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musky taste - homemade wine

 
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LateKate



Joined: 26 Aug 2009
Posts: 6
Location: Devon
PostPosted: Wed Aug 26, 09 2:22 pm    Post subject: musky taste - homemade wine Reply with quote
    

Had a great year last year making lots of traditional wines from the fruits of the hedgerow, only to sample a few of the earlier ones and discover that regardless of variety they all have the same musky aspect to their flavour. It's yuk!

With mounting horror I tasted some of the more recent ones and discovered same issue. Don't think it's a poor sterilisation problem but wondering whether I have left stuff unracked for too long and perhaps not done a second racking when I should have. Does anyone have any suggestions and/or similar experience?

thanks

Kate [/b]

Nicky cigreen



Joined: 25 Jun 2007
Posts: 9702
Location: Devon, uk
PostPosted: Wed Aug 26, 09 2:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

you can get a flavour it you leave it unracked for too long.. so yeh it could be that

sally_in_wales
Downsizer Moderator


Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 20809
Location: sunny wales
PostPosted: Wed Aug 26, 09 2:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Hi Kate,

How soon after fermentation stopped did you rack for the first time? I'm pretty lax myself, but alwasy try to rack as soon as there is a good thick sediment layer visible and the burping has almost stopped.

LateKate



Joined: 26 Aug 2009
Posts: 6
Location: Devon
PostPosted: Wed Aug 26, 09 2:33 pm    Post subject: musky taste - homemade wine Reply with quote
    

Coo thanks for rapid responses! Yes - think may have left it too long before racking, up to two month in one case. I just love looking at all that lovely coloured stuff in the demi-johns -
What's the cunning plan? My partner keeps trying to blend them all together so as to get rid of the flavour but it's pretty hard to lose other than down a sink hole.

Kate

arvo



Joined: 04 Dec 2006
Posts: 3321
Location: Somerset
PostPosted: Wed Aug 26, 09 2:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Yeah, anything that smells of anything thats not fruit or grapes may have oxidised.

Can you syphon a little out and check it's meniscus (the edge of the alcoholly layer round the top). If you hold the wine glass and tip it a little in front of a piece of white paper, then the very top edge of the wine should appear clear (for whites) or pink (for roses and reds).

Brown is bad, and means oxidisation has happened. in which case all you can do is: a) sling it or b) make a load of wine vinegar with it.

pricey



Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Posts: 6444

PostPosted: Wed Aug 26, 09 2:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I did this with Carrot Wiskey, I left it to long and It sort of went Off, It has a realy musky taste, I asked Jema to taste it the other week and he said it was off as well.

Try mixing it with Vodka

match



Joined: 09 Aug 2009
Posts: 40

PostPosted: Wed Aug 26, 09 2:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Its difficult to say without knowing just what type of muskyness the flavour is.

The main causes for off flavours in wines tend to be:

Too long before racking, the dead yeast gives a musty taste.
Bacterial infection (often accompanied by ropiness).
Oxidation if there's too much air-space in the demijohn - (often accompanied by darkening of the wine).
Wine ingredients - some ingredients just go musky, such as if you leave cinnamon sticks in during fermentation.

If its the first one, then sometimes racking it off, giving it a good shake to get plenty of air into it, racking some more then bottling can get rid of the mustyness. But it can take a year of ageing to go away, and it might still be terrible at the end of it.

If I get this (and thankfully its quite rare) then I tend to just count it down as a loss and abandon it. But sometimes it does go away with time. Sorry if thats not much help!

LateKate



Joined: 26 Aug 2009
Posts: 6
Location: Devon
PostPosted: Wed Aug 26, 09 2:46 pm    Post subject: musky taste - homemade wine Reply with quote
    

thanks for all helpful responses - My wines are all so awful ( in spite of looking the biz) that I think I'll save the vodka, go for the ditching option and try, try again...

thanks

Kate

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