I find my wines to be too “juicy”

Question

I've been making wine (mostly red) at home for about a year now and find that even though I ferment them dry I still find them to taste too much like fresh fruit. Any thoughts on getting to that aged almost leathery profile that I prefer?

Answer 1

I've only made a handful of wines, so am no expert, but you might want to look into regulating the acidity, which has a pronounced affect on flavour, and also adding tannins, since these also contribute to the structure of the wine. (For the "leathery" taste you most likely need more tannins - no coincidence - tannin used to be used to produce leather.)

This article, Difference between tannins and acidity describes the roles these compounds play and why they are important in wine.

To get a feel for the flavours and other contributions, pour 4-6 glasses and add different amounts of acid and tannins to each to see the effect.

Answer 2

You can age them. I'm guessing that you are drinking them way too young. Well I don't really have to guess since you said 'them' and that you have only been making wine for about a year. A wine without age could be considered too fruity.

Answer 3

Possibly using too much fruit, try reducing the fruit to around 6lb a UK Gallon.