# Home made aftertaste , ugh !!



## FreeMountainHermit (Jun 5, 2011)

Over the years I've sampled quite a few of homemade wines and distilled spirits. Some good, some not so good. Almost without exception each has shared a common solvent like aftertaste of varying degree both at the nose and the back of the tongue.

Plenty of time now that I'm retired to pursue a new hobby and I' like to avoid this flavor in the future.

Anybody care to share as to what this may be and the root cause.

When it comes time, and not without your help , I'd like my first batch as well as others to not have this taste.

Hints, help and advice will be greatly appreciated.


Thank you, FMH


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## Catfish (Jun 5, 2011)

That would be hard to answer. Everyone has a different taste. Maybe sulfites? I don't know.


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## Winepig (Jun 5, 2011)

I'm no pro, but I'd say sanitation is pretty important to keep out the odd tastes.

Your milage may vary.

Tim


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## Sirs (Jun 5, 2011)

me and wifes thing on homemade wines is when store bought yeast is used alot of times they leave an odd flavor in the wine, that and other chemicals used. I normally don't use any chemicals or store bought yeast, so I've never had anyone complain of that problem. I've noticed in wines where I used yeast (bought) that there always seems to be an aftertaste.


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## Julie (Jun 5, 2011)

Without knowing the reicpe or the process,this is very hard to know what the taste is that you are talkiing about. If you go to the beginners section,there is a how to section, look in there to know what you need to do to make wine. Then if you have this same problem, post up your recipe and procedure. At this point we should be able to help you.


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## Wade E (Jun 5, 2011)

My guess is that most of these wines are too high in abv.


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## closetwine (Jun 5, 2011)

Wade E said:


> My guess is that most of these wines are too high in abv.



Either that and/or not aged enough...


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## Minnesotamaker (Jun 5, 2011)

I wonder if all the home made wines you've tried had something in common.... e.g. a certain cleaner, a technique, or ingredient. A "well made" home made wine will have many things in common with commercial wines.

The only way you'll be able to avoid the offending taste will be to identify it. That means.... you need to sample lots more wine If you compare a variety of commercial wines and home made ones and find the ones that contain the taste and the ones that do not, you should be able to identify the cause.


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## Repsolal (Jun 6, 2011)

I just had a batch of RJS Grand Cru int Australian Shiraz
that has a horrible chemical (solvent like) smell and taste. Its been bottled for
approx 6 weeks. I took a bottle back to my LHBS and he did not know what it was but had
had a similar thing happen to a batch made on premises. He gave it to his Spagnols sales rep who also could not identify the problem. Right now it has been sent to Spagnols for them to analyze and try to determine the cause............ so far preliminary informal response is "bacteria" but nothing official yet.........

I will update If I get a definite answer on the cause.


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## robie (Jun 6, 2011)

Your home made wine can turn out just as good as a commercial version. There are no tricks that the big guys use that we home makers can't utilize. Yes of course they have more experience and have practiced the "art" more, but with experience and experimentation, so can you.

Also, their grapes may come from a much better source - that makes all the difference in the world. However, if you could get the same grapes from the same vineyards, you should be able to make a really nice wine, too. You can pay over $250 for 5 gallons of frozen grapes from Brehm's; that makes about 15 bottles. If you know what you are doing and really want (can afford) to make great wine.

One thing that separates commercial reds from most home made is the utilization of oak barrels in bulk aging. Well, you can buy 6 gallon or 15 gallon oak barrels and barrel age along with the best of them.

Much of of the grape wine made at home is made from kits, which mostly utilize grape concentrate. The cheaper the kit the more concentrated is the juice. Red kits don't typically make as rich (mouth feel) a wine as fresh or frozen crushed grapes, but you, too, can make homemade wine from crushed grapes.

So, maybe the wine you tasted was too young to be drank. Young wine can taste tart and totally out of character. (How old was the wine you tasted?) I made an amorone from a kit; for the first year and a half, it tasted really bad and seemed without hope of ever coming around.. but it did and now I am glad I didn't give up on it. 

Maybe it was from inexpensive kits. Under normal circumstances, a $75, 30-bottle kit will not make as good a wine as a $225, 30-bottle kit of the same varietal. 

Maybe what you tasted was over sulfited.

When it comes to fruit wines, I can't imagine why yours wouldn't be just as good as any commercially available. Again, what you put in makes a big difference.

If possible, join a local wine making club. At most gatherings, the members will have bottles of their best. Always ask how old the wine is and from where the must came. They will give you a better idea of what you might make at home. Just don't be surprised if some of it is too young to drink; sometimes we home wine makers get in too big a hurry to drink our wine.


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## georges (Jun 7, 2011)

ha- i just posted a similar thing about my own RJS Grand Cru International Oz Cab Sauv. 

i really think these grapes are maybe picked a little late or maybe the recommended volume of water to add to the concentrate is insufficient- i had a SG of 1.100 if not a little higher and there is HEAPS of alcohol taste in teh finished wine

having said that it seems to be mellowing with age.


g


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## wvbrewer (Jun 7, 2011)

I agree with Wade it probably had a very ABV in it. In most cases this will mellow out over time.


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