# Getting the answer you want fast!



## Wade E

Welcome all wine makers! When you need an answer on wine making please be very specific as to what the recipe is, temp, starting gravity and gravity now, amount of sulfites added, Brand and exact kit being made, in other words provide us with as much info as you can otherwise we will have to answer your question with one of these questions as we dont want to give you the wrong answer. Doing this will most likely give us enough info to properly diagnose whats going on with your wine. We so want to help you get your batch of wine finished and done right because we are all one big wine making family!


----------



## Kradman1

*Acid adjust*

Greetings Wade: 

Newcomer on board. Made some peach wine. Tested the acid prior to primary. Need acid as my goal was to reach .60 percent. Which is low I know for peach. Creeped up slowly to about .50 percent. Tested it three times to confirm. My plans were to add additional acid to reach the .60 percent mark AFTER primary. 

After primary, (about 3 weeks) tested acid again before adding any acid. It read .80 percent without adding. What happen? Will acid increase during primary? This happen to my strawberry, too. This seems unusally as I never had this problem before. Is it the fruit? Suggestions?


----------



## Wade E

while in preimary the pectic enzyme is extracting everything from the fruit including color, tannins, flavor and even acids. Those acids usually will decrease during fermentation but not right in the begging as the acids are being extracted. Welcome, where you be from?


----------



## Kradman1

*Acid Bound*

Thanks Wade. I'm just north of Freeort, Illinois. I will assume you like guns, as noted from your photo. A little about me: I was at my range yesterday poping a few caps down range lining my scope in until the heavy snow started. Heading out this evening for some coyotes.


----------



## Manimal

Another point to consider is that if you didn't degas the sample taken during/post fermentation, the dissolved CO2 can give you an inaccurately high TA reading. You can either shake the sample vigorously several times, or you can quickly bring it to a boil for a few seconds on the stove top and then let it cool back down to room temp. before testing... this will drive off any dissolved gases.


----------



## jtstar

Does anyone out there now of any wine making suppliers around the Atoka TN. area


----------



## Tom

A quick GOOGLE will get you...

[ame]http://maps.google.com/maps?sourceid=navclient&rlz=1T4GGLL_enUS332US332&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=wine+making+suppliers+in+Atoka+Tn&fb=1&gl=us&hq=wine+making+suppliers&hnear=Atoka+Tn&view=text&ei=Is2TS8LsLIuVtgfXktTVCg&sa=X&oi=local_group&ct=more-results&resnum=1&ved=0CB0QtwMwAA[/ame]


----------



## lehua768

Does anyone out there now of any wine making suppliers around the Atoka TN. area Newcomer on board. Made some peach wine. Tested the acid prior to primary. Need acid as my goal was to reach .60 percent. Which is low I know for peach. Creeped up slowly to about .50 percent. Tested it three times to confirm. My plans were to add additional acid to reach the .60 percent mark AFTER primary. After primary, (about 3 weeks) tested acid again before adding any acid. It read .80 percent without adding. What happen? Will acid increase during primary? This happen to my strawberry, too. This seems unusally as I never had this problem before. Is it the fruit? Suggestions? while in preimary the pectic enzyme is extracting everything from the fruit including color, tannins, flavor and even acids. Those acids usually will decrease during fermentation but not right in the begging as the acids are being extracted. Welcome, where you be from?


----------



## DeannaRay

hi all.. very new at this ..so bear with me please .. (i am trying to make wine ) i have it down now for a week but not hearing any bubbles or noises from it ..but i sure can smell it and my temperature is between 65-75 .. can you please help me out here...is this wine ok ..like i said very new at making wine first timer here ..
thank you..


----------



## Tom

Whats the gravity?
Whats the recipe?


----------



## winemaker_3352

DeannaRay said:


> hi all.. very new at this ..so bear with me please .. (i am trying to make wine ) i have it down now for a week but not hearing any bubbles or noises from it ..but i sure can smell it and my temperature is between 65-75 .. can you please help me out here...is this wine ok ..like i said very new at making wine first timer here ..
> thank you..



Did you add the yeast the same time as the sulfites?

Also - did you add any yeast nutrient to aid the yeast?


----------



## DeannaRay

gravity was 1.05 on june 19 wehn i put it down ... the kinda wine is Island mist ...


----------



## ffemt128

DeannaRay said:


> gravity was 1.05 on june 19 wehn i put it down ... the kinda wine is Island mist ...



I think this was supposed to go here from her other post....


----------



## DeannaRay

gravity was 1.05 on june 19.. thast when i put it down


----------



## Sirs

Wade E said:


> Welcome all wine makers! When you need an answer on wine making please be very specific as to what the recipe is, temp, starting gravity and gravity now, amount of sulfites added, Brand and exact kit being made, in other words provide us with as much info as you can otherwise we will have to answer your question with one of these questions as we dont want to give you the wrong answer. Doing this will most likely give us enough info to properly diagnose whats going on with your wine. We so want to help you get your batch of wine finished and done right because we are all one big wine making family!



What if you've never took the gravity or added sulfites or even yeast?....LOL
To me that would be a problem because I've never used anythnig but the fruits and sugar for my wines, kinda do it as simple as possible but I'm working on getting more knowledge and I'm going to start using some of the equipment used by normal wine makers lol.


----------



## tiger

hello everyone. i live in the midlands of England and have just made my first batch of plum wine. the plums were most likely greengages as are a pale yellow/green. I have followed all the usual rules and got to the part where i have moved to my secondary fermenter (demijohn) and its bubbling away vigorously. my only problem is that i have almost an inch of sugar build up at the bottom of the jar. i diluted the sugar in boiling water prior to adding so cannot fathom what has caused this. i have not encounter a problem with my apple, mixed berry or strawberry efforts. can anyone shed some knowledge for me. 

many thanks

james


----------



## pwrose

That doesn't sound like sugar, sounds like you just have more lees than usual. But if you are sure it is sugar I would suggest stirring it up to get it to disolve, but I really don't think it is sugar. What were your SG reading at the start and what was it when you put it in the secondary?


----------



## Tom

I also agree withe PW. Plums can throw alot of sedimant. Besides if it was sugar I doubt you would see that much. let it go dry and racl leaving the lees behind


----------



## tiger

hi

thanks guys. the foam appears to be rapidly diminshing now whilst this deposit to the bottom is still there. i believed it to be sugar due to its white appearance. my initial sc was 94.2 and had altered little on my second reading. is this alittle low? as a novice i hope to be around the 100 mark, no reason for this though!

as a thought, if i rack once the ferment settles and it is sugar what should i do? i will need it to both add to the alcohol and sweetness surely?

another question (sorry i am new to this) i start my first ferment in a plastic 5 gallon bin with bung and bubbler. once the ferment quietens sufficiently i then siphon into a glass 1 gallon demijohn leaving behind most of the yeast and lees. after a month i rack and mostly replace the bubbler with a rubber or cork bung so to prevent oxidation. is this correct? i have read on here about adding a second yeast or something to boost things up, so to speak.

thanks

James


----------



## Tom

You need a airlock (bubbler) on untill you bottle. Make sure there is water in it.
Not sure what you mean sc is 94.2?


----------



## mudhead

*sugar*

I recently made a batch of red zinfandel. the hydrometer reading was 1.070 and I added only 5 tablespoons of sugar because i don't know what i'm doing, then added wine yeast. after researching i found that i need a reading of 1.090 for red wine. is it to late to add more sugar after or during my yeast as it's doing it's fermenting? I would like the alcohol content to be at least 12%. have i ruined this batch of wine?


----------



## lilith

*Not enough juice*

I bought some wine juice and put in a 5 gallon carboy after primary fermentation, but the carboy is only about 4/5 or so full.
I asked the winemaker and was suggested that I add water to the juice to fill the carboy to the top, but I fear that adding 20% water would make the final wine taste really watered-down.

If I were to add something to the juice, what can I add to fill it to the top? Can I add some fruit juice (extracted from real fruits), for example?

I guess another option is to get a smaller carboy, if I can find one. Is there somewhere in Toronto I can get a smaller carboy? however I wonder if I can actually find a carboy that's just the right size.


----------



## jtstar

What kind of wine juice and how much did you have is it grape juice was it a kit what kind of kit did you have direction with juice we all need more infor in order to help you along the right path try and give all the information that you can


----------



## lilith

What kind of wine juice - white riesling
how much did you have - about 4/5 of a 5-gallon carboy
is it grape juice - yes
was it a kit - no
what kind of kit - not a kit
did you have direction with juice - no, just a book called "getting started in winemaking - basics for beginners" by JE Underhill


----------



## Tom

For a primary I see no problem. If you got wine juice it usually comes in 5 .3 or 6 gallon buckets. Get smaller carboys or buy some like wine and add once the wine is stabilized.
Never add water


----------



## lilith

Thank you, I thought adding water did not sound right.
I will see if I can find a smaller carboy.


----------



## Eyeguy

*Newbie...new smell *

Hi I am VERY new to wine making. I have read a lot but started just recently producing. I am using a CC red mnt Cab kit which began primary fermentation on 3/11 (3days). Since it is my first time I only followed the kit instructions. I did test the must though. It was lower acid 0.42 with SG of 1.131 and brix I dont have on hand at the moment.
Fermentation began well and is heavy now. Today I began to smell what I thought was the dreaded FAINT rotten egg smell...but after reading online I wondered if it is an early fingernail polish smell...something chemically mized with the wine. First I thought sulfur now maybe fingernail polish. But I also read about "kit smell"..now very confused since treatment is so different. This kit has a grape pack and I added it loose. I stir 3 times a day now in my 8 gal ferment bucket under air lock and so2 soln in lock. The kit currently has oak (french) shavings in it as well.
Any advice on what that smell could be and how to proceed..I dont want to over react but I dont want to blow it either


----------



## Tom

You are smelling what the yeast do. Relax and have a glass or 2 of wine.
Just follow the directions and you will have good wine.


----------



## Tom

Eyeguy,
Welcome to a great forum!


----------



## Eyeguy

*Thanks*

I am very excited. Wine making fascinates me and I have always wanted to do it. I am a bit of a chemistry nerd combined with a gardener so this is a perfect hobby..plus I love wine.
So the smell yeast makes in wine is very different then that "yeasty" smell you get when making a fresh bread. Good to know. The cab smell is great it just began to get mixed with this chemical like odor of some kind that sorta burnt the nose when I sniffed close. My sense of smell, as my wife will say, is a quite sensitive.
Thanks for the fast reply, I can rest now


----------



## Eyeguy

*Need a quick Kit answer*

I have the CC red mnt cab in primary fermentation currently in a 8 gal bucket with lid and air lock (day 8). It is fermenting on the loose skins from the grape pack. It SG is at 1.007 at the moment. I am about to begin a very busy week at work; the earliest I could, if I wanted to stay up late, address racking this wine would be in about 30hours (really I dont want to rush it so it probably more like 48). I was planning on just racking it tonight off the sediment and grape skins into carboys with air locks and allowing it to finish in their so i did not have to worry as much. IF I do this should I wait to add the enzyme pouch until the SG is below 1 still or add it at racking like recommended? and would I even want to do this or could I just wait the 36-48 hours?


----------



## Wade E

I ferment all my wines to dry in the bucket so yes you can wait 48 hours no problem. At this point you should have a bung and airlock on the bucket and snap the lid shut though if it isnt already! I ferment grape skin kits for about 14 days on the skins in the bucket.


----------



## Eyeguy

So if it is not totally dry just keep it in there? It is under tight lid and airlock (the entire time). Should I continue to open it to stir or just leave it alone in the bucket. Every book has me so paranoid about air....
Also if my hydrometer is spotless is there any reason I can't test directly in the bucket since most of the skins have settled...dumb question but I will be so busy lazy thoughts came into my head


----------



## Wade E

You really dont even have to open it up. Some days I just swish the bucket good leaving it snapped down. You really just want to get the skins wet. If you were making wine from all grapes the cap (all the skins) can actually rise up almost 1' out of the wine so this little trick does not apply there but for these kits it works just fine. This will also help your wine degas easier and also help it to finish fermenting as racking it can sometimes leave behind too much of the viable yeast resulting a fermentation that gets stuck just a little too early.


----------



## Eyeguy

Do you even take SG readings daily then near the end? and it is fine to splash the wine up on the lid and sides that has some dry juice on them?


----------



## Wade E

If you sanitized the bucket before putting your wine in there then its fine. No I and most people who have been doing this for awhile dont take frequent sg readings like that anymotre but I assure we did when we were just starting. Once youve been doing it for years youll know that wine is very forgiving and doesnt need baying as long as you have a blanket of gas in there to protect the wine and dont try pushing it too long in primary. This small amount of time is nothing. If you left it in there for 2 months after fermentation then thats another story!


----------



## WineyMe

*Another newb question!*

Hi...very new to this. Have my first two wine kits on the go. My white wine has just been stabilised and airlocked again for another 14 days. My question is, should there still be gasses trying to escape? I can tell in the airlock that nothing's coming out, but I can still see a few bubbles on the surface of the wine and wondering why the airlock has no activity. I know that the stabilizing stage kills the yeast, so I would have thought that there wouldn't be anymore gas, until I noticed all of those little bubbles.


----------



## djrockinsteve

Well first of all were you sure fermentation was complete. Only a hydrometer will know for sure. Did you gas when/if fermentation was complete? You need to get the excess CO2 out of the wine. You may have some excess SO2 from the sulfite.

My guess would be excess CO2

Adding sufite does not kill yeast. It kills many bacteria and stuns others allowing yeast to get a foot hold.

