New to Forums, Greetings from MT, Lots of Questions

[chapulincolorado]

Hi everyone, I'm fairly new to this homebrew thing having only made about 20 gallons of wine/mead total. I started by watching YouTube tutorials and following recipes in old homebrewer's books. I'm not very savvy when it comes to the more technical side of wine making but I can follow a recipe like there's no tomorrow. As of late I've been trying to expand my knowledge in wine making, trying to occasionally break away from following a recipe and using fruits other than grapes. Of the last few gallons of wine I've made at home without a recipe, I've gotten okay responses from friends and family who have tried it. Despite this, a couple questions have come up on my end regarding the process:

• Why do all my, "wines" taste similar despite using different fruit? Does it have to do with water quality, the type of yeast, or something else entirely?
• How can I achieve more complex/fuller bodied flavor profiles in my fruit wines?
• How can I get a higher ending ABV? Most of my finished fruit wines that aren't from a previously established recipe reach around 10% ABV and have some/little residual sugar
• How long on average should I let homemade wine age, if at all?
• When is it recommended to let homemade wine age?
• How do I get started with effectively using yeast nutrients in my fruit wines?
• Is there any helpful beginner/intermediate/advanced learning material I should be reading or looking into?

Lastly, I'm new to posting in forums so I'm not sure if this is the proper way to ask these questions or if this post is too long winded. My apologies if this isn't how forums are meant to be used. I'd appreciate some help with answering these questions. I'm looking forward to learning as much as I can and being a part of this community. Thanks!