White powdery stuff in "lees"??

[Just-a-Guy]

Hi Folks,

This is an apricot that I kind of screwed up - it was Vintner's Harvest juice (2 96 oz cans topped up to 5 gals in the primary). I didn't realize that there was pieces of fruit in there when I dumped it in the primary (I had only done a VH pear before and it was just juice), so I didn't use a sparging bag, just dumped it all in. When I racked it to the secondary, I just let it all go in. It was started on 12/31/14, w/ 10 lbs table sugar, 2 1/2 ts acid blend, 2 1/2 ts pectic enzyme, 1 ts tannin. I don't have anything in my notes about meta, but I gotta believe I put some in.

I started at about 1.090, and pitched 71B. After 4 days, I had no fermentation, so I shrugged and pitched 1118. Within hours I had bubbling. Sat in primary for 2 weeks and tasted good along the way when I checked.

I topped it up with a little brandy in the secondary, and added some bentonite and a small bottle of BSG apricot flavoring. Boiled like crazy for a day when racked into secondary for some reason (was discussed earlier).

The fruit settled into the bottom of the carboy, except a couple of little pieces that floated at the top. Bothered me but they wouldn't sink. Seen in first pic.

Today I racked it into a clean carboy to get it off the settled fruit/lees. The taste was off - a kind of sharp, acid-like taste that I have had on one other wine, a DB that I also kind of screwed up. When racking I noticed that the fruit and lees in the bottom seemed to have a white sediment all around it. Looked almost like sugar or something. Seen in second pic.

Any ideas on what that might be, and whether I should be concerned?

Thanks!

JAG

 

[cpfan]

I think it could be the bentonite. The only times I have used bentonite post-fermentation, it was followed with another clearing agent (sorry I forget what the clearing agent was), so that probably helped it to settle.

BTW, those times were with RJS kits before they switched to pre-fermentation bentonite.

Steve

 

[Just-a-Guy]

Thanks, cpfan. I'm baffled by the off taste, though. This is very distinctly the same as what happened to my DB - it's a sharp, acid-like taste, that stays on the tongue and in the mouth for hours or even days. With the DB, which was started in October, I've got it sitting in a carboy, hoping time will help. Although the flavor has become quite good, this sharp taste is still there. Same exact thing with this apricot, and it has the same "smell", sort of a smell equivalent of the acid-like flavor.

I've spent hours scouring this forum via searches, trying to figure this out. I realize diagnosing off tastes over the internet is difficult. Just wondering if anyone has any ideas and if by chance they might be related to the white stuff?

Anyway, I guess this one will go next to the DB for now and sit.

TIA,

JAG

 

[Arne]

Try putting a little in a glass and add just a pinch of baking soda to it. Mite take two pinches, see if that helps. Arne.

 

[Boatboy24]

I'm a little concerned about adding brandy when the wine was still fermenting. That could be a cause for the sharp taste. And most wines at this young age will be sharp and astringent.

 

[grapeman]

The white stuff is likely a combination of the flocculating bentonite, fruit mush and yeast. What was the pH or even TA of the beginning and ending must? You may not have needed to add the acid and you might have gotten the pH too low accentuating the acid taste of the young wine. Give it time and cold stabilize if you can and it will improve. You might want to sweeten it later to bring out the apricot flavors and that will balance the sugar. By the way I really don't care for the flavors those little bottles of stuff give the wine.

 

[Just-a-Guy]

Thanks, guys. There's sort of a parallel discussion now in the "after-taste" thread (I thought maybe a separate thread on this topic might be good), reaching the same kind of conclusion. Being new at this, I haven't yet invested in ph or acid test kits or devices; that will be my next investment I think. I have no idea what the ph or acidity was of the must.

I think I agree on those little bottles - I won't be doing that again. I will try to baking soda thing.

Boatboy - interesting thought, any hints as to why adding branding before fermentation is complete might cause the sharp taste?

Thanks!

JAG

 

[Boatboy24]

Boatboy - interesting thought, any hints as to why adding branding before fermentation is complete might cause the sharp taste?

Thanks!

JAG

By adding the brandy, you're 'spiking' the ABV and may be getting it to a point where you're stressing the yeast, or stopping fermentation altogether. I don't know what kind of an impact that might have, specifically, but if may not be good.

 

[wineforfun]

JAG,
I am assuming the sharp taste you speak of makes you look like Boatboy's avatar?

 

[Just-a-Guy]

JAG,
I am assuming the sharp taste you speak of makes you look like Boatboy's avatar?

Except that I'm much better looking.