Sorbate only prevents yeast from budding (breeding) so any yeast that are still alive will continue feeding on any sugar in the wine. They just won't have children.


----------



## WineyMe

Yes, I had checked it with the hydrometer...it was .994 two days in a row, which I would have thought to be sufficient. I have a drill mounted whip for it and I 'whipped' it to death!!  At this stage, SHOULD it be still engaging the airlock, or should the gas be pretty much out of it? As well, is it normal to still see little bubbles now? Thanks for your help!!!


----------



## djrockinsteve

yes it will finish on it's own or it could be sulfite gas. Temperature changes will cause air to escape as it gets warmer plus changes in atmospheric pressure.


----------



## Tom

WineyMe said:


> Yes, I had checked it with the hydrometer...it was .994 two days in a row, which I would have thought to be sufficient. I have a drill mounted whip for it and I 'whipped' it to death!!  At this stage, SHOULD it be still engaging the airlock, or should the gas be pretty much out of it? As well, is it normal to still see little bubbles now? Thanks for your help!!!


When degassing you do NOT want to introduce (whip) O2.
You may be adding bubbles and a chance of oxidizing the wine
Be more gentle and have PATIENCE.


----------



## WineyMe

ok...thank you


----------



## brudavis

*Yeast ? hydrate make a starter or just dump in per instuctions*

Started my first wine and dont know if I should just dump yeast in or make a starter. Vinter's Harvest blackberry using VH r-56 yeast, starting SG 1.090 temp is 73. I strated it yesterday afternoon and it said to let sit overnight then add yeast. any help would be appreciated.

Thanks Bruce


----------



## Tom

rehydrate it 1st


----------



## brudavis

Ok. I thought so but instructions just say sprinkle on top. Thanks Tom.


----------



## brudavis

To back sweeten do I pull wine from bottle and mix or mix sugar with water and do I boil to dissolve sugar?

Thanks for the help

Bruce


----------



## Julie

brudavis said:


> To back sweeten do I pull wine from bottle and mix or mix sugar with water and do I boil to dissolve sugar?
> 
> Thanks for the help
> 
> Bruce



that is a personal preference. I don't want to water down my wine, so I take some wine, add the sugar and heat it up enough to dissolve the sugar. Once that has cooled down I add it back into the wine. Take a reading and do you know what reading you want to be at after backsweetening? 1.010 seems to be a popular number.


----------



## brudavis

Julie said:


> that is a personal preference. I don't want to water down my wine, so I take some wine, add the sugar and heat it up enough to dissolve the sugar. Once that has cooled down I add it back into the wine. Take a reading and do you know what reading you want to be at after backsweetening? 1.010 seems to be a popular number.



what would adding water do to the wine? Not sure about SG. My wife likes a not dry and not sweet. Figured I would add till she said it was good.


----------



## Julie

brudavis said:


> what would adding water do to the wine? Not sure about SG. My wife likes a not dry and not sweet. Figured I would add till she said it was good.



adding water would weaken the flavor and reduce the alcohol. Sounds like she might like a semi dry to semi sweet. Backsweenten to .098 and have her taste it, I would not go over 1.000.


----------



## brudavis

Julie said:


> adding water would weaken the flavor and reduce the alcohol. Sounds like she might like a semi dry to semi sweet. Backsweenten to .098 and have her taste it, I would not go over 1.000.



Ok thanks. Your the best.

Bruce


----------



## Runningwolf

Julie said:


> adding water would weaken the flavor and reduce the alcohol. Sounds like she might like a semi dry to semi sweet. Backsweenten to .098 and have her taste it, I would not go over 1.000.



I agree with Julie about going to .098-1.00 and let your wife taste it. I ususally go to 1.005 but what happen the wine seems to sweeten up a bit more in the bottle over time.


----------



## goatman

I got a question this is my first wine to try to make I started it on the forth and it has stopped working can I add more sugar and fire it back up again I think I failed to put enough in when i started it Help


----------



## Julie

you should take a hydrometer reading, if you don't have one get one. making wine is very difficult without one


----------



## Tom

Ditto on hydrometer. what U making?


----------



## haffy87

*Alcohol content*

I am on my second try with wine concentrates. It seems that there isn't much alcohol content in the finishing product. The Sp. Gr. is showing 1.070 at the beginning and then 0.990 when it is racked. I have no clue what I am doing wrong. Anyone have an idea of what could be going wrong?


----------



## jtstar

If you had a 1.070 to start with and a 0.090 when it is racked what make you think there is something wrong with it. In my book this is what it is suppose to do at 0.090 you have a dry wine


----------



## Tom

haffy87 said:


> I am on my second try with wine concentrates. It seems that there isn't much alcohol content in the finishing product. The Sp. Gr. is showing 1.070 at the beginning and then 0.990 when it is racked. I have no clue what I am doing wrong. Anyone have an idea of what could be going wrong?



1st What are you making that you get this starting gravity (1.070)?
What you ask is like going to the doctors saying "I don't feel good"
More info
Details
Recipe.
etc


----------



## Wade E

Sounds like can of Alexanders or a Mist kit. We need to know what you are making as some kits ad concentrates. Some are designed to make low alc quick drinkers while others have you add more sugar.


----------



## grandwinecellar

yes If You need an answer on wine making so please starting gravity and, amount of sulfites added and then taste wine.


----------



## adams54

*First attempt at winemaking - not very technical!*

Hello,
I'm attempting to make my first batch of wine from real grapes that a neighbour let me pick from her garden. I've washed and stripped the grapes from the bunches and mashed them, so they're now in a large fermenting bucket. It's my first go at using a Hydrometer. I took some of the juice and measured the starting gravity - it reads 1.060. The fermenting bucket shows 3.5 gallons of squashed grapes. To this, I've added 3.5 Campden Tablets.

First question: the yeast I'm planning on using today is Youngs Dried Active Yeast for use in Winemaking and Brewing. Is that OK? It says stir one level teaspoon per gallon into the grapes. But something else I saw said you have to make a starter first. So last night I boiled some water, cooled it till it was warm, added one tablespoon of sugar (stirring till dissolved) then added 3.5 teaspoons of the yeast then covered it with cling film. It went bonkers. There was yeast everywhere. What did I do wrong? Should I abandon the idea of making a starter and just add the yeast directly to the grapes?

Second question: I've got some Yeast Nutrient - it says it's to ensure rapid and complete fermentation and that I should add 1 teaspoon per gallon of that too. Do you think I should?

Third question: Sugar. Looking at the Hydrometer, along the line where it says 1.060, it has 1lb 9ozs sugar per gallon. Does that mean it already has that much sugar or does it mean that I need to add that much sugar per gallon?

I've looked all over the internet and have only confused myself even more - a lot of the information presumes technical ability with a Hydrometer, says add this, do this to get a certain alcohol percentage, divide by 7.36, etc. etc. and to be honest, it's all gone over my head.

Added to this, there seems to be no outlet for brewing supplies in my village. Boots the Chemist used to sell these things, but when I asked today, they stopped selling brewing supplies years ago.

So now I have 3.5 gallons of crushed grapes (think it's called must?) afraid of what to add to the bucket in case I ruin it. I bet you've never had anyone quite as dim when it comes to wine making as me!

Please could someone launch me in the right direction? I need to know what to do next as I really don't want to waste the hours it took to remove those grapes from their bunches! 

Thank you for listening


----------



## jtstar

Don't beat yourself up already, We all started somewhere that is why you stopped here for help and that is what you will get. First of all your yeast will react like that when you rehydrate it. Second I believe you will want an sg of 1.085 someone on this forum will tell you for sure. Third I am not sure about your hydrometer but if you look on our home page at the top you will a lot of information there that will help you.


----------



## jtstar

look under tutorials and scroll down towards and you will find what you are looking for on some of your questions


----------



## adams54

Don't know why my post has appeared twice in this thread ... odd ... I made no attempt to repost it. Sorry if it's appeared twice. I've looked through the tutorials before posting. One relates to freezing the grapes first, but I didn't do that and they're already crushed in the bucket now. I'm missing something about specific gravities - changing them etc. And I'm not sure if I should be adding water to the bucket - I can't find anything that says I should or shouldn't.

Just now, I downloaded a little programme that's mentioned in one of the threads called WineCalc. I've entered my starting gravity and the number of gallons, but it wants me to say what my target alcohol should be. I have no idea what to put. Started with 5 but that's below expected values, so entered 9% and then it tells me I need 12.11 ozs sugar. That's a lot different to the reading on the Hydrometer which says 1lb 9ozs per gallon. So now I'm even more confused!

I watched a youtube video to start all this off. Can't post a link because I have less than 5 posts. It's entitled How to Make Wine From Grapes at Home.

The man says that the Hydrometer will tell me how much sugar to use. For 1060 the Hydrometer says 1lb 9ozs per gallon and he says his website will explain how to use a Hydrometer. I've looked there and it makes no sense to me. If I add 1lb 9ozs sugar per gallon, am I going to end up with syrup? The WineCalc programme seems to indicate I will because it suggests 12.11ozs, a lot less!

Jtstar - thank you for giving me a starting point of 1.085 - that gives me something to aim for. The problem is, how do I increase it from 1.06?

Everyone else here seems to know what they're doing ... except me! LOL


----------



## BobF

Rather than try to repeat what's already written, here's a link to a decent primer. Reviewing this, or something like it, will let you ask more specific questions that are easier to address.
http://mtngrv.missouristate.edu/MWFHU/MWFHUweb.pdf

I'm not trying to put you off, just trying to establish a bsaic starting point for further discussion.


----------



## adams54

Thanks for the link BobF. I've just looked through the pdf to the point where it talks about Sugar Adjustment Formula. S=0.125(v)(B-A). Reading through the explanation of the formula made me want to go and lie down. In between times, I've found the grapestompers website which has a chapter on how to chaptalize. In simple terms it explains what I needed to know in order to increase the starting gravity. I'm off to do that now with the correct amount of sugar to bring it to 1090. I still need to bear in mind that the gallons on their site are US gallons and they're not the same as our UK gallons - I've found a converter website which will sort that out.

I still don't know if the wine yeast I mentioned earlier is ok for my red wine (it's a wine yeast, but not specifically red wine) and I don't know if I should use the nutrient or not. However, I'm going to push on and "chaptalize" so that at least I'll have the right starting point.

Any tips offered on how not to ruin what I'm doing will be gratefully received!


----------



## BobF

I've not heard of/used the yeast you're using. Doing a starter is a good idea - the only thing you did wrong was to use too small of a container for it 

Here's a video for the rest of the process. It uses frozen grapes, but should guide you pretty well anyway.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0wzQXrvcMw&feature=player_embedded[/ame]


----------



## BobF

BTW, you should start a new thread for this to keep it from cluttering up the original thread.

Maybe a mod can move your post & replies ...


----------



## adams54

Thanks for the video BobF. I won't post any more in this thread if it's the wrong place, except to say I've worked out the sugar (2lbs 9 ozs for 3.5 uk gallons), added it and have also added the yeast but not the nutrient. Bit worried about it rising over the top of the bucket when the yeast starts working but have put some black bin liners and a plastic tray under the bucket - if it overflows, this should stop it ruining my kitchen floor. Thanks for the help from all here.


----------



## BobF

Sounds good. Please keep us up to date on progress.

Posting in this thread isn't a big deal. I suggested a different thread so you would have direct visibility to this specific topic.

New thread or old, good luck with it. 

BTW, this group loves pictures


----------



## CandiKi55es

*sediment*

I bottled my wine, it seems to have sediment. I guess I cant rebottle but will the sediment spoil or hurt my wine? I can drink it and not share it but I dont want to get sick with sediment.


----------



## FTC Wines

I've been told I'll drink anything. That said last night I opened a "lost" bottle of 2009 spiced apple, it had so much sediment in it it took 2 coffee filters to decant it! But the taste etc. was wonderful. Been using a vac-pump & WH filter for a few months now so hope most of my sediment problems will be behind me. Roy FightingTown Creek Wines.
Flexible people don't get bent out of shape!


----------



## DaDzWinery

Making my first batch.. It's a Welch's juice, not can. My yeast hasn't seemed to really kick off after 2 days... there are a small layer of bubbles on top and smell is as it's slowly fermenting, but nothing impressive.. Here's my worry.. the yeast i bought has on the back of the pack to soak in 100 deg water before adding.. My supply store told me to just sprinkle on top.. should i do another pack of yeast the way it says on the pack or am i good and being impatient ? I just wonder if i should have gotten the dry active yeast ( i think thats what you call it ).. ?


----------



## calledin2tn

Kradman1 said:


> Thanks Wade. I'm just north of Freeort, Illinois. I will assume you like guns, as noted from your photo. A little about me: I was at my range yesterday poping a few caps down range lining my scope in until the heavy snow started. Heading out this evening for some coyotes.



Love YOTE hunting Here! Making nice Wine Too!


----------



## gracethomas

*Home Wine Making*

So why not just filter or add chemicals. You can, lots of people do. I try very hard not to. Most particulates will settle out given enough time. I’m of the opinion that filtering will remove some of the good with the bad. My friend at the winery says filtering strips the color from the wine. I don’t want to filter, I’m lazy.


----------



## Dillinger

*new to wine making*

I have been making wine for about 4 months, & all I use is a 7 Gal. bucket, 3 pounds of crushed grapes that I crushed my self, and 5.5 gal. of grape juice. 5 pounds of sugar and one 1/4 OZ packet of yeast. I dissolve the sugar in hot water first. I just poor the packet of yeast and stir. I put everything together at once. Also i don't use fresh grapes every time, I used part of it to kick off the next batch, <-- is doing that wise? now that it's winter time I don't keep my wine at 65 or 70, it stays the temp what ever it is in the garage, that has to be at least 45 to 50 degrees. 
I don't use anything else but this method. takes me about 7 to 8 days to make a good batch but i don't really start drinking it until 15 days. I want to increese the alcohol content, is there a way to do this? and does anyone have any tips on what if anything I'm doing wrong?


