Sparkling red? I made my first batch of Merlot and tried a bottle after it aged for a month. I noticed that the wine had some carbonation to it. Will this go away after aging it longer? Did I do something wrong? Justin Sharer Dearborn Heights, Michigan Welcome to the wonderful world of home winemaking — and welcome to your very first “adventure.” You seem to have an aversion to sparkling Merlot? I know many winemakers who would tear their hair and gnash their teeth in an effort to achieve in their batch what you clearly did not intend in yours. And there, alas, lies the rub. You set out not to attain a sparkling red wine but a non-fizzy, non-sparkling red wine more in line with those Merlots one can buy at finer winery tasting rooms everywhere. I understand. Sparkling reds are not for everyone (even if one does live in Australia where such things, I hear, are popular) . . . but I digress. Clearly, the mousse in your Merlot is carbon dioxide gas. Less clear, however,
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