# Who wants to help out the new guy?



## Sebastian (Feb 15, 2006)

I've long wanted to try my hand at home wine making, but to be honest, i 
know absolutely nothing about it. zero. zilch. nada.

I had long been under the impression that home wine making was limited 
to strawberry and watermelon and dandelions and the like, but a brief net 
search showed me the error of my ways, and it appears there are wide 
ranging kits from red zinfandels to ports to shiraz. now that's what i'm 
talking about.

I'm a chocolate maker by day. I'm sure we can work out a trade for any 
enterprising teacher who's willing to help me out and get me started  
So how about it - where's the best place for me to start? Do i go with one 
of the kits? Are there better ways to initate oneself? I'm afraid I'm so 
green i don't even know the right questions to ask at this point. I 
tyipcally like the heavier, spicier red wines (old vine red zins, shiraz, 
bordeaux's), although i've been known in the summer to drink a very 
sweet red wine with a grilled pizza on the porch as well.

Thanks for any help y'all might be able to give!


----------



## masta (Feb 15, 2006)

You have come to the right place...welcome Sebastian. 


Chocolate maker by day...wine maker by night! Nothing better than a fine piece of dark chocolate and a rich peppery Shiraz...sorry back to helping you!







Starting with kit is a great place to begin since your success is guaranteed and you just need to to follow the directions!


Please take some time and look through these links and get familur with the process and when you are ready to get started give George a call and he will help you get everything you need.


http://www.finevinewines.com/New_Visitors.htm


http://www.finevinewines.com/New_Vintners.htm


http://www.finevinewines.com/New_Visitors.htm


----------



## Waldo (Feb 15, 2006)

Welcome Sebastian. You have found teh right place to begin your new hobby podner. I would hiughly recommend you begin by getting you a good book on home wine making and devour it along with the info on Jack Kellers homepage at


http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/


as well as the excellent resources on this site


http://www.finevinewines.com/home-wine-making-supply.htm


As far as what type of wine you begin with, that would boil down to a personal preference but jump right on in podner, we are all here to help you succeed


----------



## MedPretzel (Feb 15, 2006)

> I'm sure we can work out a trade for any
> enterprising teacher who's willing to help me out and get me started




*Me! Me!! Me!!!*


Well, chocolate is very good.






But so are kits. Along with the others have offered, give George a call. He'll help you personally, and the interaction with him will tell you exactly what you need. I would go with the kits, there are plenty of them. There are higher end kits, lower end ktis and within those, you'll find exactly the one that is right for you.





A few warnings though:
<UL>
<LI>This hobby is addictive.</LI>
<LI>You have to age kit wines longer than 28 days</LI>
<LI>You will be hooked after 6 months for sure.</LI>
<LI>I love chocolate, and you have divulged this secret to me. I might have to hold you ransom.



</LI>[/list]


Many warm greetings from Ohio, and we look forward to hearing from youand about your first wine!


----------



## Bill B (Feb 15, 2006)

I have to agree with the other. Starting out with a kit or two or three is the way I would go. Not only do they make a good wine, but they will give you a feel of the wine making process from cleaning,sanitizing, fermentation, racking, reading a Hydrometer, smells, etc. The instructions are very good on kits, If you follow these to the letter you should end up with a very nice wine. Good luck and Welcome.


Bill


----------



## Sebastian (Feb 15, 2006)

Wow. y'all are great - lots of responses in not a lot of time - thanks!

Prior to posting intially, I'd looked over most of the site, as well as a few 
others.The general feel i'm getting is that the kits tend to make fairly large 
batches (say, 6 - 8 gallons) at a shot. Are these things scaleable? IE - could 
i use an 8 gallon kit at 1/4 scale to 'test' it, and then do 3 other variants? 
are there smaller kits?I'd rather have a dozen different trials of smaller 
quantities to find out what i do and don't like, what works and what doesn't, 
as opposed to ending up with one big ol' batch.

Is this something I could do, say, in the house w/o having to worry about off 
smells (my wife might have something to say about that...)


----------



## PolishWineP (Feb 15, 2006)

Welcome Sebastian! (Martina, I like chocolate more than you do and I'm older, so you just back up and get in line behind me!



) I happened to be drinking wine and eating chocolate at the time I found your post! 


Do yourself a favor and just make a kit following the instructions. Then make another kit. You'll be surprised how fast those 6 gallons of wine disappear! You'll need something to drink when you're working on your next batches!



