Refermentation Questions
TroubleShooting
Aldo Marchioro — Coquitlam, British Columbia asks,
This fall I bought Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot from Washington State. The Zinfandel is doing fine. The mix of Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot was crushed, fermented for about 10 days and then pressed. After that I moved the juice to three demi-johns (14 gallon/54 L) to age and after a week in the demi-johns the juice started to ferment again until the beginning of January. In February I racked the wine and it had a very mild fizzy taste and when the wine is swirled it releases an odd odor and it does not have a clear color like the Zinfandel. Everything was cleaned and sterilized. This is the first time I have had this problem. Members of my wine club say it may be going to vinegar, which is not what I want. Is there any way to stop it from turning to vinegar?