermentation if you are going to bulk age.
If you are just trying to clear it up have you considered a clearifier? I use Sparkaloid, works really well.
PS: the K-meta will help reduce the chance of oxidation.
Are you adding things like tannin or acid blend? Oaking? Are you building the dilution of water into the recipe? I often make a 5.75 gallon batch, just to have extra wine in a growler to top up with.
If the recipe is lacking, the wine will be lacking- but it's always best to top up with a similar wine.
If the recipe is lacking, the wine will be lacking- but it's always best to top up with a similar wine.
pumpkinman2012
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If you're just topping it off a little bit, it won't make a difference if you add water, of course it is always better to top off with the same wine or a similar commercial wine.
Is the wine that you are referring to a wine made from grapes or grape juice?
The first thing that I can think of when a wine is referred to as Flat or flabby\watery is that it is lacking a little acid, if the wine is a grape wine you would use Tartaric acid, if it is a fruit wine, as Yooper recommended, acid blend would be the acid that you'll need to use.
Do you have a way to check the acidity? If not, you'll need to do a little bench tests; the following is a great bench trial test that I've borrowed from The Valley Vintner, click here
obviously the amounts would be far less, but it gives you a real good example of how to run bench trials.
I hope that this helps.
Is the wine that you are referring to a wine made from grapes or grape juice?
The first thing that I can think of when a wine is referred to as Flat or flabby\watery is that it is lacking a little acid, if the wine is a grape wine you would use Tartaric acid, if it is a fruit wine, as Yooper recommended, acid blend would be the acid that you'll need to use.
Do you have a way to check the acidity? If not, you'll need to do a little bench tests; the following is a great bench trial test that I've borrowed from The Valley Vintner, click here
obviously the amounts would be far less, but it gives you a real good example of how to run bench trials.
I hope that this helps.
Thank you for your responses. I guess, I should not be topping up with water.
menerdari: Please correct me if this is wrong, what I have read is that the wine is ready to be bottled when it is clear and it can sit for two months in a glass carboy with no sediment appearing on the bottom of the carboy. Should I be bottling it sooner? I do add a campden tablet as soon as the hydrometer measurements show fermentation has stopped and then every other time it is transferred to a secondary. I k-meta something different? I did use one recipe that called for sparkloid, I could try using it again.
yooper and pumpkinman2012-I have just been adding acid blend or tannin if the recipe calls for it. Should I add more if it tastes flat? There are three that I have going that are tasting flat: raspberry (made from fresh raspberries), pineapple (made from juice that I bought at the grocery store), and apple/cranberry (made from frozen juice concentrate I bought at the grocery store).
menerdari: Please correct me if this is wrong, what I have read is that the wine is ready to be bottled when it is clear and it can sit for two months in a glass carboy with no sediment appearing on the bottom of the carboy. Should I be bottling it sooner? I do add a campden tablet as soon as the hydrometer measurements show fermentation has stopped and then every other time it is transferred to a secondary. I k-meta something different? I did use one recipe that called for sparkloid, I could try using it again.
yooper and pumpkinman2012-I have just been adding acid blend or tannin if the recipe calls for it. Should I add more if it tastes flat? There are three that I have going that are tasting flat: raspberry (made from fresh raspberries), pineapple (made from juice that I bought at the grocery store), and apple/cranberry (made from frozen juice concentrate I bought at the grocery store).
Yes, my method is to also go at least 60 days in a 'new' vessel without any new lees falling, at a minimum, before bottling. I hate sediment and crud in my bottles, and feel that the wine is better if allowed to be completely clear and without any lees at all before bottling.
k-meta is potassium metabisulfite- the same thing as campden but in a powder form instead of a tablet form.
I use tannin and/or acid blend 'to taste' as sometimes fruit is far more acidic than other times, or blander. You could try pulling out a tiny sample of one of the bland (flat) tasting wines and add a tiny (VERY TINY!) pinch of tannin (stir it well, it does not like to dissolve!) and a tiny pinch of acid blend and see if it improves the flavor and mouthfeel. Or do several samples, and even try sweetening one to see if it's better off-dry, or even semi-sweet.
If you use sparkaloid it will clear sooner, not that you have to or even should, that is just what I do.60 days to clear naturally is fine but plan ahead and have something better to top up with. I figure the longer it sits around the more the chance that something bad can happen, and K-meta and campden are the same thing, potassium matabisulfite.
