I bottled the Zin.
It's not the same wine it was in June, when I last tasted it. At that time the ABV was noticeable. Now? It goes down smooth and is a very rich wine. However, I feel warm in the belly, so the ABV is definitely there. This is at 9 months. I'm planning to open a bottle every 3 months and update my notes on my site.
At this moment I'm a bit torn about my feedback to Matt -- at that time, the ABV was a serious flaw. Now? It's not. The super heavy body of this wine can balance the ABV so it's not a flaw. But it's hot. Folks that can drink a bottle of a typical table wine and not feel it WILL feel this one.
Note: As with
@She’sgonnakillme, my kit is a beta -- the ABV is around 16%. Based upon feedback from the beta testers, the ABV of the production line is around 14% (according to
@Matt_Pruszynski), so no one buying a kit now will experience the high ABV. I'm going to keep Matt apprised of my ongoing tasting results, and it's entirely possible he may bump next year's kit to a slightly higher ABV.
The wine has a rich Zin nose and the color is DARK, as dark as the grapes I added Color Pro (maceration enzyme) to.
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The cubes are air drying on the counter. They'll go in the smoker in a few weeks. I'll probably do a brisket and a spatchcocked chicken.
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