----------



## Runningwolf

Dillinger said:


> I have been making wine for about 4 months, & all I use is a 7 Gal. bucket, 3 pounds of crushed grapes that I crushed my self, and 5.5 gal. of grape juice. 5 pounds of sugar and one 1/4 OZ packet of yeast. I dissolve the sugar in hot water first. I just poor the packet of yeast and stir. I put everything together at once. Also i don't use fresh grapes every time, I used part of it to kick off the next batch, <-- is doing that wise? now that it's winter time I don't keep my wine at 65 or 70, it stays the temp what ever it is in the garage, that has to be at least 45 to 50 degrees.
> I don't use anything else but this method. takes me about 7 to 8 days to make a good batch but i don't really start drinking it until 15 days. I want to increese the alcohol content, is there a way to do this? and does anyone have any tips on what if anything I'm doing wrong?



So tell us where did you learn to make wine or who showed you how. That is quiet a record for making wine and drinking it within 15 days. If you're looking for speed maybe if you just took some grape juice and Ever Clear that would be even quicker and you wouldn't have to worry about temps and you could avoid the yeast altogether.


----------



## Dillinger

never said I drank all of it. and i learned it from looking at some youtube videos. 
I was hoping for something helpful from someone not a forum bashing.. Jeez 

I have been searching for a good recipes like how much is good to use for 7 Gal. bucket. Am I using to much sugar, or not enough? is that 1/4 pack of yeast enough? do i need to use all grapes or just grape juice? someone told me to use one pound of grapes and 5 gal. of water, is that Possible?


----------



## Wade E

1 lb of grapes and 5 gallons of water would make colored water! There would be no flavor and youd have to add a whole lt of sugar to make any alc at all. If you want to increas the alc content you will need more grapes or have to add sugar to it. You really should get ahydrometer so you know how much sugar to add and know how much abv you will be making because if you push the sugar level to high the yeast wont work or if you just add too much that the yeast will work but not ferment it all the way it will end up very sweet. You know if you let that wine age fpor like a year yoyd probably fid that the wine you are making is really good and it will clear nicely.


----------



## Dillinger

wow thank you so much.. i have been reading through the tutorials also. what about the temp. is that so really important? and is that single package of 1/4 OZ yeast enough or should i add two?


----------



## Eyeguy

*TO filter or not*

I have the allinone pump and a house filter (I still need to clean the housing out for the filter though). I have a 10 month bulk aged 6 gal batch of Riesling-Gwurt blend from CC. It tastes great. Appears crystal clear now sitting in the refrigerator (in carboy). I want to backsweeten it into 3 batches one dry and 2 more sweet.
I am trying to decide if I should filter or not. I have a 2, 1, and 0.35micron poly filter. I want to give this wine as gifts to some people for christmas coming up and some of them are a bit, lets say, particular. I fear that any sediment even with time may make them question this wine. Likewise I would feel terrible if it blew up or spoiled on them. I even bought a small batch of the "nice corks" for these gift bottles, so I just want to to "look like the store stuff" but still taste better.
Will filtering at 1 or 0.35 (overkill I know) greatly affect the taste of this kit wine, especially if I sweeten it? Would you guys filter it?


----------



## Runningwolf

Eyeguy said:


> I am trying to decide if I should filter or not. I want to give this wine as gifts to some people for christmas coming up and some of them are a bit, lets say, particular. I fear that any sediment even with time may make them question this wine.
> Will filtering at 1 or 0.35 (overkill I know) greatly affect the taste of this kit wine, especially if I sweeten it? Would you guys filter it?



I think you answered your own question already. Yes filter for your own piece of mind. The 1 micron filter is plenty but the .35 would work well also. 

Some folks worry about stripping color or taste and yes this can happen to reds on the first couple of bottles. I always pour my first two bottles back into the main batch to blend them in case any sanitizer taste or color loss occurred. 

I hope this helps you in your endeavor. Good Luck!


----------



## Eyeguy

*thanks*

Thanks runningwolf. There is so much contradictory information about filtering out there. I think most of the negative affects that people rant about are more with reds then whites but it still hard to tell. The last thing I want to do is rob a kit wine of the flavor that it actually has.
So I am going to filter at 0.35microns this white wine. I will try that pouring the first couple bottles back thing. I am going to sweeten it tonight and probably filter bottle in about 2 weeks.
Are you in agreement then that filtering a white even at a low micron level really has a minimal if any affect on its flavor (esp when sweetened).
happy thanksgiving


----------



## Runningwolf

Like I said earlier I have not noticed a difference. I would wait though at least three weeks before sampling it to make your own determination though due to bottle shock after bottling.


----------



## Eyeguy

*Re-Cork?*

First off, per above, I filtered that white wine with the 0.35micron whole house setup and it went great. The small sip I had post filter seemed the same as pre-filter. Once I better saturated the filter with fluid it was wonderful.
My question is, my wine giving for the holidays is more then I was expecting (that or I can't count) and I have 5 bottles left that I need to gift. The problem is my hand corker (yes I know) was "not behaving" and I have 4 bottles were I am not comfortable giving them as a gift since the cork is sticking above the top by a 1/4 inch. I tired to push them down with my palm and that did not work. I know people re-cork old wines but can I recork this newly bottled wine without any significant problems to the wine? My concern was compressing the wine with pressure for a second time in such close succession.


----------



## bpickell

This question doesn't refer to a specific recipe per se, but just something I've wondered for quite a while now.

This is about Oak Chips that some wine kits come with. These wine kits tell you to toss in the Oak Chips into the primary fermentor. The problem I have is you have active yeast in the same container as a wood product. Everyone knows that Yeast will eat the cellulose in the wood and create Methanol. And everyone knows Methanol is poisonous to humans.

So I guess my question is, are these wood chips treated to prevent Methanol from being created?


----------



## Wade E

Taken off of http://www.ehow.com/info_8412008_other-uses-active-dry-yeast.html

"Ethanol

*

Ethanol production in the United States is primarily used to replace dependence on gasoline. Ethanol is made by the breaking down of organic matter, such as corn or food waste, fermented and filtered. Strains of active dry yeast may be added to metabolize glucose and biosynthesis of polyunsaturated fats and lipids. *The draw back to using yeast in ethanol production is that yeast cannot turn wood chips, shavings or sawdust (cellulose) into ethanol.*"


----------



## bpickell

Wade E said:


> Ethanol production in the United States is primarily used to replace dependence on gasoline. Ethanol is made by the breaking down of organic matter, such as corn or food waste, fermented and filtered. Strains of active dry yeast may be added to metabolize glucose and biosynthesis of polyunsaturated fats and lipids. *The draw back to using yeast in ethanol production is that yeast cannot turn wood chips, shavings or sawdust (cellulose) into ethanol.*"



I wasn't talking about Ethanol, I was talking about Methanol. The two are completely different. Ethanol you can drink, Methanol you cannot.


----------



## Wade E

Okay, had to do a pretty extensive search to find it and then translate it as I didnt know the answer. Found on Wikipedia
Basically it says that yeast will do so but it would take a real long time unless the cellulose was attacked with strong acids under normal pressures or by a diluted acid and high heat and high pressure.


----------



## bpickell

Oh okay, that makes sense then.. Because I read it in a *******ers guide, and when *******ing you use heat. So okay, I didn't know it needed the heat to make the methanol. Thanks for the insight. It was something I've been wondering for a long time, and haven't really found a definitive answer to it.


----------



## vschlaff

*making a batch of wine and confused about measuring the sugar needed*

My recipe calls for 14lb's. But i have a 10 lb bag and I measured 2 cups per lb to make my syrup. I did not use the entire bag. Am i doing something wrong?


----------



## Flem

Refer to your other post, please.


----------



## afsee

*Possible Infection?*

I've just started using a 5 gallon bucket with a large straining bag for primary. I poured the must (a combo of blueberry, strawberry, bananas, and everything in between) into the bag but some got on the sides. There's a lot of head space since I only had about under 3 gallons of must. I know that its not good to have stuff floating while fermenting so I keep mixing it back in, but how or should I deal with the must that got on the side of the bag?

Thanks in advance


----------



## djrockinsteve

No worry. Keep it moist as well. When you get @ 1.020 you can remove the pulp and try to scoop out any other pulp. 

Any remaining can be grabbed when racking. Just pour thru a seive or stocking. Any small amount beyond that can be removed when racking later but try to get all out at 1st racking.


----------



## afsee

That really was fast. Thanks!


----------



## olusteebus

I would like to age my wine in my space under my house. It is not a basement but a "crawl space" large enough to walk in. Very dry but not air conditioned. I know it stays cooler than the outside air but I never checked the temp in the summer, which I will do this year.

What is the highest temperature can you age wine in safely. 

Thanks

Edit :I may have found one solution, it is a keg temp monitor or something like that which will make a freezer maintain a temp of 40 to 70 degrees. That will work for me for one carboy at a time.

Any other ideas?


----------



## Pavel2012

I am new to this forum and to wine making in general. 

So far no big surprises, but this batch wouldn't start primary fermentation at all. 
I have a 21L batch of Carignan Grape Juice. It comes with yeast already in. 
For the first time I to used 54L demijohn bottle. Two days later no sign of fermentation (no gas evolution). I added dry wine yeast purchased in the store...nothing is happening. My only guess is that something is killing yeast culture...then the 54L bottle was sanitized (I used potassium metabisulfite) it might not be sufficiently rinsed afterwards (although I did rinse it three of four times). In addition, I used tap water for rinses, come to think about it in spring they increase amount of chlorine (or whatever they put in) in the water.
Any suggestions on how to get fermentation started are much appreciated. 
Pavel

P.S. Please ignore, it actually started....took two days longer, compare to usual time


----------



## Deezil

Pavel2012 said:


> I am new to this forum and to wine making in general.
> 
> So far no big surprises, but this batch wouldn't start primary fermentation at all.
> I have a 21L batch of Carignan Grape Juice. It comes with yeast already in.
> For the first time I to used 54L demijohn bottle. Two days later no sign of fermentation (no gas evolution). I added dry wine yeast purchased in the store...nothing is happening. My only guess is that something is killing yeast culture...then the 54L bottle was sanitized (I used potassium metabisulfite) it might not be sufficiently rinsed afterwards (although I did rinse it three of four times). In addition, I used tap water for rinses, come to think about it in spring they increase amount of chlorine (or whatever they put in) in the water.
> Any suggestions on how to get fermentation started are much appreciated.
> 
> Pavel



If it came with yeast IN it, take a hydrometer reading - it might be that theres just no sugar..? The airlock bubbling isnt a very good indicator on the health of your fermentation, and a hydrometer would really help.

If there is sugar, give it a good stir and take the airlock off. The first parts of fermentation actually need oxygen. Without knowing more, i cant help much more.. But it sounds like the juice you're using was intended to end up as wine..? So probably wouldnt have sorbate/benzoate in it if thats the case..

Might consider starting a new thread if you need more help, as more people will see it then.


----------



## Pavel2012

Deezil said:


> If it came with yeast IN it, take a hydrometer reading - it might be that theres just no sugar..? The airlock bubbling isnt a very good indicator on the health of your fermentation, and a hydrometer would really help.
> 
> If there is sugar, give it a good stir and take the airlock off. The first parts of fermentation actually need oxygen. Without knowing more, i cant help much more.. But it sounds like the juice you're using was intended to end up as wine..? So probably wouldnt have sorbate/benzoate in it if thats the case..
> 
> Might consider starting a new thread if you need more help, as more people will see it then.



Thank you. Actually the fermentation finally started, albeit with a day or so delay. The juice was intended for wine with no preservatives and with east. You are absolutely right, airlock bubbling is not a good indicator of fermentation at early stages...it does take a good swirl to see foaming.

Pavel


----------



## ravelloview

Currently making a kit of Barolo from Mosti Mondiale. We did Phase 2 tonight. SG< .996 and racked it into fermentation pail, degassed it w/spoon, added metabisulfite, stirred, added siligel, stirred, added liquigel, stirred. Siphoned back into carboy, degassed a bit more and finished it off with a couple of vacuvin pumps. We added our marbles to top it off and vacu-vinned a couple more times and noticed additional CO2 bubbles coming up. Just wondering if we can further degas it in the next 2 days with a drill + attachment. (didn't have it today) Can we still degas after adding the siligel and liquigel? Next directions say to let it sit for an additional 7-10 days to clarify. Thanks


----------



## BobF

You're OK to do more degassing, but it won't really start clearing until you quit disturbing it. That's not a bad thing, just keep in mind that when you degas you're stirring things up again. The good news is that a thorough degassing will help it clear quicker.


----------



## btom2004

Very Newbie Question: I don't see any bubbles in the airlock now that it's in day 2 secondary fermenter carboy. Is this stage just to let wine age and clear, or should there still be alot of fermenting going on now? I know that most of the yeast is gone left in the primary, but not all as wine is not clear yet. Is this normal?


----------



## keena

I'm new to wine making and am still only a week into my first few batches but while doin mine I had my large batches bubbling in secondary for a few days now.... But, my 1 gal batch fermented completely in 4 days so it has no bubbles in secondary, yet it will still not clear for a while. So with that said I'm assuming the size of the batch, the abv percentage, and type of wine you are doin will help answer your question. You can check if its done fermenting with your hydrometer buddy. Did you check it before racking to secondary? 

