# Earliest date to bottle?



## roxy10_2 (Oct 30, 2006)

Hi, 
I'm probably moving soon, and I have 5 gallons of wine that I started October 10. When can I bottle it, and what precautions do I take, for instance for the exploding bottles, sanitizing, stabilizing(I have potassium metabisulphite)? Can I bottle when hydrometer reads 0%? And what about clarrifying? I have Sparkalloid.


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## madrean (Oct 30, 2006)

if your ambient temp is at least 75F (or was during the period) you're cool to bottle. you've got as much fermentation as you're gonna get i think.

did you transfer to secondary? if it's in a nice tall carboy, i'd leave it there. aging in a big glass container isn't any different from aging in little glass containers.

the big thing though is exposing it to air. you don't really want to do that unless you're bottling it.

oh by the way, if you don't already have one, get a floor bottler!!! you'll be glad. you can literally do a bottle in less than 10 seconds!!!

good luck.


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## roxy10_2 (Oct 30, 2006)

Well, its still giving off CO2, the airlock bubbles every 7-10 seconds depending on the time of day, because at night our furnace is turned down to 18-19 C. It takes a little while for the airlock to speed up during the morning. The internal temp is about 74. The potential alcohol is 1% right now. It's been in the carboy for 10 days. So to move, like to another town, when can I bottle it? I need it done by about the 20th of November. HELP!!!!!!


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## dazealot (Oct 31, 2006)

Where are you currently storing it and what is the humidity and temp.?


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## madrean (Oct 31, 2006)

roxy10_2 said:


> Well, its still giving off CO2, the airlock bubbles every 7-10 seconds depending on the time of day, because at night our furnace is turned down to 18-19 C. It takes a little while for the airlock to speed up during the morning. The internal temp is about 74. The potential alcohol is 1% right now. It's been in the carboy for 10 days. So to move, like to another town, when can I bottle it? I need it done by about the 20th of November. HELP!!!!!!



hey roxy,

i thought you started it oct 10? that's exactly 3 weeks ago. if it's only been 10 days, you've gotta leave it in there. 

i recommend transferring to a 6 gal carboy (assuming you're making a 6 gal batch) and transporting it that way (assuming you're going to be driving).

once it's in the carboy, you can shake it all you want-- especially if you wait a couple of days for the CO2 to build inside--- that way you won't have oxygen getting splashed around with the liquid. that could lead to oxidation. nonetheless, transfer it and then move.


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## cpfan (Nov 5, 2006)

Roxy:

Basically I agree with madrean. However, what kind of wine are you making? Kit? Grapes? Juices?

Most kits can be bottled in 4 weeks. Fruit or juice wines usually take a lot longer.

Steve


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## roxy10_2 (Nov 6, 2006)

It's not a kit, but 2 bottles of Sunrype Apple juice, 1 bottle Sunrype Wildberry juice(1 gallon), and black currants. This was made from a recipe. The SG is now at 1.000. I'm guessing that since its still fermenting, that its going to .990 SG. How can I keep it in a carboy for a 1200 km trip? I was wondering if I could add the stabilizer and sparkalloid to end the ferment early? I wouldn't do this if I didn't have to, but we move OUT of the house on the 23-24 of November.!!


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## MUMBA (Nov 6, 2006)

*990*

it will pop corks until it gets to 990 
why didnt you wait untill you moved to make it


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## smurfe (Nov 13, 2006)

Agreed, just transport the carboy. Last time I moved I transported a 6 gallon carboy of a wine that was like a week shy of even being close to bottling.

Smurfe


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## mmm wine (Nov 13, 2006)

I would wait. Rack it off to another carboy the day before you plan to move. This will keep the deposits from being resuspended. If you bottle to early you will just have a mess. I have been making wine my whole life, its a family thing, and we make our wine in late September and dont bottle until at least Christmas. Some people bottle earlier but I like to wait.


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