What Causes A Wine To Taste Too Sour?

Good day!

May I know what causes a fresh fruit wine to taste so sour? I've tested a homemade fresh fruit wine that is so sour, and what is the remedy to remove the taste?

Thanks very much!
Shirley S.
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Hello Shirley,

In almost all cases, the reason for a wine tasting too sour is too much acid. All fruits have various acids in them that contribute to a sharp/sour taste. If the fruit is too acidic, or too much fruit is used in the wine recipes, you can end up with a wine like you are describing.

This type of defect is also enhanced by the fact that during a fermentation almost all of the the sugars from the fruit are fermented into alcohol. This doesn't make the wine more acidic, but it does allow the sour flavor to stand out much more.

Acidity can be a problematic area if you are just leaning how to make your own wine. With future batches the acidity level needs to be watched both before and after the fermentation. If the wine is flat tasting this means there is not enough acid. You may need to add more acid to bring the wine back into balance. This is normally done with the addition of Acid Blend.

If the wine is too acidic, there are a few ways you can go about reducing it, including dilution. A very good article on the subject is Getting A Handle On Wine Acidity. It has some wine making tips for reducing the acidity of a finished wine as well as other information.

Following trusted wine recipes when making wine will normally keep you out of trouble. A further step you can take is to get an Acid Testing Kit. It will come with directions that will tell you what reading to shoot for and what to do to get it there, even before the fermentation starts.

Best Wishes,

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