But being new I'm not sure if its smart to take out your airlock and let oxygen in to check it now or if there's a better answer so let's see what the pro's say... Lol


----------



## btom2004

keena said:


> I'm new to wine making and am still only a week into my first few batches but while doin mine I had my large batches bubbling in secondary for a few days now.... But, my 1 gal batch fermented completely in 4 days so it has no bubbles in secondary, yet it will still not clear for a while. So with that said I'm assuming the size of the batch, the abv percentage, and type of wine you are doin will help answer your question. You can check if its done fermenting with your hydrometer buddy. Did you check it before racking to secondary?
> 
> But being new I'm not sure if its smart to take out your airlock and let oxygen in to check it now or if there's a better answer so let's see what the pro's say... Lol


 I'm making a Vino Italiano Merlot Red and the SG at racking was .0998. It calls for it to be at that to-.0990 before adding clearing agents ect. So the ABV is most likely complete. I just thought that I would still see some activity in the air lock is all. I can still smell the odor of yeast, but no bubbles in airlock. Looks like sediment building up at bottom of carboy, as liquid is whiter than top liquid. @keena: It is safe to take out air lock. At this stage oxgen is ok for 2nd fermentation, I may even stir once every two day to pre-degass. However once you add the clearing agents and top it off for the 3rd fermentation stage, oxygen is no longer your friend and you should avoid letting it into the wine.


----------



## shoebiedoo

btom2004 said:


> I'm making a Vino Italiano Merlot Red and the SG at racking was .0998. It calls for it to be at that to .0990 before adding clearing agents ect. So the ABV is most likely complete. I just thought that I would still see some activity in the air lock is all. I can still smell the odor of yeast, but no bubbles in airlock. Looks like sediment building up at bottom of carboy, as liquid is whiter than top liquid.



It's not uncommon for the secondary fermentation to be so slow that you won't see activity in the airlock. Let your Hydrometer be your guide. give it a couple days check again. My guess is, it will have come down a little more.


----------



## btom2004

shoebiedoo said:


> It's not uncommon for the secondary fermentation to be so slow that you won't see activity in the airlock. Let your Hydrometer be your guide. give it a couple days check again. My guess is, it will have come down a little more.


 Yeah my guess as well, just as a first timer I kind of miss seeing those bubbles...LOL

Sediment still falling so yeast is still active. No wonder floks keep so many batches going. 2nd-3rd fermentation is boring.


----------



## btom2004

Question: Is potassium sulfite the same thing as Campden Tablets?


----------



## samwisegamgeese

Kradman1 said:


> Thanks Wade. I'm just north of Freeort, Illinois. I will assume you like guns, as noted from your photo. A little about me: I was at my range yesterday poping a few caps down range lining my scope in until the heavy snow started. Heading out this evening for some coyotes.



I love reading additions like this! It is when I read these I realise what a Brit I am...the only coyotes we know try and kill roadrunner with extreme ineptitude!


----------



## samwisegamgeese

shoebiedoo said:


> It's not uncommon for the secondary fermentation to be so slow that you won't see activity in the airlock. Let your Hydrometer be your guide. give it a couple days check again. My guess is, it will have come down a little more.



If a wine is not clear.

It has been racked once and there is sediment at the bottom.

You know it is 980 as have checked SG and it has a punch.

But as it is not clear how long would you think it should take? 

I suppose I am saying my hydrometer does not go much lower and yet it still looks as though it is fermenting and it certainly is not clear. 

How long do wines "normally" take (this is not from a kit but from peach).


----------



## samwisegamgeese

btom2004 said:


> Yeah my guess as well, just as a first timer I kind of miss seeing those bubbles...LOL
> 
> Sediment still falling so yeast is still active. No wonder floks keep so many batches going. 2nd-3rd fermentation is boring.



Agreed


----------



## sully

so just tried my first strawberry wine it is 60 days old and turned out super dry. also has a bit of a harsh taste to it. what is the best method to sweeten???


----------



## samwisegamgeese

Cork or Rubber corks for demijohns? Which would you say is best?


----------



## Tom

1st you can back sweeten. (2 parts sugar to 1 part water) or can make a f-pac.



sully said:


> so just tried my first strawberry wine it is 60 days old and turned out super dry. also has a bit of a harsh taste to it. what is the best method to sweeten???


----------



## Dillinger

DeannaRay said:


> hi all.. very new at this ..so bear with me please .. (i am trying to make wine ) i have it down now for a week but not hearing any bubbles or noises from it ..but i sure can smell it and my temperature is between 65-75 .. can you please help me out here...is this wine ok ..like i said very new at making wine first timer here ..
> thank you..


I use basic Juice like pure grape juice with no preservatives in it. i can make it with them but it's better with out. this is what I do. one seven gallon bucket five gallons of juice, approximately 2 pounds of sugar, one packet of wine yeast, but you can use the yeast you buy in a market. melt the sugar, melt the yeast mix in the bucket and let it sit covered up for a month, now if you're not using a breather thing and you tie up the top you'll need to burp it. so yeah right now just let it sit and ferment.


----------



## CandiKi55es

Im ready to bottle my sparkling wine. I have the plastic stoppers and wires. My corker is for corks not plastic stoppers. How do I put in the plastic champagne stoppers then twist the wires tight enough...I may not be using the message post right if not let me know what Im suppose to be doing..Thank You..CandyKi55es


----------



## btom2004

Hello all. 

My wine kit calls for the addition of a Chitosan pack. I see that this is a shellfish derivative. I know that some people are allergic to shellfish. 
What is this Chitosan used for in clearing stage? Is the something I could substitute that will do the same as Chitosan?


----------



## tonyandkory

Isn't this tread supposed to be for the information on how to get quicker replies and not a place to get quick replies? 
I think individual question threads would be better so they could be searched easier. 
but either way I guess ( I just wouldn't want to ready a 12+ page thread on multiple subjects) but that's just me.


----------



## btom2004

tonyandkory said:


> Isn't this tread supposed to be for the information on how to get quicker replies and not a place to get quick replies?
> I think individual question threads would be better so they could be searched easier.
> but either way I guess ( I just wouldn't want to ready a 12+ page thread on multiple subjects) but that's just me.


Hmmm...well it is an ongoing open sticky thread? I would think it was started in order to have questions posted for answers, since moderator has left the thread open for posts no? This way there wouldn't be a million threads opened for every singel question. However I went ahead and asked the question in a new thread thanks.


----------



## styxx3805

My looked clear when I bottled it I stored it on it side so the corks don't dry out. A week after I bottled it when I went into the cold storage I noticed a white sediment all along the bottom. The wine is concord/lebonon grape. I put a clarifier in it. Let it sit for 24 hrs. Did I bottle too soon? Can it be uncorked and rebottle to get rid of the sediment? I planned on giving this for presents at Christmas and its kind of embarrassing. We opened a bottle after sitting it upright so sediment was at the bottom. It taste great but would like to make it more appealing.


----------



## ICELIA

styxx3805 said:


> My looked clear when I bottled it I stored it on it side so the corks don't dry out. A week after I bottled it when I went into the cold storage I noticed a white sediment all along the bottom. The wine is concord/lebonon grape. I put a clarifier in it. Let it sit for 24 hrs. Did I bottle too soon? Can it be uncorked and rebottle to get rid of the sediment? I planned on giving this for presents at Christmas and its kind of embarrassing. We opened a bottle after sitting it upright so sediment was at the bottom. It taste great but would like to make it more appealing.



If the sediment is a problem, I would stand the bottles upright over-night or until the sediment settles. 
I would then put them back in a sanitized Carboy (while trying to keep the sediment back in the bottle) that you have topped up with co2 or other heavier than air gas, and then let that Carboy sit for a few days just to be sure there is no sediment. 
Then bottle. 
Of you have a polishing filter I would use that at the same time you bottle.


----------



## styxx3805

*styxx3805*



ICELIA said:


> If the sediment is a problem, I would stand the bottles upright over-night or until the sediment settles.
> I would then put them back in a sanitized Carboy (while trying to keep the sediment back in the bottle) that you have topped up with co2 or other heavier than air gas, and then let that Carboy sit for a few days just to be sure there is no sediment.
> Then bottle.
> Of you have a polishing filter I would use that at the same time you bottle.



thanks for the suggestion I will do that and let you know how it worked


----------



## rlplummer

I am truly a newbie here! Anyone have advice for the first thing I should do? Also, best beginners kit? Thanks in advance


----------



## sfoss

*Fermenter lid*

I have the Midwest Supplies, 6 gallon kit bucket. the lid doesn't screw on it doesn't hammer on. Does it need to be sealed tightly? I can't get the thing to connect... Help please....

Ok, nevermind. my wrists make it hard to do much heavy lifting or work that involves any kind of strenth. Hubby got it on.


----------



## afsee

If you're planning on using the bucket for secondary also, it would help if it sealed properly. But...if its just for primary (fermenting for the first couple of days) there shouldn't be a problem since Carbon dioxide produced would protect the wort/must. 
Anyway, ideally a bucket lid should fit the bucket. I would contact the vendor.


----------



## sfoss

Thank you afsee, actually, it was my weak wrist that was the problem. The lid fits. My hubby got the lid on and yesterday i happened to find a lid remover that will help me tremendously in getting it back off, i looked in there yesterday and when i went to put the lid back on it went on a little easier. It's all good. Thank you.


----------



## Sammesk

*My first batch*

Hey, I'm very new to Winemaking, the decision to start was actually completely an impulse. I started from the very first step, go to the farm I work at, find wild grapes, and pick them. I highly suggest this method by the way. Nothing like knowing exactly where you're food is coming from. You will probably look down on this method, but I'm using a balloon with pinholes in it ontop of a gallon jug for an airlock. I started the process a little more than a week ago, everything went smoothly, the balloon filled up right on schedule and so on. Two days ago I noticed that juice was being pushed up into the balloon, I didn't think anything of it. Today I checked on it again and noticed that the level of juice appears to have gone down, even though there is no evidence of leakage (or my baby brother messing with it!) and the balloon has been sucked into the jug. I haven't done anything with it since I noticed. Anyone have any idea's about whats going on? I'm completely baffled!


----------



## afsee

I've done the balloon lock method, but normally you wouldn't want liquid getting into it. I suppose the liquid could have evaporated through the rubber since they are permeable. 
Next time just try to keep the stuff from bubbling up that much, or leave more space between the must (the juice) and the top of the bottle. 
You may not have even need to put a hole in the balloon since its not completely air tight. The gases will eventually leak out however slowly.


----------



## BaylorBear

*Cold Crashing?*

hey Im a beginner and Im starting a fruit wine this weekend. But do you cold crash wine? I have a friend that brews beer and he seems to believe I do. And if I do need to is there a way I dont have to?


----------



## keena

You never boil wine so I don't see how you could. Unless your talking cold crashing before fermentation its done to keep it sweeter. And still I'd say don't do that and just back sweeten after fermentation.


----------



## the_rayway

Hello All!
I'm trying to figure out my measurements here and having a bit of difficulty:
I'm Canadian, so I have 23L/5Gal carboys for the most part. Apparently US gallons are different than UK gallons? So if there is a 'base amount' of honey/sugar to add at 3Lbs/Gallon - which gallon is this? Also, how do I figure out which gallon amount people are referring to?
Sorry, I realize this sounds silly, but some clarification would be helpful


----------



## cpfan

the_rayway said:


> Hello All!
> I'm trying to figure out my measurements here and having a bit of difficulty:
> I'm Canadian, so I have 23L/5Gal carboys for the most part. Apparently US gallons are different than UK gallons? So if there is a 'base amount' of honey/sugar to add at 3Lbs/Gallon - which gallon is this? Also, how do I figure out which gallon amount people are referring to?
> Sorry, I realize this sounds silly, but some clarification would be helpful


I guess the first question is "where was the recipe you are using published?" If UK or Canada, then it's probably Imperial gallons (4.54 litres), if the US then US gallons (3.78 litres).

BTW, this isn't the proper place to be posting questions. This thread started as an attempt to get folks to provide enough info when asking a question, and has become a potpourri of unconnected beginners questions.

Steve


----------



## the_rayway

cpfan said:


> I guess the first question is "where was the recipe you are using published?" If UK or Canada, then it's probably Imperial gallons (4.54 litres), if the US then US gallons (3.78 litres).
> 
> BTW, this isn't the proper place to be posting questions. This thread started as an attempt to get folks to provide enough info when asking a question, and has become a potpourri of unconnected beginners questions.
> 
> Steve



Thank you for answering anyways  My mistake about the forum.
Ray


----------



## GoldFork

*Temperature issue and Time question*

I received my first kit today (fedex), and I didn't hesitate to start making it. The kit is RJ Spagnols Cru Select BC Meritage. I opened the kit and noticed that the fining agents kieselsol and Chitosan were frozen, I'm not sure if this is an issue, but it should have keyed me in to the problem I am now encountering. I have followed the instructions, along with the video, and have finished adding all of the ingredients as well as water in the primary fermenting bucket. This kit included oak, dried grapes, and dried elderberries. The next step was to take the temperature and insure it was between 70-80 degrees farenheit. The temperature of the must was only 55 degrees. I used warm water when rehydrating, and warm water when adding the bentonite. I think what screwed me was the temperature of the concentrate after shipping. To increase the temperature I have put the primary fermentation bucket in a tub of hot water, and the room temperature is 75 plus. Here are my questions:

1. Is the tub of water going to screw things up? Too late now, but I'm starting to wonder if the spigot is going to allow water in...

