First & Second Wine Kits Have "Funky" Taste

So a little background first…

Purchased the following:

Some other supplies from a local home brew store. Followed the instructions in each kit pretty much to the letter.

Since I’ve never made wine I’m hoping this is natural and part of the process.

With the Cab after primary fermentation there seemed to be a very distinct funky taste (possibly sour or something very close). We added all the ingredients, additives and such within a day or so of hitting all SG marks. At bottling the funk (not sure on what else to call it) was still there just not as bad. We tested it this past weekend, two weeks being in the bottle and there still seems to be a little something but not as much. It seems to be fading away. Didn’t filter/rack this batch enough as each bottle has a little sediment now that they are on their sides…is this all normal?

Same thing seems to be happening to the Malbec as well. This time ran the Malbec through a homemade filter system to remove sediment but that same funky taste is there.

With both batches I wouldn’t say it’s a sulphury taste, really more of a sour taste. Primary and secondary fermentation process on both finished 100% before we moved/racked them. No strange forming or film on anything.

Please tell me that I am being overly concerned LOL.

Notes for batch two (Malbec) attached.

I think you’re just tasting a really young wine. Even though the yeast are done with fermentation, there are still a lot of changes happening in the wine. Some compounds are changed or broken down by biological activity, while some are just volatile and slowly break down on their own. There could be trace by-products of fermentation and organic acids that will slowly fade, or CO2 dissipating from solution. Tannins eventually precipitate out of solution, and small traces of oxidation will develop over time. All these effects are responsible for the “maturing” process and flavor development, and why a really young wine tastes harsh or sour.

With a red wine, I’d withhold judgment for a good 6 months or so, and not really count on it hitting its prime for after a year or two. Get another batch or two started in the meantime to take your mind off of it!

Porkchop is spot-on: give it three months and taste it again, but don’t expect anything like its final form for six months to a year.

This is why you need to make lots of wine, and build up a cellar!