mixing, blending, saving weak wines.

[Fran365]

I've been making wine for < 1 year but this question has arisen. If one has a low alcohol flat wine could it be mixed with a high alcohol very tart wine, in order to improve both? Fran After posting this I did a search and have much to study, thanks all.

 

[Boatboy24]

One way to find out: a bench trial with a small amount. Then you'll know for sure.

 

[JohnT]

I agree with the bench trials, although it has been my experience that if you blend a flawed wine with another, you only end up with twice the amount of wine that is only slightly less flawed.

 

[Fran365]

Thanks Gents, will proceed carefully, Fran

 

[Johny99]

Ditto on the bench trial. My rule is the resultant wine has to be better than the two individuals. I also find that is usually the case. I do 10% gradients from 100% of each, then refine from the ones I like the best. Have fun!

 

[Amberg]

Did it a couple times with success. Enjoy your good ones as they are hard to recreate...

 

[Fran365]

Johny99, almost sounds like back sweetening after stabilization. Amberg, your comment about "hard to recreate" hits home with me. I've had 2 batches that where very nice, a few that were not so. I'm hoping better records and labeling will give some techniques that can be recreated. I've recently heard both bananas and oak can aid concord juice wines. Fran

 

[NorCal]

A splash of port always gives some legs to a weak wine. Always safer to make the addition when you are pouring it into the glass, vs. introducing new sugar to a sealed bottle.

 

[Fran365]

Interesting Norcal, I have never tasted Port, will pick up a fifth and see how it does. Fran

 

[Fran365]

I see your point JohnT, I've had that situation trying to fix a lousy stew/soup. All ends up in the compost. Fran

 

[NorCal]

A friend entered a competition and added two ounces of port to his cab fanc. It won the big award of the night out of 30 pretty darn good wines. I will splash some in my Zin, if I'm in the mood for something a bit more robust.

 

[Winemanic]

I see your point JohnT, I've had that situation trying to fix a lousy stew/soup. All ends up in the compost. Fran

It depends how you do it. In July 2016, I started my first fresh grapes wine. I had no wine yeast, so cultured some from the grapes themselves. The fermentation was good and vigorous but it ended up in a wine that had a lot of sediment and would never clear, even though I left it for months. It also tasted awful, despite having a good ABV.

In December, a friend finally received some Lalvin EC1118 and pectic enzyme - A friend of his brought them from the US. I gave a dose of K-meta to my grape wine, which was already dry, waited a day, added 1/2 tsp pectic enzyme. I then dissolved a cup of sugar in a little water and added it to the wine, and pitched in half a packet of EC1118. The result, I now have a great tasting and clear wine!

 

[JohnT]

I hear what you are saying, and I guess that there is no harm in experimenting. It is just that, IMHO, I would have preferred having 2 ounces of really good port then an entire bottle of wine that was an attempted fix.

Fran,

The important thing here is to determine what went wrong with the wine in the first place and to take steps / change the procedure that you are using to ensure that it does not happen again.

If the wine is flat and low alcohol, then have you considered upping the brix and, perhaps, extending the maceration prior to ferment?

 

[Fran365]

learning from mistakes

Thanks Johnt for the thoughtful response. Yes, not reproducing an error is the key. Better step by step records of what I am dong is what I need. I have started on that: each jug is labeled with a number, that number is the head of a page; with dates,qualities and quantities of all that happened to the wine. Norcal, I picked up a 1.5 liter of Port today, an "exceptionally ruby port" by Fairbanks @ 18% ABV, it was $10. Will start at 1 Tbl added to 750ML and see where it goes. This is one job I like.By the way the weak wine I am mentioning was fermented shy about 1/2 lb sugar, and a deep freeze/thawing conditioning experiment left the wine with no tartness at all. Fran

 

[Fran365]

Hi all, opened up one of my wines labeled "3" which is my 1-10 system concerning drink ability. I poured off 1 cup and a sip confirmed it had improved some over 4 weeks, but still off. I added 1 Tbl Port, sampled and added one more and there was an improvement. So for now I add a scant 1/2 cup of Port to each fifth, my first try at mixing. Fran