2. Is there another way to raise the temp at this point, other than waiting? (I don't have a heater to put on it)

3. If I have to let it adjust to room temperature should I add sulfites to keep it safe while I'm waiting for my must to acclimate? 

Thanks


----------



## GoldFork

Soaking In the Tub worked out...Got the temp Above 70 degrees...Got a specific gravity of 1.102 and I went ahead and added the yeast. Sorry about the lengthy post, but I hope that somebody can avoid the problem I had....

Thanks


----------



## Applewineguy

so Just came across this feed and thought I would ask a question. Im working on a apple wine started it tonight. I juiced 33 lbs of apples and got 2 imperial gallons of juice then topped up to 6 imperial gallons of water and put my pulp in a mesh sack and let it sit in the mixed juice with a starting SG of 1.090 did i water it down to much and will i even taste the apple when its done fermenting on the pulp bag and juice/water mixture? I will be pitching my yeast tomorrow around noon my time I want the pectic enzyme to have some time to work on breaking down the pulp more. any answers would be greatly appreciated as I messed up my first batch it was basically alcoholic water lol from diluting it to much during racking and several other mistakes I made as this is only my second attempt. I like to go big or go home so my carboy for secondary fermentation is 23L or 5 Imp. Gallons


----------



## Boatboy24

Did you add any sugar? 1.090 seems high after adding all that water.


----------



## Applewineguy

Yes i sure did thats were i wanted my starting sugar at  im just worried bout the level of flavor from dilution a lot of what i read they use 5 gals of stright juiced fruit and well im not gonna buy 500 apples haha.


----------



## Applewineguy

from what I have been told by my local wine shop this should be okay and fermenting on the apple pulp after using pectic enzyme at the correct interval will help pull and trap all the flavor I need....


----------



## Boatboy24

I'd be a little concerned that you have too much water in there. But I've never made an apple wine - just peaches, and a few with frozen fruits.


----------



## Applewineguy

sorry imperial would be U.S. Gals They are 2 metric gals of straight juice pressed and then topped to 4 Metric gals equaling to just over 27.5 litres total Must


----------



## Pumpkinman

We should try to keep this to one thread, I am going nuts trying to keep up with the same questions spread out over three threads...lol, it would make helping you a lot easier for everyone, someone may be giving you advice to a question on this thread, not knowing that someone else might have already answered the same question on a different thread.


----------



## Applewineguy

sorry new to forums so hahahaha. Ill get er figured out I think I got it down pat now hahaha. Ive never been in a forum before especially something im so passionate about I just really want reassurances I didnt mess this batch up yet


----------



## Pumpkinman

I totally understand, we are all very passionate about wine making, no worries, keep asking as many questions as you can think of.


----------



## Applewineguy

thank you I am sure I will have many more to come as I advance in this wonderful hobby. Wish you didnt need a liquor license to sell it though ugh


----------



## Pumpkinman

There is a long road from trying to figure out a recipe to getting a liquor license..LOL


----------



## Applewineguy

indeed. well it would just be nice to you know if i get a recipe down pat that i could sell to my friends and such and aquaintances


----------



## phineascoates

Wade E said:


> Welcome all wine makers! When you need an answer on wine making please be very specific as to what the recipe is, temp, starting gravity and gravity now, amount of sulfites added, Brand and exact kit being made, in other words provide us with as much info as you can otherwise we will have to answer your question with one of these questions as we dont want to give you the wrong answer. Doing this will most likely give us enough info to properly diagnose whats going on with your wine. We so want to help you get your batch of wine finished and done right because we are all one big wine making family!



During the process of making the wine you must to contain the long fermentation and also you can consider the long temperature. Moreover, how did the wine make without using the modern process of chemical?


----------



## qyhcat

This is my first batch and going through the kit, I noticed one bag named "American Medium Toasted" of about 60g in weight. The instructions from Chianti Vinter's Reserve are a bit general on the additional packages. It references that if you kit contains oak powder/chips or elderflowers to add right before yeast. The name on the bag does not match this, at least I am not familiar.
Does anyone know if this is one of those extra bags?


----------



## WI_Wino

Yes, that is a bag of oak chips. Medium toast is how toasted the chips are.


----------



## qyhcat

Thanks!, got it started and it is fermenting fast and furious!

regards


----------



## qyhcat

*Meta storage*

For how long can I store mixed solution of potassium metabisulphite in the fridge for sanitizing purposes?

Does powder also need to be in fridge or can be kept at 75F, how long?

thanks,
luis


----------



## k47k

*Slow Ferment? D47*

Sauv Blanc fresh Juice Chile
OG 1.090
Yeast: D47
Ferment vessel: airlocked carboy
2 tsp yeast nutrient (generic from wine shop)
took no acid readings and added nothing else to the juice bucket.
oxygenated with pure O2 / stone for about 1 minute 1/4 liter per minute.
pitched at 62 and let rise to about 65-68 where it stayed for 2 weeks.

after two weeks ferment appears to be finished. SG was a little over 1, no where near where i wanted it (looking for DRY). so i stirred up the yeast i and racked to new carboy and moved to 70+ degrees. fermentation kicked up again and was quite strong.

today i can still see some bubbles coming up slowly, wine is clearing. SG 1.000, still too sweet. 

i am right at 1 month since pitch and the wine is not finished yet. should i be concerned? i made a Cab at the same time and that one was @ .990 in two weeks (i did the cab in a bucket, stirred every few days and kept it 70+ )

my gut tells me to just leave it be, maybe rouse the yeast now an then (i do this by twisting the carboy) My gut also tells me 1 month is too long and the wine should be finished.


----------



## qyhcat

*First Time Bottling*

I am ready to go through bottling. I understand that for corks (not synthetic), I can/should kmeta briefly before using, please let me know otherwise.
I also got house filter in place and ran clean, non chlorinated, water through it and also understand that it I should run some k-meta before using as well.
Please confirm if I have something incorrect or your have other advice.

As for the bottles, I have done extensive cleaning on them and plan to do a final pass soaking in one-step with brush, then spraying k-meta. The question is if I should spray k-meta right before bottling or shall I do this a few hours before to give more time to dry. If drying is important, will a heat lamp be good for this?

thanks
luis


----------



## Ferial

Hello everyone! So I've run into a bit of a problem. I started my first batch of (strawberry) wine a few days ago (the recipe is from the book Mary's Recipies and I'm using fruit not juice). My starting S.G. was about 1.092 but 3 days later when I took a reading, it the hydrometer read 1.000 (tried the reading multiple times). Does anyone have a clue as to how this could have happened and if the wine is still salvageable.

It's been around 70 to 80 degrees here the whole time and it doesn't have any off smells as far as I can detect. The yeast I used was Red Star Montrachet

Here's the Recipe: http://www.purplefootusa.com/galleryImage.asp?ID=6

I forgot to mention that I had had attached the air lock for the first five hours of primary fermentation on accident, but did remove it after.


----------



## west_end

I am about to make my first good kit wine and I don't want to make any mistakes.

The Kit is a Wine expert, Chardonnay. The instructions say to use a primary fermenter with a minimum capacity of 30 liters or 7.9 gallons. The primary fermenter bucket I have looks to be about 7 gallons, should I get a bigger bucket or will this due? 

The instructions are pretty specific about the minimum size of the primary fermenter.

Thanks in advance for your help


----------



## Runningwolf

If it is 7 gallons or larger I think you'll be ok. It's always best to have a larger fermenter for stirring purposes and active fermentations. I really don't think you'll get a vigorous fermentation from this kit. Keep in mind you won't even be able to bump this pail as it'll be full. I suggest you have this fermenter up on a table top so when you rack from it you'll be able to just stick a hose in it and siphon into a carboy without moving it.


----------



## west_end

Runningwolf said:


> If it is 7 gallons or larger I think you'll be ok. It's always best to have a larger fermenter for stirring purposes and active fermentations. I really don't think you'll get a vigorous fermentation from this kit. Keep in mind you won't even be able to bump this pail as it'll be full. I suggest you have this fermenter up on a table top so when you rack from it you'll be able to just stick a hose in it and siphon into a carboy without moving it.



Thank Runningwolf

My primary fermenter bucket is 7 gallons at the most. The instructions call for a 7.9 gallons or more. 


I thought besides having the extra headroom for the fermentation process and stirring, the extra room in the bucket was needed to insure there was enough oxygen to help the yeast during fermentation?


----------



## Bartman

west_end said:


> Thank Runningwolf
> 
> My primary fermenter bucket is 7 gallons at the most. The instructions call for a 7.9 gallons or more.
> 
> 
> I thought besides having the extra headroom for the fermentation process and stirring, the extra room in the bucket was needed to insure there was enough oxygen to help the yeast during fermentation?


Wait- what? Enough oxygen? Your primary fermenter should not be sealed when you start fermentation. I leave mine completely open, as it is indoors and not accessible to any children or pets that might disturb it. If you are concerned about insects or critters getting to it, you might put the lid on, loosely resting it on top, but not clamped down. The yeast need some oxygen, but the main benefit in my experience is to allow the release of CO2 produced during fermentation from the outset. 

And I agree that the size of your fermenter bucket will be more than sufficient. The only time I have had a potential issue was when the kit came with an extra grape pack or I added more raisins or grapes - even then, it simply foamed above the top like a meringue, without overflowing.


----------



## west_end

Bartman said:


> Wait- what? Enough oxygen? Your primary fermenter should not be sealed when you start fermentation. I leave mine completely open.



Wow that's interesting. You don't even put the top on the bucket? Does everyone do this? 

I have brewed a lot of beer over the years. During that process, from the time you pitch the yeast a lot of precautions are taken to keep anything away from inside the primary fermenter like wiled yeast are anything else that might like that warm sugary environment. 

Beer makers always buttoned up the primary fermenter and use an airlock to vent the CO2.

Is It really ok not to put the top on the bucket?


----------



## jamesngalveston

i actually use a pillow case cut in a round, and use big rubber bands to secure it.


----------



## cedarswamp

west_end said:


> Wow that's interesting. You don't even put the top on the bucket? Does everyone do this?
> 
> I have brewed a lot of beer over the years. During that process, from the time you pitch the yeast a lot of precautions are taken to keep anything away from inside the primary fermenter like wiled yeast are anything else that might like that warm sugary environment.
> 
> Beer makers always buttoned up the primary fermenter and use an airlock to vent the CO2.
> 
> Is It really ok not to put the top on the bucket?



There's folks in both camps, having 2 cats that get into everything, I've always locked the lid down with an airlock. Once the yeast colony has grown sufficiently oxygen is not needed for alcohol fermentation anyway. I feel from stirring twice a day early on the yeast have all the oxygen they need in the must already. IMHO


----------



## Bartman

west_end said:


> Wow that's interesting. You don't even put the top on the bucket? Does everyone do this?
> 
> I have brewed a lot of beer over the years. During that process, from the time you pitch the yeast a lot of precautions are taken to keep anything away from inside the primary fermenter like wiled yeast are anything else that might like that warm sugary environment.
> 
> Beer makers always buttoned up the primary fermenter and use an airlock to vent the CO2.
> 
> Is It really ok not to put the top on the bucket?


I doubt there is any one thing we all do the same, except drink the wine - and even how you drink it is a subject of debate. And there is always more than one way to skin the cat. Your typical kit comes with EC-1118 yeast which will overpower most any wild yeast, so that's not an issue. The only 'issue' I have had with leaving the lid off is the occasional fruit fly, but that's more common in winter here in Texas. I've never brewed beer so I can't relate to your experience, but I think the acids in grape must (compared to beer ingredients) prevent most microorganisms from doing much to wine, as long as your yeast is actively fermenting it.


----------



## Deezil

Beer is more susceptible to infection than wine, due to the lower ABV. With an ABV less than 10%, any spoilage organisms will still be able to tolerate the environment and cause havoc post-ferment while wines are generally 11% + thus creating an environment too hostile for the spoilage organisms to survive. This susceptibility to infection is what makes beer brewers so anal about keeping the wort isolated. 

So yeah, you really can leave the top off the bucket.. It's usually recommended to cover the primary with something though - a old but clean t-shirt, a spare/extra pillow case or sheet.. Keeps out things like fruit flies, previously mentioned, as well as other things like the random toddlers thrown toy or dog/cat hair.


----------



## -Bumbleclot-

Very new to winemaking, about to start my third batch. First was great for cooking but not to drink. Second batch came out very sweet, very dark and noticeably thick on the tongue, smells unpleasant but tastes great (it's aged 2 years now). 

I'm using mustang and muscadine grapes collected from along a country road. I try and make sense of the technicals, but only get further lost in the attempt. 

My process is, pick the grapes from the stems. Smash with potato masher and put in a plastic bucket, add boiling water to about 2 inches above the mashed grapes. Cover ad leave untouched for a week. After that, skim off the top, carefully, then pour the rest thru a cloth, squeezing all the juice I can from the fruits. Add 3 pounds sugar for each gallon of liquid, cover with cloth and stir once a day till bubbles stop. Bottle, and crack the tops at least twice a day till there's a few days with no more pressure building up. Rack when I think about it. (This all happens in central Texas, no ac, so temps between 78° and 105°)

I am going to use dark brown sugar this year, right now I have the grapes ready to mash, will do that in the morning. Any advice on what I can do to make it smell better? Both in this new batch, and possibly in the last one I made? And also, using brown sugar, can I simply swap it out in my recipe, or would I need to adjust the quantity?


