Still a Noob. Wine goes sour after opening

[gorillla68]

So ive made two batches now... the first one was with my own cabernet grapes that I topped off with all sorts of junk like an alexander concentrate and i think some fruit juice as well. it turned out horrible but i enjoyed the process and learned from it. I still have most of it and trying to decide what to do with it maybe a red wine vinegar substitute. its actually not too bad if i do half wine half water with a bunch of ice and drink it while working on the yard.

So heres why Im really posting...
My second batch was a cabernet kit i bought at my local brewing supply store... its a name brand kit but i forget which one. The only thing I tweaked was simmering some blueberries on the stove with a bit of water and sugar and reduced it down then added it to my primary. Everything went well. Samples always taste amazing. Its been bottled for 6+ months now and I tried it last week... WOW its damn good! I MADE THIS??? Everyone loved it! And I have to say I was impressed. All the work and effort and wow.

Drank a few bottles with friends and family and there was a bottle half full on the counter the next day so i poured a glass and noticed it was definitely different. Not the awesome wine I had the day before. It was now sour. I mean Ive had this happen on store bought wines but they might go sour after a week, not 12 hours. Going into the future how do I prevent this from happening again? THNX!

 

[user 32114]

check PH ,,needs 3.2 to 3.6 and IMHO raise ABV%
Dawg

 

[gorillla68]

It was a kit but yeah I did check PH and all was normal... but man that was like almost a year ago... do you think there could have been contamination at all like in the bottles? I make beer also so cleaning is something I do often anyhow but I cant believe I didnt clean well.

The wine tastes great when opening and drinking, just goes south 12+ hours later.

 

[user 32114]

@gorilla68 grapes are something i have never done, but after opening any of my country (fruit/berry) after i open , is no problem even at a week, if your PH was in proper range , that pretty much clueless, now all my wines are very fruit or berry heavy so i can run high ABV and not taste the alcohol. if @sour_grapes or @Scooter68 will jump in here then you'll be set,,,
Dawg



























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[Rice_Guy]

Looking at a twelve hour air exposure I would wonder if it was an oxidation of reductive/ more sulfite flavors, the kind of thing which we talk about when we aerate a red wine?

Flavors are a neat system, I could see some loss of aromatics, and 12 hours isn’t supposed to be long enough to have major oxidation of the chemical systems, BUT would be long enough to get your dissolved oxygen up to where the wine is saturated with O2

 

[salcoco]

did you add kmeta at proper level when bottling?

 

[gorillla68]

Good question. I need to check my notes. Offhand I would say yes since it was a kit but i dont know for certain. Will look into it tonight, thank you!

did you add kmeta at proper level when bottling?

 

[NorCal]

I mean Ive had this happen on store bought wines but they might go sour after a week, not 12 hours. Going into the future how do I prevent this from happening again? THNX!

The unhelpful answer is to drink the whole bottle! I don't see how you could get that much VA or oxidation in 12 hours to change the taste that much. I've had wine in a tasting room that I thought tasted amazing, only to find the bottle that I bought and drank later was just average. I think it has to do with other things we are eating/drinking at the time that can really change the way a wine can taste.

As a side note: I've wondered if the winery I bought this wine from serve the wine in the tasting room from the best barrels and then send you home with wine from the general blend.

 

[VinesnBines]

As a side note: I've wondered if the winery I bought this wine from serve the wine in the tasting room from the best barrels and then send you home with wine from the general blend.

I’ve often thought the same thing.