flavor

[larry]

Hi all,hows everyone doing? Why doesn't wine taste like what you make it out of?I know you can sweeten it but how do you get the taste?Apple like apple peach,banana etc. Can this be done? Does the flavor come back?Thanks
Larry

 

[Sacalait]

Nope, doesn't come back. Depending on what you ferment you will sometimes get a hint of the original fruit. Adding a concentrated fruit base back after fermentation is complete and the wine has been sorbated and sulfited will go a long way in bringing back the original taste. Also, sweetening the wine to a SG of 1.010~ will help to enhance the flavor.

 

[Midwest Vintner]

using certain yeasts will help also

some fruits do better than others

 

[vvolf34]

http://winemakingtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5028&highlight=strawberry

 

[TheTooth]

Apple absolutely comes back without needing to sweeten it. You just need to give it time.

I make a hard apple cider that needs 3-6 months to get the apple flavor back, but it does. It's dry, crisp, and full of apple aroma and flavor.

I've only made one apple wine. I made it in May '09 to enjoy next winter. I am now getting a lot of apple aroma from that keg when I check on it. The flavor is pretty good now as well.

 

[Midwest Vintner]

yeah, apple is one that you can get the flavor back.

IIRC, here's a list of what i made that stays and what doesn't:

keeps fruit flavor:
cranberry
pineapple
concord
apple
black currant
apricote
cherry
clementine
gooseberry
pear
raspberry
strawberry
tomato

here's what changes and how:
blackberry, blueberry, eldeberry will all kind of change to be a bit more complex over time. i would say they are kind of like grape and pick up other flavors from the soil and such. they also mellow very well. raspberry, black currant and cranberry are somewhat like this, but the original taste is still very dominate.

peach is hard to capture and seems to be more acidic and have a bite. it might be that we've had no luck with it and there is a way to get it right.

watermelon spoiled on us. ewww.

green tomato tasted like lemon.

IMO, this is kind of the way i see the fruits as wine. different yeasts and areas may exhibit other flavors that i'm not getting. also, everyone's palette is different, not everyone will like or taste the same things.