Before you monkey with them you should make 1 or 2 just to get the basics down. The kits are not scaleable.Whenyou take the cap off the bag of juice, that's it. AFTER you've completed fermentation and have racked it at bare minimum one time, you can then split the batch into smaller batches and play with it, but the first 1 or 2 batches I'd suggest you just follow the instructions beginning to end. They will be like home tutorials with wonderful outcomes! If you like a heavy wine you'll have to buy the more expensive kits. 


And as far as smells, it's wonderful! We do our primary fermentation in ouroffice and there's nothing like walking in there after a hard day in the salt mines and getting a wiff of that! It's never a bad smell and it's only for a few days.






If you let us know how it's going and ask any questions you have you'll find lots of support here. We love seeing people joining us in our addiction. I mean hobby.


----------



## pkcook (Feb 15, 2006)

Welcome Sebastian,


You have certainly come to the right place to begin this wonderful hobby. George is the man that can hook you up with all you need. Although I've never made a kit wine, I would recommend it after all the discussion and tutorials on kit wines on this forum. I love making country (fruit)wines. The satisfaction is wonderful when you pop the cork on a terrific wine you made yourself, not to mention seeing the delight on a friend's or loved one's face when you present them with a bottle.


I'll give you the two pieces of advice I give everyone I talk to that is interested in this hobby: clean and sanitize everything that touches your wine, and time is your best friend (don't rush to bottle). But most of all enjoy it. I know I sure do!


Welcome again,


Pat*Edited by: pkcook *


----------



## Waldo (Feb 16, 2006)

You might do like I did Sebastian and buy a bottle of commercial wine of the type you are considering making to see if it's a wine you really will enjoy. Just remember that the wine you will be making will end up tastin better than the commercial one


----------



## garyd (Feb 16, 2006)

tsk tsk tsk, such shameless grovelling for some free chocolate. Y'all should be ashamed of yourselves. Welcome Sebastian! (I like dark chocolate)



*Edited by: garyd *


----------



## MedPretzel (Feb 16, 2006)

garyd said:


> tsk tsk tsk, such shameless grovelling for some free chocolate. Y'all should be ashamed of yourselves. Welcome Sebastian! (I like dark chocolate)


----------



## PolishWineP (Feb 16, 2006)

garyd said:


> tsk tsk tsk, such shameless grovelling for some free chocolate. Y'all should be ashamed of yourselves. Welcome Sebastian! (I like dark chocolate)




And your point would be?






And I LOVE



DARK CHOCOLATE!


----------



## Sebastian (Feb 16, 2006)

At some point i'd like to include chocolate nibs in the wine making process, and afterwards turn the nibs into chocolate to see how the wine fermentation and flavor steepage affect the finished chocolate. But first, baby steps..


I'll likely buy the setup tonight. In looking at the winexpert site (it seems most of the kits here are winexpert kits), there's a broad price range - are the higher priced kits substantially different than the lower ones? For example, there the high end vitners reserve shiraz, and the Selection series shiraz...


#2 - is the process a messy one? I'm thinking logistics (don't really have a cemented sink area where spilling isn't an issue). Are there transfers that need to take place where spillage is an issue? Is the bottle filling process messy? We do have a tiled kitchen, so a little spillage isn't a big issue, but if it's a fairly messy process, i'll need to give more thought as to how/where i need to do that...


----------



## MedPretzel (Feb 16, 2006)

Sebastian said:


> #2 - is the process a messy one? I'm thinking logistics (don't really have a cemented sink area where spilling isn't an issue). Are there transfers that need to take place where spillage is an issue? Is the bottle filling process messy? We do have a tiled kitchen, so a little spillage isn't a big issue, but if it's a fairly messy process, i'll need to give more thought as to how/where i need to do that...




Hahaha, it depends on who you ask. I have a feeling most of the people here are *not* like me, where spilling is ALWAYS an issue (i.e. they are very careful). If you have to be careful (grouting, etc), I would definitely always put a heavy towel (old one) on the floor like seen in smurfe's wine-kit tutorial. 


It is hypothesized (in my mind



) that once you get the siphoning procedure down, there is practically no spillage to speak of. Of course, this depends on how much you nip while you are siphoning, I imagine. Hence, my siphoning experiences still end up pretty messy - usually.


Don't let my comments get you down, though. I am sure there are people who can do this very easily and without getting wine all over everything. Unfortuantely, I'm not one..... *yet*!!!






*Edited by: MedPretzel *


----------



## Brandst (Feb 16, 2006)

Welcome Sebastian.





I just started my first kit on the 5th of this month and even with the mix-stir hooked up to my drill and screamin along, I think I had one or two drops get on the floor. I racke into the secondary last weekend and didn't spill anything during the racking. I have not used the siphon yet as the first racking was from the spigot on the primary, but I don't see that as a problem either. The biggest thing that gets me is I love to cook, but that process generally takes minutes to hours and occasionally a couple of days. I'm a patient person but I'm already getting antsy about my wine, and it still has a good 6 months to go before it's ready to drink and even more till it peaks. I would tell ya to get a second carboy anddo a longer aging wine like I did first though, then do the quick one. That way you can start the fast one after your first or second racking and it will bottle shortly after the first but be ready to dring sooner so you don't have to wait as long. Of course, maybe I'm just beginning my delusions and addiction and can't stop myself, but I don't think so.





Steve


----------



## peterCooper (Feb 16, 2006)

You know, 

Chocolate is one thing, but chocolate wine. now that might be another 
thing entirely.


----------



## MedPretzel (Feb 16, 2006)

Me! Me!!! MEEEEEE!!!!!!!


----------



## masta (Feb 16, 2006)

Personally I would say if you are lookingto make a bold full bodied red like a Cab or Shiraz you need to go with the higher end kits. 


Are the higher end kits worth the extra cost....ABSOLUTLEY!


The Vintner Reserve Kits also make a great wine with certain styles and I really enjoy the Bergamais and Mezza Luna White.


Make sure you register so you get the 5% off discount on your first order.


----------



## Sebastian (Feb 16, 2006)

Ok, higher end kits it is.Next question, as i've been reading, i'm seeing 
some folks aging their wines in the carbouys for years, others doing it the 
bottles... is there a difference? If so, i might have to get a few more 
carbouys...

Also, it strikes me that if i go gangbusters with this, and i assume i will, my 
existing wine rack will be near capacity after the first kit. I'm gonna need 
more storage. Perhaps I missed it, but is there a section here discussion 
making wine cellars/racks/boxes, etc? I've got a craw space (cement floor, 
cement walls) that just might be the perfect space (it's 16x20x4 ft high) for 
some do it yer selfer wine racks to hold these guys..i'm thinking ripping 
2x4's with furring strips added in a ladder like fashion might do the trick..


----------



## masta (Feb 16, 2006)

We have discussed aging in carboys vs bottles many times and I have to say no one has posted any harddata there is a difference in the end result. Keeping the wine in carboy for an extended period of time keeps you from drinking it to soon and also will allow you to oak it if you so desire.


We really don't have a sectiondedicated for talking about building cellars and racks as of yet but if there is enough interest we can certainly do it.


----------



## bilbo-in-maine (Feb 16, 2006)

Hi Sebastian and welcome.

I want to recommend that you consider making one of the Vintner 
Reserve kits, specifically the Mezza Luna Red in lieu of or along with one 
of the more expensive kits. It is one of the less expensive reds that can 
be drunk earlier on and is quite good. If you like you can add more oak as 
it ages in the carboy.

Your crawl space sounds like a very good place to age your wine. I do the 
same, although mine isn't nicely finished as your's is with concrete floor. 
The temperature remains fairly constant in the low to mid forties and the 
humidity is always above 70%, and it is always dark. Almost perfect.

Let us know what you end up getting.

Bill


----------



## Sebastian (Feb 16, 2006)

I gotta say, y'all have been great. I'd be approaching this with much more 
trepidation, i think, were it not for your willingness to share your knowledge 
and experiences!


----------



## OilnH2O (Feb 16, 2006)

Welcome Sebastian --


As a fellow "newbie" let me also suggest a kit to follow the directions -- it's amazing how those directions lead to success, and in the middle of doing one thing, the LAST thing you need is to wonder...what to do NEXT!


Second, several folks have suggested "call George" -- you can't go wrong and the best part about this site is George's personal attention -- you'll not get that elsewhere. He wants you to succeed (and the rest of us, but most especially GEORGE!) 


Last, as has been said, "clean and sanitize." You'll be glad you did! And, while on still on my first...and second...kit (two going now!) it is just AMAZING what you'll learn by doing that first kit! Next thing you'll know, you TOO will be offering suggestions to new folks -- even though, like me, still a newbie, because you will learn SO MUCH in such a SHORT TIME!









Welllll... I'll be! CHECK THAT Sebastian! I just got "upgraded" to GROUPIE -- almost as good as flying Delta and getting moved up front! (Maybe it was all those kind words -- truthful too! -- about George!)*Edited by: OilnH2O *


----------



## earl (Feb 17, 2006)

Sebastian


I am totally new also and have just bottled my 2nd kit. My first kit was a Beaujalois and I may have a few issues with it. My 2nd was a Green apple Reisling that I spiked a bit, and it is fantastic. My point is that if you are new to winemaking make a kit that is easy, and one that you can enjoy the fruits of your labor early. You will learn volumes about Cleaning and Sanitizing, bottling, following directions and patience. I haven't decided on my next one, either a spiked Island mist shiraz or a Pinot Noir. 


In a nutshell, don't make something you will have to put away for a few years. Make a wine you can drink this summer and have a great time with.


P.S. --Have Waldo help you with your labels.


earl


----------



## Sebastian (Feb 18, 2006)

Thanks. I'm going to buy an island mist today (exactly for the reasons 
you 
mention - we'll want to drink something sooner rather than later), and as 
soon as that's done, I'm going to go start on something heavier, perhaps 
the 
lodi old vine red zin, one of the crusendos, or the barolo...

What do you mean by 'spiking' it? Reaching a higher alcohol level? If so, 
is that a factor of which yeast you use? Adding additonal sugars?

I can muddle my way around photoshop - this is a label i made for a 
concept 
chocolate bar. Would be fun to see some labels y'all come up with!

hmm..attaching the pic to the post didn't go so well. lemme try linking it 
to 
another server instead...<a href="http://home.ptd.net/~scottdj/1.jpg" target="_blank">rio 
caribe label</a>*Edited by: Sebastian *


----------



## Waldo (Feb 18, 2006)

Spiking = Additional sugar added to increase alcohol content


I just did a Green Apple Riesling and added an additional 4 lbs sugar.


----------



## Sebastian (Feb 18, 2006)

Ok, started the mixed berry zin kit. I've added what I should (what does 
Bentonite do?) to the primary fermenter (the large plastic bucket, bear 
with me, still learning the lingo here), and the directions say to cover it 
and let it sit for 5-7 days. Question - the lid on the bucket has a small 
hole in it with a rubber gasket around it (presumably to make a tight seal 
for something to be inserted). When i cover it and let it sit, do i need to 
insert anything into this hole, or leave the hole open to the air? If left 
open to the air, how susceptible is the mix to ambient yeasts and moulds 
(i'm going to be storing this in my basement, i assume there's a fair 
amount of Y/M down there even though it's largely a finished 
basement)....

Prior to making this I made a wine prep bench in my basement. It's two 
levels, and I wager it can hold a dozen of these 6 gallon jobs (plan for the 
future, I say!).


----------



## Brandst (Feb 18, 2006)

You don't NEED to cover it, but for the reasons you mentioned plus flys and all sorts of other no-see-ems, I chose to put my airlock in. I did not fill the airlock with anything just stuck it in to keep out large things and so far no problems. A lot of people just put a towel or other loose item over the primary to keep large particles/insects out.





Steve


----------



## OldWino1 (Feb 19, 2006)

My Mezza Luna Red is great some where between CHianti and Merlot.


My frends like it also. but give it atleast 3 months in the bottle. and as alwaysolder is better.


----------



## PolishWineP (Feb 19, 2006)

Bentonite will help settle out the lees. (Floaties) When you rack it to a carboy the first time, don't worry about trying to leave all the lees behind. You'll still need some of that in the carboy the 1st time around.


Sealing the lid on the primary fermenter isn't necessary and is actually a bother. It's much harder to open it to take readings, stir it, etc. Sometimes our fermentation gets going so vigorously that it gets messy, so the towel with string and rubberband to hold it on and the loose lid on top help to contain that.


----------



## Sebastian (Feb 19, 2006)

Thanks everyone. I've got the primary going for about 18 hours now and 
there's a thick mat on the surface (looks like the yeast have hydrated and 
expanded? reproducing?), and there's some bubbles around the sides of 
the primary. Am assuming that's a good sign 

Lets talk sanitizing (i never, ever in my life thought i'd bring that sentance 
up in regular conversation!)

The Winexpert kit came with a 4 g packet of potassium metabisulfite. 
The instructions indicate to dissolve 50 g of it in a gallon of water (i had 
purchased an extra bottle of it, and i scaled down the amount i was 
making to a 1 liter size. i added 8.5g of my extra to the 4 g that came 
with the kit). Why would they only include 4 g of the metabisulphite 
powder? Is it something they've over looked on their part, or am I 
missing something? I put the left over soln in an airtight container and 
stored in the fridge, set to expire in 2 months.

The extra bisulfite powder I have indicates to mix 0.67g / gallon of must 
to kill wild yeast, or 2 oz (56g) / gallon as a sanitizer. I took the second 
option - what's the first option for? 

Also, i essentially just dipped everything in the resulting soln and let it air 
dry, or drained and used it right away. Is that sufficient, or is there a 
more thorough process for sanitizing I should use in the future (multiple 
dippings, stronger soln's, particular rinse cycles, etc)?


----------



## masta (Feb 19, 2006)

The 4g packet of K-meta that was included in the kit was not for sanitizing equipment. It is added in step #3 to stabilize and protect the wine. 


Not a big deal just measure out 4g of the K-meta you have and add it as indicated in the instructions in Step #3.


The firstoption on your K-meta container is used when making fruit wines or wines from fresh grapes. The juice in a wine kit has the correct amount of sulfite added to start.


----------



## grapeman (Feb 19, 2006)

I can help you out in making a wine rack, but I have to research where I got the plan from. I found a plan design that uses one sheet of plywood(I used oak) to make a rack that holds 96 bottles. It is 4 feet high and 4 feet wide. I made two variations of it to fit spaces I had available. It works great, is easy to build, rugged and looks good too. One rack that hold 112 bottles I made out of oak I ripped, instead of plywood. If I want, I can stain and poly it. I have the plan, but have to research where I found it. I should be able to find the link in the next few days and post it here.


----------



## NorthernWinos (Feb 19, 2006)

appleman said:


> I can help you out in making a wine rack, but I have to research where I got the plan from. I found a plan design that uses one sheet of plywood(I used oak) to make a rack that holds 96 bottles. It is 4 feet high and 4 feet wide. I made two variations of it to fit spaces I had available. It works great, is easy to build, rugged and looks good too. One rack that hold 112 bottles I made out of oak I ripped, instead of plywood. If I want, I can stain and poly it. I have the plan, but have to research where I found it. I should be able to find the link in the next few days and post it here.



Appleman...Welcome to the Forum....
is this the Site you were looking up for the plans on the 96 bottle rack???....it looks like a good one to me, as long as your handy with some equipment.
http://hometown.aol.ca/bperez/winerack/Wine_Rack_Plan.pdf
Appleman...do you grow apples????


----------



## grapeman (Feb 19, 2006)

Yes, that's the one!! Easy to build and sturdy. I use pan head screws after gluing and pin-nailing. Takes about 6-8 hours to build. I'll post some pictures when I have time. 


Yes, I have my own small orchard- about 125 trees- 15 varieties. I'm located in the Champlain Valley of NYS near Plattsburgh and Peru. I also have a few grape vines and am going to start a small vineyard with about 400 vines this spring. I'm getting some vines started and going to start 250 from cuttings in our greenhouses in a couple weeks for spring planting.


----------



## NorthernWinos (Feb 19, 2006)

appleman said:


> Yes, that's the one!! Easy to build and sturdy. I use pan head screws after gluing and pin-nailing. Takes about 6-8 hours to build. I'll post some pictures when I have time.
> 
> 
> Yes, I have my own small orchard- about 125 trees- 15 varieties. I'm located in the Champlain Valley of NYS near Plattsburgh and Peru. I also have a few grape vines and am going to start a small vineyard with about 400 vines this spring. I'm getting some vines started and going to start 250 from cuttings in our greenhouses in a couple weeks for spring planting.



Sounds like you have it under control...going to be picking your brains about growing stuff.
I have ordered small fruit trees from St. Lawrence Nursery 
http://www.sln.potsdam.ny.us/
Have had good luck with their stuff.... hard to find hardy varieties for up here in Northern MN, so was happy to find a source from a Zone 3 nursery.Local places sell stuff that has been grown further south, and ask a premium price.....
Going to be having major spring fever for the next few weeks, this is the time of the year that gets tough on people who like to dig in the dirt and still have snow on the frozen sod.....but...time will pass.
Take photos of your enterprises...at all stages of growth...share with us your ventures....




Do you crush your apples and sell juice, or sell apples???Do you make wine with your apples??? Our favorite wine is ***Sparkling Apple***..the specialty of this house. Going to dégorge 30 bottles any day and mix up another batch tomorrow....love those apples.




Just tasted the first bottle of our Hard Apple Cider, made it carbonated in beer bottles...it's going to be great given a few more weeks to carbonate....will be a great summer drink.




Keep us posted on your vineyard too....*Edited by: Northern Winos *


----------



## OilnH2O (Feb 19, 2006)

Hey NW!


While those plans say "plywood" it appears from the pic's that the material is MDF -- is it?


----------



## NorthernWinos (Feb 20, 2006)

OilnH2O said:


> Hey NW!
> 
> 
> While those plans say "plywood" it appears from the pic's that the material is MDF -- is it?



I don't know, I would like to have one of those racks, looks like they wouldn't take up much space, and holds many bottles...imagine you could just use little boards too, but boards might split when drilled.


----------



## redwineleo (Feb 20, 2006)

I built that rack about 6 months ago. I used MDF since the rack is in my basement where nobody sees it. If you want to paint it, MDF will work fine. If you want to stain it and make it look nice I'd suggest hardwood. I'm not a carpenter, but I built it in about 3 or 4 hours on a Saturday afternoon. Will probably build another one soon, as this hobby is addictive (making wine, that is) and I'm out of rack space.


----------



## grapeman (Feb 20, 2006)

NW


First, I've built two of the racks, one from 3/4" Oak Plywood and one fromI ripped the oak boards I milled into 3/4" strips. I drilled and used panhead screws (pocket screws). They both work well, but I have more confidence in the solid oak- the plywood bows slightly uner the weight.


Secondly, I grow the apples mainly for my use , but sell some on the family roadside stand. I press cider in the fall season and could sell some locally for wine, but I don't market for fresh cider to drink since NYS now forces you to pasteurize or put in preservatives. I'd be glad to share info on the apples as time permits. I am familiar with St. Lawrence Nurseries. They are over in Potsdam-two hours west of here. My brother buys blueberries and apples fom them and swears by them. I could shareinfo on hardy varieties, but we are borderline zone 4/5 here in the valley.


More to follow in a new post later.


Richard


----------



## Sebastian (Feb 23, 2006)

Ok, here's where I'm at - this is fun!

Racked the wine from the primary into the carbouy with an autosiphon. 
Essentially I placed the autosiphon on the bottom of the primary, and 
siphoned until it stopped, leaving perhaps 3/4" residual on the bottom of 
the primary:




IMG]

I've put the stopper in the carbouy with an airlock, filled with 
metabisulfite 
soln - am assuming i should remove the red cap atop the airlock? Inside 
the blue square inset, the metabisulfite solution hasn't sought an even 
level - the chamber on the right contains almost all the soln - assume 
that's a normal effect once stoppered?






Hows everything look to all you professionals? Anything look out of 
whack?

(hm, for some reason i can't seem to put more than one photo in the 
message...)


----------



## MedPretzel (Feb 23, 2006)

No, the red cap stays on.





As tp the blue box... Keep the solutin in there. If you are seeing "action" (and you'll know what I mean when it happens) then leave it. There is a fine graduated line int here. look for it and fill it so it is level when it is off the carboy. It all has to do with pressure, and once you havve it on your carboy, you'll see it change.





You're doin' good.


----------



## Sebastian (Feb 23, 2006)

Should the red cap by firmly in place? I'm assuming that the wine will 
continue to ferment and give off gas, and that the reason for the air lock is 
so that the gas can escape, but that nothing else is getting in. if the cap is 
on tightly, the gas won't be able to escape, will it?

erm, i just went down to look at it, and apparently the pressure pushed the 
red cap off.... and i can't find it. do i need to run out and get a new airlock/
cap, or is this gonna be ok for the next 10 days or so....*Edited by: Sebastian *


----------



## bilbo-in-maine (Feb 23, 2006)

> or is this gonna be ok for the next 10 days or so....



Depends upon whether you have fruit flies hanging about just waiting to 
dive in and invade!





If you can find the cap, put it back on, or loosly cover the top with foil. The 
escaping CO2 just needs to vent to the atmosphere.

The solution is uneven across the two chambers due to the CO2 pressure 
inside the carboy. You should see bubbling through the solution as the gas 
escapes. If there is no bubbling, you may have too much solution in the 
airlock. Keep it filled no higher than the lines below the midpoint of the 
chambers.


----------



## Sebastian (Feb 23, 2006)

Thanks mate - foil it is. no flies this time of year here, and we've got plenty 
'o bubbling going on in the airlock!


----------



## Funky Fish (Feb 24, 2006)

My read cap, when firmly in place, still allows CO2 to come out. If you look closely at your red cap, it should have some small holes in the top. These may be plugged or may not have been properly formed when the cap was made.


----------



## Sebastian (Feb 27, 2006)

Ok, it's been about 5 days since i've racked it into the carbouy - guess i'm 
just looking for reassurance  the wine (it's an island mist exotic fruits 
white zin) is steadily clearing (initially it was pretty cloudy - now i can almost 
see through it), and there's a good 1" of sediment on the bottom. Normal?
Any point in me taking specific gravity readings prior to the 10 days 
suggested in the instructiions, or should i just let it be for the full 10 days 
(i'm excited. having a hard time just letting it be  )


----------



## masta (Feb 27, 2006)

Everything is proceeding as normal and no need to take SG reading until day 10 and yes you will add the stabilizing and fining agent to the batch and stirring it all up *no matter how clear it is* as per the instructions.


How many times of day do you check on it? Don't worry if it is many as I still can't go a day without checking in on my babies at least once a day after 4 years of doing this!


----------



## Waldo (Feb 28, 2006)

Looking good Sebastian


----------



## Sebastian (Feb 28, 2006)

thanks  erm, i probably check on it 4-5 x /day - when i wake up, when i 
get home, after supper, before bed. I've even listened to it a time or 
two ....yeah, i'm a headcase..


----------



## Glenimus (Mar 3, 2006)

Sebastian,


It is so amazing that that just a couple of months ago, I had all the same questions as you have now. I just bottled my second batch (Reisling) and will start my third batch on Saturday. I AM HOOKED and I am certain that you will be too.


Things that I learned:


(1) This forum is an exception place to learn and ask questions. (2) George always answers the phone (I must have called him 20 times during the first batch. (3) There is nothing, absolutely nothing,like doing it and taking that first sip of your own wine (even if it is too young. Sort of like babies -- your own is more beautiful than anyone elses baby or anyone elses wine.)


In six months you willstill have questions, but you will look back andbe amazed at how much you have learned. I wish you the best, my friend. 


Glenimus (Pope wanna be)


----------



## Waldo (Mar 3, 2006)

Kinda gets in your blood doesn't it


----------



## PolishWineP (Mar 3, 2006)

You're not a head case! You'd be a head case if you sat with it all the time with a stethoscope on it!



I sometimes talk to my wines and beer almost as much as I talk to my cats. Now, does that make ME a head case?



(And all of you out there, don't feel the need to comment on me. We're trying to REASSURE someone here!



)


----------



## Sebastian (Mar 3, 2006)

PWP - i don't have a problem with talking to things - where i get funny looks is when i start answsering them...


Ok, as of last night, the wine's been racked to the carbouy for exactly 7 days - the booklet says to let it sit in there for a good 10 days prior to taking the SG readings and doing the next steps. Last night i spent some time with my carbouy - we told stories, sang songs, generally got to know one another better - i noticed that the fermentation has *significantly* slowed as there's hardly any bubbling going on. Is this a normal point to be at at this time? I'm assuming a good deal of the yeast is dying and the sugars are running out? The wine is becoming very clear (it's a sweet red - i can see through the carbouy now). The bottom looks interesting - theres a ton of sedimentation - almost looks like the surface of the moon - lots of pock marks all over the place.


I'm dying to open it up and take a sample. little scared to do it before the 10 days noted in the book as i don't want to upset the force, young jedi.


I'm likely gonna go buy another carbouy this weekend and get another one going. i'm very impatient  Is there any reason i wouldn't want to tie up my primary fermenter (i've read some people are transferring from their secondary back to the primary to try to get some extra sedimentation out?)


----------



## Sebastian (Mar 11, 2006)

7 days ago i added the F pack, clearing agents, degassed and so on. The 
next day the top 20% was crystal clear, with everything below it being fairly 
occluded - i left for a biz trip and assumed that as time went on, more of 
the wine would clear and less would be occluded. However, its pretty much 
just the same today as it was 6 days ago. There's a visable striation, above 
which it's very clear, below is hazy. I had planned on transferring it to a 
second carbouy to minimize my odds of picking up sedimentation during 
bottling, but am now wondering if something's gone awry given that it seem 
sto be 'stuck' at a partial clearing...paranoid or is this normal?


----------



## masta (Mar 11, 2006)

It is quite normal and remember a watched pot never boils!


I normally let my kit wine settle *at least 3 weeks* before preparing to bottle so they have plenty of time to clear. The instructions say "if wine is clear after 14 days proceed to Stage 4" this does not mean that every kit will be ready after 14 days but is a minimum time line. The wine will tell you when it is ready and resist the temptation to bottle before it is ready since you will wish you didn't. We have all gone through this process when we first started and it normal!


