# Flat taste to wine



## reefman (Nov 18, 2012)

I just bottled (last Month) a Summer Breeze kit of berry favored white Zin.
The taste is flat, and kind of boring.
Is this typical for the low alcohol kits?
Is there a way to perk up the taste? 
Otherwise it flavor is fine.


----------



## Turock (Nov 18, 2012)

I've never made a kit wine but can you add some acid to it? Not knowing the limitations of a kit, I'm sure someone with kit experience can help you.

A little more acid will brighten up a flabby wine and increase the flavor. I'm tempted to tell you to add some acid blend because the little bit of citric will really help. Because this is a grape wine, some tartaric could be used. Be careful to go by taste and not over-do it.

I like your avatar---big fan of Sheldon!


----------



## roadwarriorsvt (Nov 18, 2012)

I agree that acid can perk up a flat wine. Since you've already bottled it, thats gonna be a PITA though.


----------



## shoelesst (Nov 18, 2012)

reefman said:


> I just bottled (last Month) a Summer Breeze kit of berry favored white Zin.
> The taste is flat, and kind of boring.
> Is this typical for the low alcohol kits?
> Is there a way to perk up the taste?
> Otherwise it flavor is fine.



High pH can cause flat tastes. Check it out.


----------



## DoctorCAD (Nov 19, 2012)

Never had a mist-style kit taste flat, usually they are super sweet.

Did you follow the directions?


----------



## robie (Nov 19, 2012)

Buy some tartaric acid crystals. Put a pinch in one of the bottles and shake it up well. If it is flabby, that can help almost instantly. Experiment with two r more pinches. 

Those mist kits (summer wines) are pretty much just nice wine coolers, made with wine instead of beer. I always add about 3 to 4 pounds of sugar before fermenting, so the ABV will end up a little higher. I have made many of them, but have gotten to the point where I just cannot go the sorbate taste anymore, so I now only make the kits for friends.


----------



## Minnesotamaker (Nov 19, 2012)

Does it taste "flat" or "watered down"? I have trouble drinking the mist or cooler type kits because of the lack of flavor. When I first got into the hobby, they were OK, but after tasting homemade wine made with plenty of fruit, I have a hard time really enjoying them. To me, it's almost like comparing a thick tomato-rich homemade spaghetti sauce to a can of Spaghetti-O's. I can eat the Spaghetti-O's, but it isn't much of an experience.


----------



## joeswine (Nov 19, 2012)

*Flat wine?*

MOST USUAL CAUSE IS OXYGEN OVER EXPOSURE, ETHER IN THE BOTTLING OR PROCESS,OXIDATION IS NUMBER ONE ROOT CAUSE..
ADDING A FPAC AND PROPER CHEMS. WILL HELP THE CAUSE.


----------



## reefman (Nov 19, 2012)

thanks, lots of good ideas to try. 
Joeswine, you may be right, the color was off when I bottled it, and the first thing I thought was oxidation! 
What chems do you recommend? I can add somemore berry flavoring as an fpac.

Compared to my other wine, it also does taste watered down, and flat. I'll try some tartaric acid and see if that perks it up. 

Thanks for the help, greatly appreciated.


----------



## joeswine (Nov 20, 2012)

*reefman*

Sometimes you are better off just starting over, although I am an advocate fixing a wine. Sometimes the effort is worth the outcome with the expenditure to justify the quality of the wine that used to putting out. It myself . I have done it all sometimes you have to learn when to stop and say this is my wine, you will know when the time comes. But oxygen and wine mixed and do not mix, the process of their to go by . You are to take the time to read my threads . When this form when good wines gone bad...... ook under cleaning up


----------