----------



## Julie

-Bumbleclot- said:


> Very new to winemaking, about to start my third batch. First was great for cooking but not to drink. Second batch came out very sweet, very dark and noticeably thick on the tongue, smells unpleasant but tastes great (it's aged 2 years now).
> 
> I'm using mustang and muscadine grapes collected from along a country road. I try and make sense of the technicals, but only get further lost in the attempt.
> 
> My process is, pick the grapes from the stems. Smash with potato masher and put in a plastic bucket, add boiling water to about 2 inches above the mashed grapes. Cover ad leave untouched for a week. After that, skim off the top, carefully, then pour the rest thru a cloth, squeezing all the juice I can from the fruits. Add 3 pounds sugar for each gallon of liquid, cover with cloth and stir once a day till bubbles stop. Bottle, and crack the tops at least twice a day till there's a few days with no more pressure building up. Rack when I think about it. (This all happens in central Texas, no ac, so temps between 78° and 105°)
> 
> I am going to use dark brown sugar this year, right now I have the grapes ready to mash, will do that in the morning. Any advice on what I can do to make it smell better? Both in this new batch, and possibly in the last one I made? And also, using brown sugar, can I simply swap it out in my recipe, or would I need to adjust the quantity?



Buy a hydrometer, only add enough sugar to bring sg to 1.080 - 1.090, check your ph and ta, add pectic enzyme, 24 hours later add yeast, I use Lavlin 71B 1122. let it ferment on the grapes for about a week, rack, once fermentation is complete, add k-meta. Now let it age, racking once every 3 months and add k-meta with each racking.

We have a tutorial section you should look at, it will help you understand winemaking little better.


----------



## west_end

I posted this before but I think it was in the wrong spot

I am about to make my first good kit wine and I don't want to make any mistakes.

The Kit is a Wine expert, Chardonnay. The instructions say to use a primary fermenter with a minimum capacity of 30 liters or 7.9 gallons. The primary fermenter bucket I have looks to be about 7 gallons, should I get a bigger bucket or will this due? 

The instructions are pretty specific about the minimum size of the primary fermenter.

Thanks in advance for your help


----------



## UtahWine

Ok, 

I am also obviously a pup when it comes to making wine. I just started a third batch. I made a selection white wine which was quick turned out great, BUT my second batch was a RED merlot also a Selection brand wine for a 6 gallon kit. I have fermented, racked, degassed and its just sitting in my house now with an airlock on top. My questions is: Should I keep it in the carboy (9 months so far) longer? OR should I just bottle it with some good real corks and age in bottles? I get really lost if we start talking where pH should be for a wine etc., but can figure it out quick if I need to as I am a chemical engineering student =)

Anything helps, thanks

-Tyler


----------



## wineforfun

west_end said:


> I posted this before but I think it was in the wrong spot
> 
> I am about to make my first good kit wine and I don't want to make any mistakes.
> 
> The Kit is a Wine expert, Chardonnay. The instructions say to use a primary fermenter with a minimum capacity of 30 liters or 7.9 gallons. The primary fermenter bucket I have looks to be about 7 gallons, should I get a bigger bucket or will this due?
> 
> The instructions are pretty specific about the minimum size of the primary fermenter.
> 
> Thanks in advance for your help




If you have any grape skins, or a fruit bag to add to it, you will need the larger primary. If not, it will be close and you may get by with the 7.


----------



## Bartman

UtahWine said:


> Ok,
> 
> I am also obviously a pup when it comes to making wine. I just started a third batch. I made a selection white wine which was quick turned out great, BUT my second batch was a RED merlot also a Selection brand wine for a 6 gallon kit. I have fermented, racked, degassed and its just sitting in my house now with an airlock on top. My questions is: Should I keep it in the carboy (9 months so far) longer? OR should I just bottle it with some good real corks and age in bottles? I get really lost if we start talking where pH should be for a wine etc., but can figure it out quick if I need to as I am a chemical engineering student =)
> -Tyler



Since it's a kit, you don't need to worry about pH at all. Unless you want to experiment with the risk of ruining an otherwise great wine.  Seriously, though, after 9 months, I would bottle and age another 1-3 months before getting into it. Of course, if you can wait another six months after bottling, more the better. The main upside to bottling (especially after 9 months bulk-aging) is it frees up your carboy to start another wine.


----------



## matt256

*topping up carboy*

Hello all,
So I have my first kit going right now. Its a california pinot nior kit from wine expert. Primary fermentation went well, im in the carboy, and its time to add the preservatives. Ive heard that the carboy needs to be full and almost exactly 6 gal to have measurments work well for the stuff I have to put in there. Unfortunately I lost about a half a bottle on my kitchen floor during the transfer to the carboy. The directions say to fill it with water to top it up within 2 inches of the plug but I think taking a bottled pinot from the store and adding it might be a better approach. Or a combination of the 2. Or does it matter? I was hoping to get some thoughts on the matter. Thank you in advance


----------



## cmason1957

matt256 said:


> Hello all,
> So I have my first kit going right now. Its a california pinot nior kit from wine expert. Primary fermentation went well, im in the carboy, and its time to add the preservatives. Ive heard that the carboy needs to be full and almost exactly 6 gal to have measurments work well for the stuff I have to put in there. Unfortunately I lost about a half a bottle on my kitchen floor during the transfer to the carboy. The directions say to fill it with water to top it up within 2 inches of the plug but I think taking a bottled pinot from the store and adding it might be a better approach. Or a combination of the 2. Or does it matter? I was hoping to get some thoughts on the matter. Thank you in advance




My opinion is to add the meta no sulphite and potassium sorbate, then the classifying agents before topping up. You want some room to stir. Then top up with a commercial pinot that you like to drink. If you add water, you are watering down both the taste and Alcohol content. 

There is another option which might be a choice. Rack down to a smaller carboy.


----------



## mizvalentine

Hi, I'm a first time winemaker and I think I already messed up  I mixed a solution of potassium metabisulfite for sanitizing (2oz k2s2o5 to 1 gal water in a glass apothecary jar). Last night, I accidentally left the lid off the jar. Is the mixture now too evaporated/offgassed to effectively sanitize? It was open for about 8 hours in a cool kitchen (65 degrees). Boy do I feel stupid.

Also, the guy who sold me my wine juice (mixed black grape blend) said to keep the primary fermenting bucket in a 60 degree room for 7-10 days. He also said stir once a day and not to add any yeast. We're getting a warm spell here so I put the primary bucket in a larger bucket of cold water and have been feeding the water a little ice every day, since there's no 60 degree spot in my house right now. The juice is bubbling along nicely (though its gone from foaming to just vigorously bubbling, dunno if that makes a difference). My probe thermometer says the water varies from about 60 to 66. Is that okay? 

Thanks all!


----------



## Bartman

Yeah, you're okay with the ferment temps. Those temps are on the cooler end of acceptable, but you should be fine. If it goes much cooler, you're basically refrigerating the juice, in which case you are inhibiting the yeast's growth (the same reason we keep food in our refrigerators - to preserve it). If it gets too warm (like over 80 degrees) that can't negatively affect the yeast as well, but you're typical room temperature is ideal.

The strangest part is his advice to not add any yeast - you are taking a chance on what yeast is present on the grapes. If you know the seller to have made great wine using the 'ambient yeast', then I guess that's trustworthy, but I would not be comfortable counting on wild yeast to fully ferment my wine. It may well work (and it usually did work for thousands of years in fact), but you're rolling the dice, so to speak.

You won't really know when the juice is fully fermented without using a hydrometer to measure the specific gravity of the juice/wine. You can guess, of course, but that's not the preferred method, as you might imagine.

As far as the metabisulifte, it will have lost some of its potency but would still be usable for rinsing to sanitize your tools/equipment (spoons, hoses, etc.). As cheap as it is, I would make new when I needed to make sure something was clean. It's not a great loss, so did kick yourself too hard.


----------



## mizvalentine

Bartman said:


> The strangest part is his advice to not add any yeast - you are taking a chance on what yeast is present on the grapes. If you know the seller to have made great wine using the 'ambient yeast', then I guess that's trustworthy, but I would not be comfortable counting on wild yeast to fully ferment my wine. It may well work (and it usually did work for thousands of years in fact), but you're rolling the dice, so to speak.



Thank you for the excellent advice! Really sets my mind at ease. 

As for not adding yeast, the guy who sold me my juice is pretty old school (wholesaling wine juice for 40 years or so, all the Italian grandpas in the neighborhood get their wine supplies from him so I figure its a good sign!!)...I did some googling around and it seems that Regina juice buckets (which is what I got) already have the yeast added to them. So I guess that explains it? 

My hydrometer is arriving today, so that'll help too I think!

I did have a question about how much it should be bubbling... the first 24 hours, it foamed a lot, but I think the room temp was slightly higher (low-mid 70s). Then I got a handle on the water bath and got it down to low 60s. Consequently, the bubbling is now vigorous but fine (no foam)...like a freshly opened can of soda. Is that good? And is it related to the temp?

Also wondering... should I be changing the water bath regularly? It occurred to me this morning that maybe 18gallons of stagnant water surrounding a sterile bucket of wine is maybe not so good? Or maybe I'm just paranoid...

This forum is really great, thanks for all the help!


----------



## jpcedotal

The airlock goes on the secondary glass jug, not the primary plastic bucket right?

The reason I ask is the primary was part of a kit and there is a hole with a rubber seal around it in the top that comes with the bucket. Right now I am in the 5-7 day process of letting the yeast do its magic with a daily stir, squish, and measure. I have just put the top back on and left the hole open...is this correct?


----------



## west_end

Help I did not add enough sugar to my muscadine wine.

Back story:
Last Saturday, I crushed 30# of ripe muscadine grapes. To that, I added 2 1/2 gl of water, pectic enzymes, nutrients, Campden tablets and only 2 lb of sugar. The recipe called for 10 lbs. I let it sit for 24 hours and pitched the yeast. It took about 40 hours to start the fermentation process, it bubbled for a day and quit. 

Concerned about the slowed down fermentation and hydrometer reading, I looked over the instructions and just realized my mistake. 

Todays hydrometer reading is 1.010. My guess is it's not going any lower. What should I do?

Thanks


----------



## jamesngalveston

lots of info missing.
how come you didnt add the sugar required.
do you have it in a carboy with air lock are a bucket.
forget bubbles...use the hydrometer.
add sugar to get the ferment going again.


----------



## west_end

jamesngalveston said:


> lots of info missing.
> how come you didnt add the sugar required.
> do you have it in a carboy with air lock are a bucket.
> forget bubbles...use the hydrometer.
> add sugar to get the ferment going again.



Like I said, the sugar was a mistake, but to add, the quantities of everything else was correct.

It still in the primary fermenter, witch is a bucket

The only reason I mentioned the bubbles is because I thought the fermentation was done so I did a hydrometer check, yesterday it was 1.010. I just checked it again and i got 1.000. I checked it twice with two different hydrometers, the readings are the same. I doubt if it dropped that much over night so i am wondering if Yesterdays 1.010 was a mistake. 

So I still have the original question. What do I do about the missing 8 lb of sugar?

Also the bag of skins are not broken down as much as i thought the would be.

Should I just add the missing 8lb of sugar and repitch the yeast?


----------



## cmason1957

I think if it were me, I would just add the sugar you forgot. I would add it by pulling off some of the existing liquid, about the same amount as the amount of sugar. Put the sugar into the liquid, then stir really, really well. Don't forget to sanitize everything.

Pour it all back into your fermenter. You will now have a higher SG than you had and the existing yeast will be just fine to start converting that sugar to alcohol and you will have more volume than you had before, so make certain you have space for more volume.


----------



## west_end

cmason1957 said:


> I think if it were me, I would just add the sugar you forgot. I would add it by pulling off some of the existing liquid, about the same amount as the amount of sugar. Put the sugar into the liquid, then stir really, really well. Don't forget to sanitize everything.
> 
> Pour it all back into your fermenter. You will now have a higher SG than you had and the existing yeast will be just fine to start converting that sugar to alcohol and you will have more volume than you had before, so make certain you have space for more volume.



Thanks cmason1957


----------



## jamesngalveston

if your hydrometer says.1.000 its almost done...dont add sugar are yeast.
check every day, if you get the same reading on hydrometer it is done.
you can add the sugar after it goes dry, which should not be long.
I have had a ferment go from start to finish in 3 days.


----------



## SoCalGuy

Need help here. I came back on the forum and the whole format is different. How the heck do you start a new topic?


----------



## Julie

when you are in the forum you want to start the new topic, i.e. beginner's winemaking, general winemaking, etc. on the upper left side there will be a button that says New Thread


----------



## SoCalGuy

Ah, Thank you.


----------



## Enologo

*Cork in a Bottle*

Has anyone had a bottle with the cork pushed all the way in?? Is there a way to get it out ?? Is it worth the trouble or better to just toss it??


----------



## Julie

Yes, take a plastic grocery bag, push it into the bottle, turn the bottle upside down to get the cork beside the bag, blow some air into the bag and pull, cork will come out with the bag.


----------



## kryptonitewine

Works like a champ. You can see it in action on YouTube. Great party trick.


----------



## Loxalibations

Did I ruin my first baych? I am attempting a modified Dave's Dragon Blood. All was going well in secondary (good Ph, nice tannib balance, Sg .0992, beautiful color, & and a great taste that promised amazing result with age) so I won't go into other details. At 2 weeks, of secondary I used siphon to drain into clean carboys , off of sediment. Upon finishing I was worried that I wasn't careful enough with 'splashing' and danger of oxodation. I quickly looked up the issue to find that using campden tabs when racking was helpful. Here is where my XY nature got in way by not reading directions completely. I did not read carefully snd used 1 tab per 3 ltr jug and 4 on the 6 gallon main carboy, instead of 1 tab per 5 gallon. Is this fatal to the attempt?


