Then, life interfered and I got pneumonia. As a result of this, I forgot to move it into the secondary after the allotted amount of time. It sat there for a good couple weeks or so extra before I could work up the energy to filter it into the secondary and put an airlock on it. I knew that it was still possibly salvageable but not a hundred percent sure. I consulted with my local wine guru and he said it would either oxidize, which is one step or so away from being vinegar, or turn to sherry. In other words, I could toss it or play the odds. I decided to play the odds.
Now it is 2011 and we decided to crack open a bottle of that dubious "wine." I rummaged around the basement shelves to locate it, dusted it off and carried a bottle of it upstairs with a little bit of trepidation. We grabbed a couple wineglasses and cracked it open. I took a sniff of the bottle and wasn't too sure what I was smelling. I poured a couple glasses and let it sit for a few minutes before sampling it. We both took a sip and realized that we indeed had sherry! It seems really sweet on the first sip but this diminishes after a couple sips. Unfortunately, it also has a kick like a mule. The flavour is good though - definitely a nice surprise considering that I had no high hopes for it at all. It starts out sweet but ends on a more wine-like note. It is not at the commercial level by any stretch of the imagination but it was pleasant, especially after a glassful or two! Mind you, with the amount of alcohol in it, after that glass or two it could taste like a glass of swamp water and be fine. I am hoping in another year or so it will be really good - probably wistful thinking on that though.
