Testing apple wine after second carboy

[derickmtl]

Hello,

I was not sure where to ask this but i just made a 5 gallon batch of apple wine. I am new to making wine and followed a recipe in one of the books i purchased.

Finished transferring to second carboy...

added the Campden tablets (used 4 for 5 gallons) and its been sitting for over a week now.

But when i do a taste test... it tastes really strange. Is this normal? do i have to wait the 3 months it says in the book to get the actual taste of the wine?

Any help is appreciated.

 

[tonyandkory]

My wine as it finishes almost always tastes different then what it does months even a year after secondary

 

[BobF]

I've made a few apple and apple based batches. All of them need months and months to smooth out and get apple-ee, and longer to be really enjoyable.

 

[derickmtl]

thank you for the reply's! ill bottle it and leave it for 3-4 months and see if it tastes any different.

 

[Runningwolf]

I also find apple needs a lot of sugar to bring out more flavor.

 

[FTC Wines]

Derckmtl, I agree with Dan, Apple Wine needs some back sweetening to bring out the flavor. I usually back sweeten to 1.008-.012 for me & 1.018-.020 for the "girls". Be sure to stabilize & sorbate prior to sweetening, then wait another 30 days to bottle. It's GREAT at 18-24 mo. old. Roy

 

[UBB]

The best apple wine I've ever had was some my dad made that I ended up bottling. It was in the carboy for over 2 years.

 

[southlake333]

Not sure what your recipe was but I've made several batches of hard apple cider. As with any wine, it'll taste funny early on (during or right after fermentation). This is called a "new wine" or "young wine" taste that fades within a few weeks. I always backsweeten mine using apple juice concentrate (as I like everything sweet) which gives me an alcoholic beverage that really tastes like apples. Its also worth noting that mine tastes great within 2 months of pitching the yeast.

 

[derickmtl]

Some great ideas! this is the recipe i used:

5 Gallons of Apple juice (From the market, no preservatives or anything added)
15 cups of sugar
1 packet of yeast (EC-1118)
1 teaspoon of yeast nutrient
4 Campden tablets

I might just try that idea of adding some concentrate just before bottling the wine to give it a little extra sweetness.

D

 

[oldwhiskers]

I have made several 6-gallon batches of Apple juice wine and all of them taste much better after at least two months ageing. So far they have not passed the year mark, unfortunately.

 

[Runningwolf]

Surprisingly they're even better after 10 months. I was drinking mine early because they were good. Recently I tried one again after not drinking any for awhile and definitely tasted the difference.

 

[FTC Wines]

Oldwiskers, You REALLY need them to go to 18 mo. + . They come into their BEST at 18-24 mo. Since I have been able to age them to 2 yrs. I never drink them before 2 yrs. It was HARD to have that patience but it is worth it! Just keep making MORE than you think you will drink. In MY case that is TOUGH to estimate! And estimating WAS my business! Roy

 

[oldwhiskers]

Oldwiskers, You REALLY need them to go to 18 mo. + . They come into their BEST at 18-24 mo. Since I have been able to age them to 2 yrs. I never drink them before 2 yrs. It was HARD to have that patience but it is worth it! Just keep making MORE than you think you will drink. In MY case that is TOUGH to estimate! And estimating WAS my business! Roy

LOL, I am working towards the longer aging. I have 12 gallons of apple aging now. I have added four new carboys this year so it should be easier to do now as long as I keep the Skeeter Pee variations going.

 

[BobF]

For those of you drinking young (less than 2 years), how much are you backsweetening?

 

[oldwhiskers]

I will admit that I have been going dry until recently where I started back sweetening to 1.006.

 

[FTC Wines]

Bobf, I too keep SG in the 1.006-1.010 range. I sweeten to 1.015-20 for my SWEET version. roy

 

[southlake333]

Some great ideas! this is the recipe i used:

5 Gallons of Apple juice (From the market, no preservatives or anything added)
15 cups of sugar
1 packet of yeast (EC-1118)
1 teaspoon of yeast nutrient
4 Campden tablets

I might just try that idea of adding some concentrate just before bottling the wine to give it a little extra sweetness.

D

Ok, that's a good recipe. Then yeah, you're just tasting the yeasty young wine taste. Let it age a bit, then backsweeten to taste using apple juice concentrate. You'll love it!

 

[southlake333]

For those of you drinking young (less than 2 years), how much are you backsweetening?

Mine was 1.012 but I think anything between 1.008 and 1.012 would be perfect.

 

[abogden1]

I currently have 5 gallons of cider fermenting in my carboy. I got the recipe from an old timer I associate with. He assured me that 5 gallons of fresh cider, 5 pounds of sugar and some raisins, put into my carboy with an airlock and placed in my cellar would naturally ferment and be ready to go in 5 months. Has anyone tried this technique and what was the outcome?

 

[Poormanfarm]

I made 5 gal of Apple Wine last October. I made it very dry. Just recently I backsweetened it with two cans of apple juice concentrate and added a quart of Apple Pie Moonshine. I plan to let it age for a few more months but I doubt if it makes it two years even though it would be better I am sure.