----------



## sour_grapes

I believe that conventional wisdom here on WMT is that you did not ruin your wine, but it will take some time and some splash rackings to dissipate the excess SO2.


----------



## Winenoob66

my camden tabs say 1 tab per gallon on the bottle


----------



## kryptonitewine

Winenoob66 said:


> my camden tabs say 1 tab per gallon on the bottle




Mine too. I think he's fine.


----------



## Loxalibations

Plan is lots of time in secondary to bulk age, so that is covered. What is SPLASH RACKING? The proportions I used was closer to what is called for (on package) for initial sterilizing, much less for racking. I did not campden tab the batch between primary and secodary as I did not want to slow the yeast down artificially at that time.


----------



## Loxalibations

Btw...thanks: good to know I didn't ruin what is promising to be a really good first attempt.


----------



## Enologo

Julie said:


> Yes, take a plastic grocery bag, push it into the bottle, turn the bottle upside down to get the cork beside the bag, blow some air into the bag and pull, cork will come out with the bag.



That sounds like a great trick, can't wait to try it. I have two bottles with the corks pushed in. One is just a standard bottle but one is a nice shaped gallon that I really like.


----------



## DirtyDawg10

Enologo said:


> That sounds like a great trick, can't wait to try it. I have two bottles with the corks pushed in. One is just a standard bottle but one is a nice shaped gallon that I really like.


Yeah it works! Surprised the heck out of me when I tried it and found out how easy it was to do.


----------



## BroknArrw

Question about getting the wine to 72-75 temp. I been having the house at 72 degrees. I put the bag by the heater vent and kicked up the temp to 78. Don't want to get off starting my first batch on the wrong foot. 

Any ways to keep the wine at the right temp without heating the whole house. Was thinking submergible fish tank heater but not sure how that would be in wine.


----------



## kryptonitewine

BroknArrw said:


> Was thinking submergible fish tank heater but not sure how that would be in wine.




A few people have used a fish heater in the must. Others put it in a tub filled with water with the primary in the tub. You can aim a space heater at the primary others use a brew belt. I use a heating pad and wrap it around the bucket secured by a small rope. 


Jim


----------



## BroknArrw

trying first batch before adding yeast. hydrometer quite high enough. around .9 and not 1.08

what to do--its a kit


----------



## BroknArrw

Umm OK I figured it out. Lesson #1: Learn to read hydrometer correctly. So I was in right area after all.


----------



## Julie

BroknArrw,

If you are keeping your house at 72 degrees, then you are fine you should not need to heat your house anymore than that. I ferment in my basement at temps anywhere between 58 degrees to 75 degrees, depending on the time of year.


----------



## Enologo

Ok, tried the plastic bag and cork trick but all the bags i tried seem to have hole and wouldn't hold air but when I was checking you tube for the demo there was a guy doing the same thing only he was using a cloth napkin. So I tried using a rag and it worked! I was so excited I got my bottles back. my wife thought I was nuts.


----------



## Tamei

Hi guys. So I'm really interested in getting into wine making. I wanted to make my own semi-sweet/dry wine, but I wanted to know if its possible without adding anything (no sugar or potasium sorbate) at all to the wine. Just straight grapes. Is sussreserve something that might work for me?
I have some time until I can start, since grapes won't be available here until September time. In the meantime I'm trying to learn everything I can. I need to make about 5-6 gallons that might end up sitting around for about a year before I need to drink it.


----------



## dangerdave

Well, Tamei, welcome to the forum!

I would suggest---since you have so long to wait for local grapes---that you get yourself a kit, and make some dry red wine in the interim. The kit making process will give you valuable insite into the wine making process that will help out immeasurably when you get some grapes in your hands. Also, you'll have a nice wine to drink while you're mashing grapes in the Fall.


----------



## SoCalGuy

When bulk aging, is it ok to store it in cooler temperatures? Such as between 55-65? The reason I ask is I want to make more kit wines but limited on room. Under the house though, I have plenty of room. 


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making


----------



## Tamei

I'm not a big dry wine guy. That's why I was kind of hoping I'd be able to make semi-sweet.


----------



## sour_grapes

SoCalGuy said:


> When bulk aging, is it ok to store it in cooler temperatures? Such as between 55-65? The reason I ask is I want to make more kit wines but limited on room. Under the house though, I have plenty of room.



Yes, you can store/age at those temperatures. Pretty much the ideal temperature, IMHO.


----------



## dangerdave

Tamei said:


> I'm not a big dry wine guy. That's why I was kind of hoping I'd be able to make semi-sweet.


 
The only difference between dry and semi-sweet is a little sugar. I have made dry reds before that need jus a little "something". Add a small amout of sugar (just a pinch in a galss) and it suddenly finds balance.

Make a dry red and sweeten to taste. Experimentation is encouraged!


----------



## Enologo

*MLF or Gas*

Seeing tiny bubbles at the neck of the carboy. Fermentation has been complete for a while now and has been vacuum racked a couple of times so I'm thinking is this just off gassing or possibly spontaneous MLF?? Question #2 if it is spontaneous MLF if I rack will it interfere with the process?? I don't have a kit to test for MLF. This batch, a Nero Davola was from juice pails and was already stabilized but no sorbate was added as I planned to age it without any back sweetening.


----------



## dangerdave

I think, since you were going to anyway, just let it sit. If it's MLF, then it will improve the wine. If it's just gas, then that will resolve itself over time.


----------



## Enologo

Well since there was still sediment I decided to go ahead and rack. No more bubbles so far. I guess it was just gas. Oh! Excuse Me.


----------



## SoCalGuy

I'm going to start my cellar craft sterling chardonnay. I've decided to battonage and bulk age for 6 months. I need a yeast. There's so many to choose from. Any ideas. I'm going for the fruit fwd, buttery texture. 


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making


----------



## Linzay

Hi folks very new, my first time making wine. I have a Vino Europa Cabernet Sauvignon style kit from Costco. I added too much water, 23 litres plus what's in a bag of must. I did not
add bentonite or yeast. The temperature is 20* and the specific gravity is 68. What can I do to save this project? Please and thank you. Linzay


----------



## Loxalibations

Linzay....Costco sells kits??? Is it an online thing, in store, or Liquor store item? I must check this out. HAVE you used their's before?


----------



## Loxalibations

Scratch that last Q...I see the 'first time' mention now.


----------



## byathread

SoCalGuy said:


> I'm going to start my cellar craft sterling chardonnay. I've decided to battonage and bulk age for 6 months. I need a yeast. There's so many to choose from. Any ideas. I'm going for the fruit fwd, buttery texture.



What did you end up going with? I'm considering this kit for the future. In the kit description on FineVineWines it mentions tropical, pineapple, apple, pear and citrus aromas/flavors. A great choice for battonage is D47.

K1V, CY3079, D254, GHM, T306, and VL3 are also all well-suited to lees aging. I've used battonage with D47, K1V, CY3079 and D254 on meads. I'm new to wine making and only just started my first grape wine battonage experiment, but its a technique I really enjoy in meads for increasing body/mouthfeel and complexity.

Good luck!


----------



## dangerdave

Linzay said:


> Hi folks very new, my first time making wine. I have a Vino Europa Cabernet Sauvignon style kit from Costco. I added too much water, 23 litres plus what's in a bag of must. I did not
> add bentonite or yeast. The temperature is 20* and the specific gravity is 68. What can I do to save this project? Please and thank you. Linzay


 
I missed this question, Linzay. I was out of town.

If you added too much water, you might get your hands on some red wine concentrate (sold my some wine hobby stores). I am going with the presumption from your message that your SG = 1.068 at 20C (68F). Add enough red wine concentrate (I have no idea how much this would take) to drive the SG up to about 1.090.

But my guess is you already found a solution or gave up on this one, maybe?


----------



## bstnh1

Anyone have a suggestion on what to top up a WE German Muller-Thurgau with? I'm getting ready to bulk age a batch and have come up empty trying to find something that's the same or very similar. Thanks!


----------



## Bartman

bstnh1 said:


> Anyone have a suggestion on what to top up a WE German Muller-Thurgau with? I'm getting ready to bulk age a batch and have come up empty trying to find something that's the same or very similar. Thanks!


Most cost-effective would be a Riesling - German preferably. Muller-Thurgau is a hybrid of Rielsing and Silvaner (I think), so it should blend reasonably well. I would probably aim for a Riesling without much bouquet as it might clash with your M-T bouquet which is one of that varietal's best features!


----------



## bstnh1

Bartman said:


> Most cost-effective would be a Riesling - German preferably. Muller-Thurgau is a hybrid of Rielsing and Silvaner (I think), so it should blend reasonably well. I would probably aim for a Riesling without much bouquet as it might clash with your M-T bouquet which is one of that varietal's best features!



Thanks! I was thinking of using a Riesling. Don't know why it's so hard to find any Muller-Thurgau.


----------



## Bartman

bstnh1 said:


> Thanks! I was thinking of using a Riesling. Don't know why it's so hard to find any Muller-Thurgau.


I'm not surprised. Many wine store employees have never heard of it. It's just not common in the US, and is becoming less common in Germany. But as for blending, this is from wikipedia:

"In Germany, it has long been common to blend Müller-Thurgau with Bacchus, or small amounts of Morio Muscat to enhance its flavours. Both are highly aromatic which don't work very well in varietal wines on their own because of a lack of acidity or structure."

Can't say I know where to find those wines to blend with, so that puts you back to square one. :/


----------



## mikeslag

*Wine Reclouded After Bulk Aging*

So I'm not brand new to wine making but still something of a beginner. Made maybe a dozen 6 gallon batches or so. Some from kits and some skeeter pee and some triple berry. 

So I made my first batch from grape juice a few months back. Chilean Riesling. 

Followed the steps needed, everything turned out pretty well so far. Fermented, degassed, cleared.

I don't have my notes for starting/ending gravity, but anyway, the point is I racked it, cleared it, and it cleared to crystal in a few days, then I set it to bulk age.

Well I looked at it today and it seems to have clouded up again, this after being clear for a couple of months. It sits at anywhere from 55-65, depending on the house temp and I smelled it and it smells great still, not like vinegar or anything.

I just don't know what might have happened and what if anything I can do about it, rerack? Another clarifying agent? 

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!


----------



## not-so-Highborne

Okay. I'm having trouble here. I mix a batch of 2 gallons of grape juice. 20 lbs of sugar and topped of with hot water to mix and dissolve. Maxing 5 gallons. 

Added my tannin, citric acid ann Campden tablets. Let it cool and pitched my yeast. Waited 5 day for it to settle down. Transferred it to a glass carboy degassed. At this point it's purple and cloudy. I topped it off with cool water. Added my gelatin, bubbler covered with black plastic to block out any light. In ten days I checked it again and settled a bunch but still cloudy. Transferred again and topped off and capped with bubbler. 

HOWEVER IT DOES NOT SEEM LIKE WINE! Did I miss something? Does it still need more time. I understand it needs to clear more but, it should still seem like it resembles wine, right? 

PLEASE HELP!!!!!! 


From the not-so-Highborne.


----------



## Dale1978

The recipe you posted seems light on juice and you wound up with grape flavored water


----------



## not-so-Highborne

Even with the amount of sugar? 


From the not-so-Highborne.


----------



## Dale1978

the sugar you add is for making alcohol - I am assuming this was grape juice you buy in a bottle - it has a lot of water in it - if you are going to use ready made juice you do not want to add any water to it at all


----------



## Dale1978

what was your starting SG - you may have a alcohol level and some grape flavor - but will not be a good wine


----------



## not-so-Highborne

So basically what I got is 5 gal of grape flavored fermented sugar water?



From the not-so-Highborne.


----------



## Dale1978

thats what it sounds like to me - like I said if you are going to use ready made juice - do not add any water - if you use frozen concentrate - I use 3 cans of concentrate per gallon that I want to make - fill fermenter with water for the number of gallons you want to make and the add number of cans of concentrate - some folks on here use 4 per gallon - I made them with 3 and turned out really nice - it would be 18 to 24 cans for 6 gallons - depending on your taste


----------



## not-so-Highborne

Sweet. Thanks for your time. 


From the not-so-Highborne.


----------



## TinyPirate

Soda water and fruit juice time for that stuff by the sound of it!


----------



## not-so-Highborne

It should have a bit of alcohol to it. I used 5 kilos of sugar and champaign yeast. 



From the not-so-Highborne.


----------



## Dale1978

you might make some sort of fruit pak to add some more flavor to it - might can add some raisins to add some body - but I think I would just start over


----------



## not-so-Highborne

Now what do the raisins do? I see people using them. But I don't fully understand their purpose yet. 


From the not-so-Highborne.


----------



## Dale1978

they will add some body to a lacking wine - they will also add tannin to a wine - I have made a couple of wines that turned out flat or flabby and put raisins in carboy for a week or so and it brought the wine to life - I am not sure if adding raisins to your wine will help - but might be worth a try before you just pour it down the drain - you just have to weight your options at this time and make a decision of how much time and money you want to spend on this wine and what this wine is worth - again it may be just best to chalk this one up and start over


----------



## artifaxiom

Hi all,

I'm having trouble interpreting an instruction from _The Home Winemaker's Companion_. Making strawberry wine, after the primary fermentation (but before racking) it instructs:

Stir the must daily. In 5 to 7 days, the specific gravity should read 1.040 or lower. When it does, *press out the fruit pulp* and strain the wine.

What does press out the fruit pulp mean? Push it against the sides of the bucket with the spoon? Am I missing some equipment? Any help would be appreciated!


