PLUM WINE MAY HAVE GONE BAD...

[thewelshwizard1]

Hi guys

As iv`e posted on here a few times regarding my first time at making Plum wine from fruit...I fear it has gone bad at the 2nd rack stage....Slight vinegar aroma to slightly sour to taste - is this normal after the first rack or has it gone bad ?

Any ideas would be gratefully appreciated on this, as I would like to try it again next season fruit harvest from my tree ?

I followed instructions to ingredients etc found on the WWW, and for some reason also the FG has dropped well below 1.000 thus given the ABV at around 2/3 ABV not want we wont in the wine.....

If I have to pour down the drain then so be it, Ill be upset however, hay nothing learned nothing gained I suppose....

 

[An Ankoù]

If it's got a slightly vinegar smell, but doesn't taste vingary, you can try and save it. The sourness is more likely to be from the fruit at this stage.

also the FG has dropped well below 1.000 thus given the ABV at around 2/3 ABV not want we wont in the wine.

I didn't understand this bit.

Anyway, as the FG is well below 1000, you can bottle it. Don't de-gas, just bottle it up leaving a minimum head space and synthetic or metal closures- not cork. Vinegar bacillus absolutely needs oxygen so excluding it should save your wine even if it is infected.

 

[thewelshwizard1]

If it's got a slightly vinegar smell, but doesn't taste vingary, you can try and save it. The sourness is more likely to be from the fruit at this stage.

I didn't understand this bit.

Anyway, as the FG is well below 1000, you can bottle it. Don't de-gas, just bottle it up leaving a minimum head space and synthetic or metal closures- not cork. Vinegar bacillus absolutely needs oxygen so excluding it should save your wine even if it is infected.

So just bottle it, and that's it, what about the vinegar aroma do you think it'll disappear or just not be as bad ?

 

[An Ankoù]

So just bottle it, and that's it, what about the vinegar aroma do you think it'll disappear or just not be as bad ?

This is a salvage operation, as I understand it. All I can say is that when I've had this with beer, it works 100%. Any whiff of vinegar is driven off with the discharge of gas when the bottle is opened. In truth, I haven't had it with wine, but I have with still cider and that works too. At the end of the day, what have you got to lose? You might add a Campden tablet per gallon as an antioxidant, just dissolve it first and add the solution to the wine, but I wouldn't as plum has such a delicate colour which is easily bleached.

 

[thewelshwizard1]

This is a salvage operation, as I understand it. All I can say is that when I've had this with beer, it works 100%. Any whiff of vinegar is driven off with the discharge of gas when the bottle is opened. In truth, I haven't had it with wine, but I have with still cider and that works too. At the end of the day, what have you got to lose? You might add a Campden tablet per gallon as an antioxidant, just dissolve it first and add the solution to the wine, but I wouldn't as plum has such a delicate colour which is easily bleached.

It's pink ish in colour, I'd rather try and salvage it, I'll see what happens, worse case scenario I'll keep off for cooking