Yesterday I commented on racking the mead that finished fermentation. Of course we tasted it. Currently it has a yellow opaque color. The wonderful aroma is honey and floral. The taste is honey. The finish is dry, although there is a slight sweetness that may be perceived. The mead is 12 percent alcohol. There was quite a bit of carbonization in the mead. One taster asked if it was a sparkling mead. For now, it just has to sit and age. I’d like it to become translucent, so I’ll continue to rack it over the next several months. I am surprised at how easy it was to make the mead. The most time consuming part is cleaning and sanitizing the equipment. Perhaps I’m a bit paranoid about sanitizing the equipment, however, I’d rather not come this far and ruin the mead.

Last week I wrote about Paradocx Vineyards Barn Red, a red blend sealed in an air-tight bag and placed in a paint can. Manufacturers of the bag claim that it can keep wine good for up to six weeks. So how is the wine one week after opening it? The Sangiovese and Cabernet Franc blend still had a nice red cherry aroma and taste. It was still crisp and had light tannins. Thus far this is the best opened one-week old wine that I have tasted. Wine stored in an air-tight bag, whether in a box or paint can, may be a great option for a casual wine drinker who doesn’t finish a bottle for a dinner. I’ll report next week on how the wine is after two weeks.