Dumping some wine, maybe

[milbrosa]

I have about 60 bottles of wine left from three different kits that I'm considering just dumping. I mean, uncork them and pour them down the drain. I could use the bottles and the space they occupy for better wines.

I'm not very good at describing wine faults. Two of them seem harsh, perhaps acetic (almost like a vinegar smell, but not as sharp). They are thin, lacking in body and mouthfeel, but I wouldn't go so far as to call them abjectly hollow. The third one is unquestionably hollow, and is also somewhat harsh.

It is sad to contemplate dumping 60 bottles of wine, but they are really not very good wines and I get little pleasure from drinking them.

Has anyone else been faced with such a melancholy and dolorous decision? I can barely stand the thought of spilling so much wine, but I can't think of anything else to do with them.

 

[cpfan]

mlbrosa:

Just being nosy here....what kits was this wine made from?

UPDATE: I've gone from being nosy, to being <I don't know what>.

How do you expect me to answer your question when you haven't provided any data?

Kit brand? Kit variety? Be exact!!

Final sg? Did you do anything not in the instructions? Did you use glass carboys?

When were the kits started? bottled?

Is the wine properly degassed? Have you allowed the wine to breathe for a couple of hours before drinking? Have you done anything to try to identify the faults?

Any other questions you feel like answering?

Steve

 

[Wade E]

Well if you dont like them and your friends dont like them then there is no point in saving them. That being said have they aged well before you do something like this? Harsh is almost always something that relates to a wine that hasnt had time to age properly. Even though most every kit says 4 weeks or 6 weeks thhat is a bunch of bull as the 6 weeks usually need 1 1/2 years and most of the 4 week kits need 8 months. Most of the 4 week kits usually are thin like you describe though hence why I push people towards the grape skin kits for reds! Even with the whites youll get a much better product out of the bigger kits. I myself will never buy anything under a 15 liter kit ever gain with the exception of the mist kits which my wifes friends like and even I like some of the whites in that variety like the green apple or peach chard but I always add about 3 lbs of inverted sugar up front to boost the starting sg up to 1.085.

 

[Chateau Joe]

Wade makes a great point about waiting.

The second kit I ever made was a Reisling. A couple months after bottling I tried it and hated it and gave most of it away. Then about a year later I put some out for a party. Everyone was raving about it. I poured myself a glass and did an OMG. It was very good. That was my first lesson in aging wine.

Try to tell us more about your kits and the process you used to make your wine.

 

[LanMan]

Instead of down the drain how bout into a carboy and "make vinegar"?

 

[Wade E]

Ch. Joe, I had the same thing happen with a Ice wine. It was plain nasty after 3 months of aging but it was near the start of when I made wine and I needed the carboy (Only had 1 3 gallon) so bottled it and through it in the cellar and almost 1 1/2 years later I needed more room in the cellar and pulled one out to see if it was still nasty as I was going to dump it and discovered it was now fabulous!!!!!!!

 

[AlFulchino]

whether you end up waiting as recommended.....or whether you make vinegar as also recommended.....at the very least keep one bottle of each just for a visible record of your wine making history and a reminder of your progress, successes and failures...keeps you humble and respectful of the wine making journey

 

[Schuetzen]

If it's not quite up to drinking quality how about cooking?

 

[Randoneur]

I have about 60 bottles of wine left from three different kits that I'm considering just dumping. I mean, uncork them and pour them down the drain. I could use the bottles and the space they occupy for better wines.

I'm not very good at describing wine faults. Two of them seem harsh, perhaps acetic (almost like a vinegar smell, but not as sharp). They are thin, lacking in body and mouthfeel, but I wouldn't go so far as to call them abjectly hollow. The third one is unquestionably hollow, and is also somewhat harsh.

It is sad to contemplate dumping 60 bottles of wine, but they are really not very good wines and I get little pleasure from drinking them.

Has anyone else been faced with such a melancholy and dolorous decision? I can barely stand the thought of spilling so much wine, but I can't think of anything else to do with them.

I have dumped wine that I did not like, but I waited until it was 4-5 years old.
Maybe that is not long enough to wait, but that's what I did.

 

[Rocky]

I like LanMan's and Schuetzen's suggetions, make vinegar or cook with the wine. I don't know how adept you are around the kitchen, but you can make a lot of vinegar and then flavor individual batches with roesmary, garlic, etc. As far as cooking is concerned, wine is a great de-glazer when you are frying meats and vegetables. It gets all those delicious bits of flavor on the bottom of the pan (and really helps to clean the pan). I would also put a few bottles away and see what happens after another year. I would not dump it. You can always do that. Try constructive things first.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!

 

[SBWs]

I did that once, it wasn't as much. I had a case of strawberry wine I made I didn't like. I dumped it for the same reason, figured I could use the bottles and space. I had given a bottle to a friend and hadn't heard back from her in awhile. When I did finally see her, about six months later, imagine my surprise when she wanted to know if I had anymore of that strawberry wine because she really liked it. Didn't have the heart to tell her I dumped a case down the drain.

