Maturing wine

General Questions
#1

I’ve recently decided to try my hand at home brewing wine. The instructions tell me to brew for a certain number of days, then clear for a certain number of days, then to syphon off the clear wine and bottle. According to the instructions, the clear wine will be drinkable immediately, but will improve if left to mature for a few months.

Well, my first batch was utterly undrinkable when first syphoned. So I bottled it. now three months later the taste has improved, somewhat. It’s not exactly good, but it is at least drinkable.

So, what changes happened to the wine during those three months? What made the taste improve so much? Chemically speaking, what is the difference, and what causes the change?

#2

Wine is insanely complex and the ageing process is still not fully understood but for the first few months, the biggest change is that many of the tannins will have decomposed which will mellow out a wine and reduce the harshness of it.

#3

My Brother-in-Law has made some OUTSTANDING wine at home! But he’s a maniac for detail and has the patients of a saint.
I hold no such quality.

Have you considered the “quick’n’dirty” method of OZTOPS? I’ve been using them for over 4 years now and have a 98% success rate with them. 99-cent store juice yields almost a gallon of wine for less than $1.20 all ingredient price factored in.
Of course, it holds no candle to really GOOD homemade wine. But even cheap booze will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no booze!:smiley:

#4

Oho, a Freak Brothers fan, eh?