Michael,

You need to rack it more. Just keeping it in the carboy is not the
answer. Rack it every 6 months and the tannins mellow. Additionally,
heating the wine is a good way of degassing it. You might have still
had CO2 in it.

On Feb 9, 6:19*am, 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