On 9 Feb, 11:52, "Paul E. Lehmann" > wrote:
> 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- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
Yes,it does get a little better when left in an opened bottle for a
day or so.The wine is already 3 years old,but perhaps it is not
maturing very fast in glass.What surprises me is that I do not get a
tannin deposit on the bottom of the glass demijohn.That is why I have
not deemed it necessary to rack it-all I see is a deposit on the
inside of the glass.Perhaps red wine does need more air (which it
would get if maturing in oak),so perhaps I will rack some more to
introduce some oxygen to help with maturation.I assume that I add a
small amount of sulphite(30ppm) on each racking,though I thought that
red wine (unlike white wine)does not need it due to its tannin .
Thanks again
Michael