WineXpert Still Fruity after a Year?

[jsbeckton]

So I made several WE Eclipse big reds last summer (Cabernet, merlot, Bravado, Zinfandel) and have cellared them all at 60F. They are drinkable but pretty much all of them taste as fruity at 1yr as they did at 6mo and I was hoping to see more of a change by this point to taste more like commercial wines. I know that 1yr is still young but will see a dramatic change over the next year?

All were made per instructions, only I skipped sorbate and waited 3-4 months before bottling.

 

[brewbush]

They will stay more fruit forward. With my kits unless I have added more tannins or oak during aging they stay on the fruity side. I would give it 6-24 months to perhaps change slightly. If you want to do a home experiment get a juice bucket for your next wine and see if it tastes the same to you.

 

[SouthernChemist]

I'd let it age more (at least to 18 months or 24 months) before trying to really compare. Keep in mind that you can only compare to commercial wines so much. Things like barrel aging can really impact a wine versus aging in glass carboys. Kits also tend to be lighter on the oak (you can always add more but not take it away easily).

 

[jsbeckton]

It seems like more oak and tannins would be a cheap thing for Wine Expert to add so why wouldn't they already be included if they improve the quality of the wine?

I was under the impression that the kit was already balanced with the included ingredients and adding more oak/tannins was personal preference rather than needed to make a good wine.

 

[Brian55]

So I made several WE Eclipse big reds last summer (Cabernet, merlot, Bravado, Zinfandel) and have cellared them all at 60F. They are drinkable but pretty much all of them taste as fruity at 1yr as they did at 6mo and I was hoping to see more of a change by this point to taste more like commercial wines. I know that 1yr is still young but will see a dramatic change over the next year?

All were made per instructions, only I skipped sorbate and waited 3-4 months before bottling.

How many big red commercial wines do you see for sale that are less than 2to 3 years old?

 

[jsbeckton]

How many big red commercial wines do you see for sale that are less than 2to 3 years old?

Yeah, that's the question. Will another year make a huge difference or not? There has been little change in last 6 mo.

 

[Brian55]

Yeah, that's the question. Will another year make a huge difference or not? There has been little change in last 6 mo.

There's a couple of ways to find out.

1. Wait another year.

2.Find someone in your are who's made and properly aged a similar kit wine.

 

[jsbeckton]

I was going for a 3rd option, ask a question on a forum of people making WE kits and see what people are saying about the change from 12-24 mo [emoji16]