Maturing wine

[Andygee]

Hoping for some advice.

I've just bottled a batch of blackberry wine and to say it's a little rough is an understatement.

Will the taste of the wine improve by leaving it for 6-12 months?

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I don't make wine from fruit but have read enough threads about it to know they take a long time to mature.

 

[islaybrew]

I made wine from frozen mixed berries and pomegranate and tried it soon after it was finished its fermentation and was horrid so i bottled and after about a month opened another bottle and was great, i dare say it could do with another few months but didnt stop me from drinking 2 bottles so far... i must leave the others to mature!

Anyway i'm no expert but give it a couple of months and try a bit, i should think you will be pleasantry surprised!

 

[brumbrew]

In my experience darker fruits need a little longer in the bottle or if you can leave it cleared (no sediment) in a dark space to bulk age in a demi, it's better still

 

[Dutto]

I agree with Brumbrew.

I have some pea-pod wine that was bottled back in August last year and it has just started to mellow (i.e. slowly lose the full-on pea-pod flavour) after over six months; and I will give it at least another six months before I try it again.

One thing to remember is that high ABV wine (especially red wine) can keep for decades if it is bottled and stored correctly.

Many a fine wine started off tasting like battery-acid and then the Wine Fairy waved her wand and "Bingo!" a drink to savour.

Brewing is definitely a pastime that rewards patience and attention to detail. :thumb: :thumb:

 

[Andygee]

Ahh, thanks guys was getting really worried because I'd read somewhere that there would be very little change after bottling.

I'm happy to wait a year but have another batch of blackberries and was reluctant to make wine with it if this was the finished result.

 

[Dutto]

Ahh, thanks guys was getting really worried because I'd read somewhere that there would be very little change after bottling.

I'm happy to wait a year but have another batch of blackberries and was reluctant to make wine with it if this was the finished result.

You're thinking of spirits.

The "12-year Single Malt Whisky" that costs an arm and a leg is expensive because it has sat in a barrel for 12 years. The bottle may then have sat on a shop shelf for another ten years but they don't count.

However, in the case of wine, the younger the wine is when you buy it the cheaper it is. A decent 2015 Bordeaux with an ABV of 13% can cost as little as €3 a bottle in France today; but if you tried to buy the same wine in 2025 it would cost anything from €30 to €50 a bottle depending on how good the year 2015 was in the Bordeaux region.

It's well worth putting a few high ABV reds away for up to five years and then tasting them. After five years there is an exponentially increasing risk that the wine will go off, especially for the home brewer.

 

[tonyhibbett]

I have found that blackberries used with other ingredients make a better wine. Last year I combined them with elderberries and grape juice with excellent results after letting it mature in a dark demijohn for 2 months before bottling.

 

[Andygee]

Thanks once again for the replies.

I haven't blended my wine with anything else so what are the chances it'll be decent after about 12 months?

 

[FatDad]

I would say if you spent months making a wine it has to worth giving it at least 12 months in the bottle before deciding to throw it away.

 

[GB2014]

It will be better after 12 months.

 

[pomme homme]

White wines generally require less maturation than red wines. The white wine we make from our Noah grapes we drink from around spring of the year after it's made. The more tannic the red wine is, the longer it will require to mature and improve with maturation. In its youth, many a red wine will be harsh and closed up (although generally Gamay is an exception). As time passes, the wine will become smoother and more refined. However it will reach a peak - at which it will be at its best and most drinkable - after which it will start to go downhill. Thus a bottle of superannuated red can be as disappointing as a bottle of red in its infancy!

 

[beechwood]

Hoping for some advice.

I've just bottled a batch of blackberry wine and to say it's a little rough is an understatement.

Will the taste of the wine improve by leaving it for 6-12 months?

A good 6 months, 12 if you can wait that long :whistle:

 

[Andygee]

Well I'm happy to wait 12 months.

In the meantime....

I've made my first juice wine! 😜

 

[Andygee]

Well I'm happy to wait 12 months.

In the meantime....

I've made my first juice wine! 😜

1L red grape juice
1.5L apple and elderflower juice
1kg of sugar
Pectolase
Yeast nutrient
Yeast

All in a DJ and topped up to the gallon mark with water.

Hope it ferments within 10 days then bottle and keep for two months.

Anything to add or consider? Have heard of people putting glycerine and citric acid in but no idea why 🤔

 

[Chippy_Tea]

There is no need to age this wine unless you dont like the taste when its new, i have found it really doesn't get much better after a week or two.

Glycerine gives mouth feel read - http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=58316

I stopped using citric acid a while ago and havent noticed the difference, more on acids here - http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=50408

 

[Andygee]

There is no need to age this wine unless you dont like the taste when its new, i have found it really doesn't get much better after a week or two.

Glycerine gives mouth feel read - http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=58316

I stopped using citric acid a while ago and havent noticed the difference, more on acids here - http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=50408

Thank you for that. Oh I used tannin as well instead of tea.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I have used powdered tannin in the past but found it clumped like lumpy gravy, I then mixed it with some of the sugar I was going to add and that worked, I didnt notice any difference in taste so went back to black tea once the powdered stuff ran out.

 

[brumbrew]

Coming back to this, my local hbs sells bungs with no hole.

I bought two and plan to age some wine in a demi, probly the carrot and corriander, to really see what six months bulk age can do.

Only ever really done it for two months.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

carrot and corriander

I think they will need it. :lol: