michael wrote:
> On 9 Feb, 02:17, "Paul E. Lehmann" > wrote:
>> Wildbilly wrote:
>> > In article
>> > >,
>> > michael > wrote:
>>
>> >> I have been drinking a 2006 Regent( a European hybrid developed for
>> >> early ripening in cool climates ) red wine recently and have been
>> >> amazed at the difference temperature makes.My mini vineyard is in
>> >> Herefordshire,in southern England,and whereas I have been making some
>> >> excellent dry white wines(as judged by others),I am new to red wine
>> >> making.
>>
>> >> The year 2006 was very good in England,with all grapes ripening very
>> >> well,and earlier than usual.I fermented the grapes on the skins and
>> >> with the grapes natural yeast,and achieved full fermentation after 2
>> >> to 3 weeks-the grapes were pressed after 6 days maceration.The wine
>> >> was matured in gallon glass demijohns for three years,and bottled
>> >> recently.I tried the wine in my cool pantry (it has been pretty cold
>> >> in England this winter),and was a little disappointed.It had a very
>> >> nice fruity nose but seemed a little tannic.We compared it with a
>> >> commercial Australian Cabernet ,and was not convinced that mine was
>> >> that much inferior.We decided to serve it to our friends at a dinner
>> >> party,as English red wine made from English grapes is quite unusual.
>>
>> >> The surprise came when I warmed up the wine to about 65For room
>> >> temperature.The wine had lost its tannic nature and was very good,with
>> >> absolutely no comparison to drinking the wine at 50F.I am well aware
>> >> that red wine should be drunk at room temperature,but had no idea that
>> >> its character should change so much;it makes it difficult to assess
>> >> wine being stored in a cooler place.
>> >> I would welcome comments
>> >> Michael
>>
>> > Good reds and whites: 14C - 16C
>> > Young fruity reds, rosés, and dry whites: 11C - 12C
>> > Sparkling: 7C - 8C
>> > Dessert Wines: 6C
>>
>> > Chilling a wine, reduces your ability to taste it. Too warm and it will
>> > seem flat. Then again, wines are like steaks. No one can tell you the
>> > right way to serve it (well done, rare), or what is the best temp to
>> > serve wines, for you. Learn the rules, and then you can break them ;O)
>>
>> I like your quote at the bottom
>>
>> Paul- Hide quoted text -
>>
>> - Show quoted text -
>
> Thanks for the comments.
> I think that my problem with this red wine is that I have got an
> excess of tannin.I thought that it would become more mellow after
> three years in a glass demijohn,but although it has coated the glass
> with a thin red deposit,there has been no deposit in the bottom of the
> demijohn.The grapes were very ripe when picked (Brix 18.5 which about
> the best we get in our cool climate),but possibly a little low on
> acid.The wine has a good fruity nose,its colour is deep red and
> clear,but that is about the best one can say-the taste gets better on
> the second or third glass,but presumably all wines do due to the
> alcohol kicking in.It is somewhat better than a supermarket wine at 8
> dollars a bottle,my friends at a recent dinner party liked it and my
> daughter gives it 9/10.However,I feel that I need more understanding
> of what I perceive to be wrong,in order to improve it.
> Michael
Try this:
Next time you open a bottle, pour out a glass and drink it and save the rest
in the opened bottle until the next day. Test to see how the remaining
wine in the bottle taste the next day - or two days. If it is a lot better
taste to you, then your wine will improve with age - it just needs more
time.
Have you checked out the site:
http://www.winepress.us/
There are a LOT of us there and it is very active with a lot of good topics
and opinions. I am known as PEL on the site. You can also post pictures
which sometimes help a lot in the conversations. They have been having
problems with their server but it has been fairly stable recently.
Paul