 

[Wade E]

IMO cooking with a not so good wine is not a great idea. Like everything else you get what you put into it. I dont cook with $120 bottles of wine but I also dont cook with a $2 bottles either!

 

[milbrosa]

mlbrosa:

Just being nosy here....what kits was this wine made from?

UPDATE: I've gone from being nosy, to being <I don't know what>.

How do you expect me to answer your question when you haven't provided any data?

Kit brand? Kit variety? Be exact!!

Final sg? Did you do anything not in the instructions? Did you use glass carboys?

When were the kits started? bottled?

Is the wine properly degassed? Have you allowed the wine to breathe for a couple of hours before drinking? Have you done anything to try to identify the faults?

Any other questions you feel like answering?

Steve

Steve, I appreciate your willingness to help me troubleshoot my process, but I think you are reading into my post. I don't have any questions about the kits or my process. The only question I asked was "Has anyone else been faced with such a melancholy and dolorous decision?"

I follwed the directions, and I believe I understand the process, although there may be nuances that I yet fail to grasp. I am scrupulous about sanitation and careful to avoid oxidation. It may be that these wines are simply ones that don't agree with my tastes. So I didn't see any point in mentioning which specific kits they were, as that wasn't really relevant.

I was really just wondering if anyone else has ever had to do such a dreadful thing.

 

[milbrosa]

Instead of down the drain how bout into a carboy and "make vinegar"?

Interesting thought. However, it takes me a year to use a 28 ounce bottle of red wine vinegar. But if it came out good, I suppose I could give most of it away. Not sure I really want to get into vinegar making though.

 

[milbrosa]

whether you end up waiting as recommended.....or whether you make vinegar as also recommended.....at the very least keep one bottle of each just for a visible record of your wine making history and a reminder of your progress, successes and failures...keeps you humble and respectful of the wine making journey

I'm humbled now, so that is not a bad idea. I do keep notes, too.

 

[milbrosa]

If it's not quite up to drinking quality how about cooking?

Could be done, and I have, but it still imparts its character to the food. On general principle, I prefer to cook only with wines I enjoy drinking.

 

[cpfan]

Steve, I appreciate your willingness to help me troubleshoot my process, but I think you are reading into my post. I don't have any questions about the kits or my process. The only question I asked was "Has anyone else been faced with such a melancholy and dolorous decision?"

I follwed the directions, and I believe I understand the process, although there may be nuances that I yet fail to grasp. I am scrupulous about sanitation and careful to avoid oxidation. It may be that these wines are simply ones that don't agree with my tastes. So I didn't see any point in mentioning which specific kits they were, as that wasn't really relevant.

I was really just wondering if anyone else has ever had to do such a dreadful thing.

YES, I have dumped a carboy full of wine.

After re-reading your initial post, I still think you didn't degas them enough.

Possible actions...

1) dump them

2) wait a couple of years, try them again.

3) open a bottle this afternoon. try it again tonight.

Steve

 

[milbrosa]

I have dumped wine that I did not like, but I waited until it was 4-5 years old.
Maybe that is not long enough to wait, but that's what I did.

Thank you for coming forward, Randoneur. Now I know I'm not the only person to have contemplated (or done) such a thing.

To answer some other questions and comments about age, two of these wines were 10 liter kits (4 to 5 week kits) that were started in December 2008 and bottled in February 2009. Coming up on 3 years in the bottle, and they haven't improved. The third kit was a 23 liter kit, and I suspect it was just a defective kit. It is quite hollow, yet nothing but topping wine was added to it in the carboy. It was started in January 2009 and bottled a year later. 1/4 tsp k-meta added every three months, air lock integrity maintained.

 

[milbrosa]

I like LanMan's and Schuetzen's suggetions, make vinegar or cook with the wine. I don't know how adept you are around the kitchen, but you can make a lot of vinegar and then flavor individual batches with roesmary, garlic, etc. As far as cooking is concerned, wine is a great de-glazer when you are frying meats and vegetables. It gets all those delicious bits of flavor on the bottom of the pan (and really helps to clean the pan). I would also put a few bottles away and see what happens after another year. I would not dump it. You can always do that. Try constructive things first.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!

I'm adept in the kitchen, as is my partner. We just don't use vinegar much, but I do use wine a lot in cooking. These wines really aren't up to it.

 

[milbrosa]

YES, I have dumped a carboy full of wine.

After re-reading your initial post, I still think you didn't degas them enough.

Possible actions...

1) dump them

2) wait a couple of years, try them again.

3) open a bottle this afternoon. try it again tonight.

Steve

I didn't have a vacuum degasser at the time I made the first two wines. However, I vigorously degassed with one of those stirring wands with the foldable tips that fit in a carboy, and I used a drill to spin it. I do have a vacuum degasser now, and the third wine got the benefit of that.

These wines don't seem gassy to me. I made a mead once that I didn't fully degas, so I have something to compare with.

But I will open one of them in a bit and taste, as it's been awhile since I've done that.