My standard process with all wines is that when they are settling I gently rock the carboy to knock the fines off the sides so they settle to the bottom. Justgrab the carboy by theneck and gently rock it back and forth and you will see the fines come off the sides. This process also helpscompact the lees so they are not as thick when you go rack just before bottling.


----------



## Sebastian (Mar 11, 2006)

Thanks Masta - so much to learn  when i'm ready to bottle, or nearing it, 
would you recommend transferring the wine to another carbouy with the 
intent of leaving behind the lees and letting it sit for another week or so to 
settle further? I've had it suggested that this is a great way to prevent/
minimze excess sediment from getting into the bottles during bottling.

I took a sneak sip of it this morning - not bad  look forward to having a 
full glass of it after it's all said and done. It's interesting because sometimes 
the sulfite soln in the air lock changes level quite markedly - sometimes it's 
pushed all the way up one side as it was during fermentation, as if 
something's pushing it out. others it's sucked a good way up t'other side as 
if it's pulling a vacuum in the carbouy...


----------



## PolishWineP (Mar 12, 2006)

We always rack before bottling. No reason to suck up any sediment on the bottle of the carboy into bottles. Sounds like you're having fun with your hobby! 


More Carboys! More Carboy!


----------



## smurfe (Mar 17, 2006)

I guess I missed this thread as well



Guess I am gonna have to quit using the active topic mode and go back to reading every thread like I used to. I wanted to wish a belated welcome to Sebastian. Looks like things are going good for you there. You know, you all could of pointed him toward the pictorial tutorials that a few have posted here












I hope to finish my tutorialreal quick like as well!


Smurfe


----------



## Sebastian (Mar 19, 2006)

A BIG shout out to all of you for the help - i'm sure you've answered these 
same questions a thousand times before, i apprecate that you've been 
willing to do it 1001..last week i racked off the lees, and will give it another 
week or so before bottling as i inadvertantly sucked some of the lees up and 
re-clouded the whole shebang. Today i started an lodi old vine red zin, and 
can't wait to get rolling with something else.


----------



## Bert (Mar 19, 2006)

It will be OK...when that happens the wine usually settles out pretty quick..give it a week or two and you'll see sediment in the bottom again...Masta's little trick would be good to use again too...


----------



## Sebastian (Mar 29, 2006)

I just bottled my first coupla cases of the white zin - found that boiling the 
corks made the handcorking go MUCH easier (although i'll need to find an 
alternative for the old vine red zin i started a couple of weeks ago - from 
what i can glean off the boards, boiling the cheapo corks seems to be a 
great way to shorten their shelf life...).

BIG ol thanks to all. Since I can't quite reasonably send a bar of chocolate 
out to everyone who helped (these are 10 lb bars mind you.. shipping to all 
of you will break me), i could send a few to george if he's willing to take 
them and distribute them to ya'll when you're next shipments from him 
occur...


----------



## Funky Fish (Mar 30, 2006)

Sebastian,


I can't help but cringing a bit when you said "boiling." I've never boiled my corks before, but I have heard on several occasions of someone opening a bottle, having the cork fall apart



, and saying that they boiled the corks when they put them in. I'm hoping it's a coincidence, though, and that this won't happen to you. Luckily, with white zin, it's a wine that can be quaffed quickly.






How long have you had your hand corker? If it still looks new, you might check with your local homebrew shop and see if they will accept it and give you some monetary credit towards a floor corker. I don't know if they will or not, but it can't hurt to ask. Not that I'm saying there is anything wrong with the hand corker, but after I struggled through my first batch with one (and saw how small the iris in a floor corker could compress a cork), I quickly upgraded.


----------



## Funky Fish (Mar 30, 2006)

Sebastian said:


> last week i racked off the lees, and will give it another
> week or so before bottling as i inadvertantly sucked some of the lees up and
> re-clouded the whole shebang.




You had asked earlier if it's best to rack off the lees before bottling, and I see you found the answer!



It seems like I always get a small amount of lees sucked up on this transfer, but luckily it settles right back down so the wine can be bottled in a week or two.


----------



## Sebastian (Mar 30, 2006)

I'd read the horror stories re: boiling and disintegration, but thought that 
this batch will likely be gone in 2 month anyway. I'll likely just buy a floor 
corker (they're only what, 50 bucks?) and be done with it. i'll probably go to 
synthetic corks given what i really want are aging reds, and from what i've 
been able to glean from the experiences of others, the synthetic corks age 
better and give me more flexibility in storage position and RH conditions....


----------

