Wine mix left in fermenting vessel for 6 months?

HAve just found a fermenting bin from Oct 09, which still has the fruit, yeast etc mix in ....which would have been transferred to djs after a week but got overlooked...

the stuff looks and tastes ok, but has been in a lidded bucket for 6 months "on the fruit" rather than having been decanted into djs with an airlock after a week or so....

so ..........is it even worth syphonning off the liquid or should we just chuck it....it lookes and tastes ok..but am a bit concerned as it has been sitting over the fruit/yeast/sugar mix for 6 months now....in a fermenting bucket with a lid...but not with an airlock...so may not have been under a positive pressure of CO 2

I have never left wine that long, before like that...hence my questionning......

Compostwoman wrote:
the stuff looks and tastes ok,

The stuff is okay.

Really? You think it will be fine?

If it tastes nice and there's alcohol in it, what more do you want?

yes but lots of things can taste quite good and actually still make you ill? if they are off?

I was more wanting a bit of reassurance that, if left sitting on the original mixture of damsons, (stone in) plus sugar plus yeast..., for the last 6 months, that it wouldn't be something which might look and taste ok but might actually make us ill..

As originally it wouldn't have been very alcoholic until the yeasts really got going on the sugar...so not much preservation going on...

I was wondering if anyone had done this and found the resulting wine was ok ( both from a drinking AND a health view point)

Yes I have left stuff sitting on fruit for a year or more and suffered no ill effects (other than those caused by overconsumption) from drinking the results.
TBH the only ill effects I have had from drinking fermented products however dodgily made has been the occasional laxative effect. Distilled stuff is another matter. I would test the alcohol content, and then stick it in a fermenting vessel until satisfied all fermentation has stopped, then rack and bottle as normal. When it comes to drinking it, if still in doubt, have a small glass and see what effect it has. If it makes you hurl or has other ill-effect chuck it away. if not imbibe to your hearts content.
If you want, bring a bottle down here when you come akittening and I'll be the guinea pig.

Has it turned to alcohol?

Don't know the SG of the original mix ( was CM, not me...!)

so no idea if it is alcoholic or not..but had a small sip and it smells and tastes of alcohol IYKWIM

It was mainly because it was in a bucket rather than in a Dj, all this time...

It's fine. If you really don't want it, give it all to me. I'll drink pretty much anything.

Noooooo.. .but I will bring a bottle when I see you...

Have just tried some of the 2007 vintage cider....my word its nice.. better than 2008..!

I think this year is going to be good for top fruit, if the blossom on our trees is anything to go by! (if we don't have a late frost...)

Thanks for the re assurance..its not something I have ever done before, so I don't have the experience to judge if its ok..IYKWIM..

and judging by the lack of any hits when I type in the query ...its not something many people do , either ( or maybe they just do not own up to it.... )

When *I* make wine, we know exactly what strength it is, it gets racked off etc etc ...

lets just say CM has a more....relaxed approach, shall we...

I like the sound of CM.

funny, so do I...

He is all for " rack it off and drink it."..

Anyway...ta for the help, it confirmed what we were both thinking...

IF I go off line, never to return, due to poisoning....I SHALL come back and haunt you, though....

I always pour a small measure on the ground for the ghosts of drinking buddies passed. Of which there are too many.

Well have just bottled this up, it has been in DJ's as it kept on having the odd "bloop" until a month or so ago.

My word! Judging by the numbness of my lips and the slight giddyness, it is VERY strong, and we only tried a sample glass between us! No idea of actual strength because CM doesn't "do" taking the SG or stuff like that...

It has a port like "burn" quality but is absolutely delish. Honey coloured, clear, faint aroma of raisins and plums and apricots, oddly? and indeed it tastes like an Auslese ( sp?) , (where the grapes are allowed to shrivel and get "noble rot")

I wonder if we have inadvertantly re created similar conditions?

Anyway, is delish and we have 20 bottle of the stuff, so many thanks to those (mainly Billy) who reassured me it would be ok

Assuming I wake up, tomorrow, that is...

Sounds yummy - just a shame you didn't try it before we visited!

Mrs C

Compostwoman wrote:
It has a port like "burn" quality but is absolutely delish. Honey coloured, clear, faint aroma of raisins and plums and apricots, oddly? and indeed it tastes like an Auslese ( sp?) , (where the grapes are allowed to shrivel and get "noble rot")

I wonder if we have inadvertantly re created similar conditions?

I have spent some time "studying" the effect of noble rot on grapes and wines ..

Is you wine slightly oxidised - like sherry ? I assume there is some residual sugar (from the Auslese comparison).
I think that by fermenting in a not completely sealed bucket, the small amount of air contact can sometimes allow the yeast to survive to higher alcohol concentrations.

Yes. very pale sherry colour and aroma...not much oxidation could have occurred as the lid "sucked down" and " ballooned up" depending on what was going on in the bucket, so was a pretty good seal BUT yes, some air must have got in...as it was just an ordinary lidded brew bucket.

.also I have remembered ( after talking it over at the lunch table with CM today, along with Elen Sentier and her OH)...that the plums were from the freezer, split and had been dusted with icing sugar on the cut surfaces ( as we do with all the freezing plums)

AND were from an exceptionally sweet plum year!

The yeast was a 14 % wine one, and I rather think we have inadvertantly created a WONDERFUL fruit wine...which is very alcofrolic

Of course I suspect we couldn't repeat it, if we tried

Anyone who comes to the next Compostfest ( hopefully in Oct , half term?? or thereabouts...)

will get to drink some...also the really delish cider we have just ( yesterday) racked off which is really nice...