Bitter taste during MLF????

[Jay A]

Hello all, I have a field blend of Sangiovese/Zin that was co inoculated 24 hrs after AF began. 3 days in, fermentation going well. Good nutrition, Great temps, smells fine. Tasted great with this mornings punch down & gravity check, this afternoon I'm noticing a bitterness.
It's been 9 years since I made wine, & then it was a sequential MLF. Never tasted wine during MLF, Kinda hoping this is normal? Any input would be greatly appreciated,
Thanks

 

[stickman]

Not sure if it really has anything to do with MLF, you're probably just tasting fermentation co2 and tannin now with less sugar and more alcohol.

 

[1d10t]

3 days in, fermentation going well.

Way too early to panic. But, your choice. I had the same thing with a beer once. One hell of a 'bitter bomb' on the back end when I tasted it early. Gone by the time bottle carbing was done and that was probably at the 7/8 week period.

 

[Jay A]

Very strange, almost "chemically" bitter like aspirin.

Thanks for quick response.

 

[Rice_Guy]

Very strange, almost "chemically" bitter . . .

CO2 has a bitter flavor, pressurized CO2 can increase the TA by .4 and drop the pH by a few tenths.
Patience

 

[jburtner]

Try degassing a small sample by putting it in a bottle and shaking till you don't hear a "pop" when you take your thumb off... That's an easy way to degas a small'ish sample to confirm that CO2 might be contributing.

Cheers,
johann

 

[Jay A]

Great suggestion, I'll give it a shot. Didn't know that about CO2.
Thanks guys.

 

[NorCal]

When I have family and friends over, one of the fun things to do would be to do barrel tasting. I've learned to not even consider that until MLF has completed and the wine has had that first racking. Wine just tastes so different when it's in its infancy.

 

[Rice_Guy]

The lab procedure I use is to microwave about 55 ml for 30 seconds, stir the hot liquid (sometimes foams a lot) then cool and run the test.

Try degassing a small sample by putting it in a bottle and shaking till you don't hear a "pop" when you take your thumb off...

 

[Jay A]

Nuking is a great trick!
I've always tried to keep detailed records of each fermentation. Next year will be no different, with exception to things that should be done along the way. I found a sealed bag of opti-red that was supposed to be added to must. In my haste & being out of the game for a while, I forgot this addition. I always used this in the past, maybe this had something to do with it, or nothing at all...
As of now its looking great & tasting better.
Thanks again for all the input.

 

[xring01]

I think I just had the same experience...

After fermentation, I tried the wine (still had yeast and co2) but it tasted fruity, and I thought it tasted pretty good for it being at this stage. I racked the wine into carboys, degassed it a bit.

I added the MLF to it, some french oak, and 8 -10 days later, I tried it again... Very bitter/acidic... has me worried... Hoping this goes away

 

[Jay A]

It's funny,most i speak with insist it's not MLF. My son reminded me years back when we would sequential inoculate that after stirring the last carboy (we would taste the mixing paddle) the wine had a bitter taste.

I pressed on Sunday SG 995, didn't taste any worse. Racking of gross lees tomorrow night, Still fizzing away under locks.

We'll see what tomorrow holds.