----------



## Loner

If the fruit is in a bag (in the primary) you should squeeze it gently to extract the juice. If the fruit is not in a bag you should strain your liquids through a cloth etc to capture the solids. Squeeze gently to extract the juice and discard the solids that remain in the cloth.




Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making


----------



## artifaxiom

Thank you for the (impressively quick!) reply. My fruit is not in a bag.

To clarify: when the primary fermentation is complete, I should siphon off the must, then gather the sediment+fruit into a cheesecloth and gently squeeze, collecting the juices into the carboy (or a larger mouthed container, to then be transfered into the carboy)?

Thanks again!


----------



## TinyPirate

Pretty much. I put the bag of must in a bucket with an upturned bowl at the bottom and let it drain out before giving it a squeeze or two. If you don't have any muslin to hand, I figure waving the sieve through the wine, giving what is caught a gentle press with a spoon (then discard fruit) until the wine is clean is fine. Then run all your wine over the sieve as you rack and collect any bits you miss.


----------



## Loner

You are spot on Artifaxiom. Pressing the fruit in this case simply means getting rid of the solids while keeping as much juice as possible by whatever means you are comfortable with. I wouldn't get too aggressive when squeezing the solids to extract the juice. It won't hurt you to lose a couple of ounces. 


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making


----------



## GT21

My Pinot noir wine, that has been clearing for 15 days now, developed a red film on the surface when it should have dropped to the bottom by now. It looks like sediment or yeast, but I could be wrong. The wine smells and taste good. Is it bacteria? What should I do?


----------



## mcb95x

*Very new basic questions (black spanish grapes)*

I really planted my vines as a test run, but got a reasonably large yield this year. I decided that I might have enough to give wine making a try. My questions stem from what can I do with what I have. 

1. I have about 40-50 healthy bunches, is that enough to do a small trial batch?

2 how large a yield might I expect?

3. Do black spanish grapes do well for wine.

4. when they finally turn color and the yeast starts to take effect, when should I pick them and how long before I juice them? 

5 are there inherent problems with starting with a small batch?


----------



## Val-the-Brew-Gal

*My Mojito Skeeto smells a little off...*

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Found the thread for Mojito Skeeter and started a 3 gallon batch last Thursday (May 29th) following the recipe exactly except used grape concentate instead of apple. In the last couple days, I noticed that it smelled just a bit like rotten eggs...not terrible but definitely a little off. I have read that Skeeter Pee can do this and it seems my lime version is falling victim.

I think one of the things I did wrong is put the batch straight into a 3 gallon carboy after the must had started fermenting and I was just giving it a few shakes once a day instead of a good stir. So yesterday I splash racked it into a bucket, added the last bottle of limeade and nutrients (it was at 13 brix) and have stirred the heck out of it several times.

The mixture is fizzing like crazy so I assume it's fermenting well. The smell hasn't gotten worse, but I don't know if it's gotten better yet. Is there anything else I should do to make sure that my Mojito Skeeter turns out okay?


----------



## Lornahdune

*My airlock fell out! Oh what to do?*

I just found the airlock on my nearly-ready-to-bottle apple wine was on the floor near the 5 gal carboy. (The bung with the hole was still attached to the carboy) Some one must have knocked it off in the last week or less. The wine still looks clear, and I was prepping to rack it with my all in one pump to another carboy today, when I found the airlock missing.

But now, I'm not sure what I should do. My uneducated newbie guess is that I should treat it with campden tablets (one per gallon?) and let it sit a few days before I bottle it? But can an expert weigh in on this for me please? I'd hate the idea that I now have 5 gals of vinegar to give away instead of wine. arggg


----------



## willie

Well I'm no expert but I would certainly take a small sample and give it the smell and taste test. As far as the tablets go I also would like to see what someone has to say about that. 

Will


----------



## TinyPirate

What does young wine taste like? I am hoping the alcohol is front and the fruit there-but-at-the-back. That is what I have with some feijoa wine right now and I just want to know it hasn't started terrible.


----------



## Lornahdune

willie said:


> Well I'm no expert but I would certainly take a small sample and give it the smell and taste test. As far as the tablets go I also would like to see what someone has to say about that.
> 
> Will



Thanks Willie, on that. I haven't sampled it yet but did put a new airlock on. I'm still waiting to hear about using tablets or whatever to counteract any exposure. It may only have been a day or as long as a week with the airlock off.
-l


----------



## TinyPirate

How do you test the pH on red wine with strips? My blackcurrant just dyed the strip :/


----------



## sour_grapes

I believe the answer is pretty much: "You don't, for exactly the reason you cite."


----------



## TinyPirate

sour_grapes said:


> I believe the answer is pretty much: "You don't, for exactly the reason you cite."




Googled instructions suggest watering down one part wine to ten parts water. The test is for the strength of the acid, not how much there is in the wine, after all, right?

That being said, the wine tested at about 3.9/4.0 - which should be a not to tart drink. However, the wine was tart, and arguably improved with a pinch of calc. carb. Hmmm.


----------



## NoobVinter

I think I might have a stuck fermentation on my first DB. It's been 24 hours and nothing is happening. 

OG: 1.068
Waited 24 hrs

Pitched EC 1118 after hydrating
Must was 79 F

? What happened......Hydrometer shows no change...any thoughts? 


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making


----------



## sour_grapes

It would be very unusual to see a change in SG after 24 hours. There is the so-called "lag phase" while the yeast are ramping up. Google "yeast lag phase" to see all the details.


----------



## NoobVinter

Thanks Sourgrapes: I will read that. Didn't know about lag phase.....so many things are going through my brain....(too little sugar, sorbate from the fresh blueberries, bacteria, sanitation, bentonite, needed to rack then pitch again with a starter) This is my first real problem....and my second batch ever, first DB. Kind of discouraged, but not giving up yet. Thanks for the information and direction SourGrapes. Will def look that up today. 


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making


----------



## NoobVinter

@Sourgrapes: I read about yeast. I wish my yeast was in lag phase. I did some things tonight after getting another unchanged reading for three days.

1) Racked primary off lees into clean and sanitized carboy
2) Racked back into cleaned and sanitized primary
3) Whipped in 3 cups sugar: 1.075
4) Pitched new hydrated EC-1118
5) Brew belt......78-80F

Did I do anything wrong or miss something? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Have a great night take care.







Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making


----------



## Butch

Got kit for Fathers day. Today my wife and I got brave to try making it. After putting the yeast in. I put on the lid and my wife went to insert the airlock filled with water and pushed to hard and the rubber that holds the airlock with water in it went into the bucket. So now not know if we should disturb the yeast to fish it out. We put tape over the hole and inserted the airlock in a tiny hole. It seems sealed. Any suggestions? Should we just leave it alone or hunt for it. It is a 6 week kit and today is first day.


----------



## olusteebus

What I would do is leave it alone unless it was not sanitized. If sanitized I would wash my hand and arm thoroughly and get it out. I would not put the bucket top on at this stage. I would drape a cloth or towel over the bucket. The juice needds oxygen at this point. 

You would put the airlock on the carboy after you complete the first phase of fermentation


----------



## sour_grapes

The exact same thing happened to me the first time I made wine. I was able to fish it out using the stirring paddle that I had. However, knowing what I know now, I would just ignore it. As Olusteebus points out, you don't really need to use the airlock during this part of the fermentation.


----------



## Enologo

Same thing happened to me the first time out. I went to a harware store and picked up a couple of spares and waited till I racked to the carboy then retrieved the lost grommet.


----------



## NoobVinter

olusteebus said:


> What I would do is leave it alone unless it was not sanitized. If sanitized I would wash my hand and arm thoroughly and get it out. I would not put the bucket top on at this stage. I would drape a cloth or towel over the bucket. The juice needds oxygen at this point.
> 
> 
> 
> You would put the airlock on the carboy after you complete the first phase of fermentation




I have really hairy arms and work at a hospital. I am exposed to radiologic, chemical, and nasty biological hazard all day. I got concerned about contaminating my wine so I bought these. I saw them on Breaking Bad lol I haven't had any problems with them yet. 



Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making


----------



## silvettann

I have never made wine. But, I do have an over abundance of blackberries, huge blackberrys. I pick six gallons every other days all through June and half of July. I have to start doing something with them other than freezing, canning and fruit leather. 
I'm less than a newbie, I'm lost. PLEASE someone tell me exactly what to do with these beautiful berries. Right now I've been juicing them out and freezing bags of juice. I had to buy yet another freezer this year. This next year the raspberries and blueberries will be over taking me. Please someone help with a recipe I can follow blindly.


----------



## sour_grapes

silvettann said:


> I have never made wine. But, I do have an over abundance of blackberries, huge blackberrys. I pick six gallons every other days all through June and half of July. I have to start doing something with them other than freezing, canning and fruit leather.
> I'm less than a newbie, I'm lost. PLEASE someone tell me exactly what to do with these beautiful berries. Right now I've been juicing them out and freezing bags of juice. I had to buy yet another freezer this year. This next year the raspberries and blueberries will be over taking me. Please someone help with a recipe I can follow blindly.



Here is a start: http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/blackbr2.asp

Most people on this site say to use more blackberries and less water.


----------



## wildwilk21

New to wine makin I have no idea what to tell anyone I just grab a bucket with a lid put an air lock on it crushed a few pounds of blueberries added some water annoy 5 cups of sugar an 1 tbs 1 tsp of turbo brewers yeast I waited a week and sampled it and it taste like rotten trash water. I would like to make some watermelon could anybody give me some pointers or let me know what I did wrong please?


----------



## Jaywald

How do u guys keep fruit flys away??. If their called that. Having a problem with that lately 


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making


----------



## djrockinsteve

Put a small amount of wine in a glass near fruit flies. Now add 1 drop of dish detergent via your finger or bottle of soap. DO NOT MOVE THE GLASS. Flies will drown. 

Important not to move glass


----------



## Jaywald

Thanks ill try that one


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making


----------



## Julie

Plus to what Djrockinsteve said, get a fan and let it blow on your carboys


----------



## sour_grapes

djrockinsteve said:


> Put a small amount of wine in a glass near fruit flies. Now add 1 drop of dish detergent via your finger or bottle of soap. DO NOT MOVE THE GLASS. Flies will drown.
> 
> Important not to move glass



Steve, why do you disrecommend moving the glass? I use essentially the same method, but I move the glass around all the time! I must have about 40 corpses in there right now....


----------



## dalal

*home wine making*

hello there 
am useing bread yeast and grape juice for home wine making 
there is mold on surface!!
is it normal and what should i do ?


----------



## cintipam

Hi

can you give more info, like when you added yeast and any other steps you performed, like stirring air into the must to keep yeast healthy etc. Did you do it all in this container, or first in an open top container then transferred (racked) into this container? What type of juice is this? Fermentation can look weird, can't really tell what that stuff is all gunked up like that. Mine often looks like that, but spread over the surface of an open bucket. In the first part of fermentation yeast needs the air. Later when SG is very near 1.00 is when it should go into a container with a small opening and kept with limited air.

More info maybe we can answer better.

Pam in cinti


----------



## dalal

thank you for replaying me 
yes i made it in this container , its 100% juice ..first i put the sugar then the bread yeast and shake it well 
i don't have an air lock so so i kept the lid little open 
that's all


----------



## willie

dalal said:


> thank you for replaying me
> yes i made it in this container , its 100% juice ..first i put the sugar then the bread yeast and shake it well
> i don't have an air lock so so i kept the lid little open
> that's all



The stuff at the top doesn't look like mold to me. Maybe just foam from the yeast working with the sugar. I get that every time I make Dragon Blood.

Will


----------



## jlshores

Hello all! New wine maker here. Ive done a lot of reading and forum researching and just decided to just do it.

Recipe:
1 Lug of Cabernet Sauvingnon
VH R-56
Must volume is 3.5 gal
Expected Volume is 2.5 gal

Crushed 10-3 added camden tabs

10-4 SG was 1.13 TA was 0.35% (took average of 2 titrations) T was 68F
Added 7 tsp of Tartaric acid to help raise TA

Punch down cap twice a day

Added 1.5 tsp of fermax on day 3

Day 5 SG is 1.052 TA 0.50% and T is 71F

I am traveling all ned week starting monday afternoon. Can I let sit without punching down cap for 4 days or should I rack on Sunday? I don't think SG will be low enough by sunday.

Any tips on next steps would be appreciated. What i should add and expect at first racking etc.

Thank you.


----------



## Boatboy24

I would press and get it into a carboy before you leave.


----------



## TheYoungCrafter

I'm beginner, just wanted to hear any feedback from the veterans out there about my first wine, I chose Apple concentrate, put 16oz in my half gallon glass cardboy, added water to fill a little over half, added a cup of sugar then put my wine yeast in some warm water then after sitting for a little I added it in, now my fermentation lock is on it and she's a fermenting. Today (18hoursin) I noticed a steady amount of bubbles and it smells faintly of alcohol, what do talk think??


----------



## jlshores

Could someone provide a practical way to press a small amount of must. I do not have any type of press. Thank you.

James


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making


----------



## oregondabbler

*Is an adjustment to ph needed?*

I moved this post into the making wine with grapes forum


----------



## Bartman

jlshores said:


> Could someone provide a practical way to press a small amount of must. I do not have any type of press. Thank you.
> 
> James


For 2-4 gallons of juice/fruit pulp, I use 3 food-grade 5-gallon buckets that stack together (all sanitized inside and out, of course): 2 normal and 1 with a bunch of 3/8" or so holes drilled in the bottom. You put the hole-y bucket inside one of the other two (the bottom one will be your 'receiving' bucket), then add the must you want to press into the hole-y bucket. You use the bottom of the 3rd bucket to press the juice through the holes in the middle bucket. Crude but mostly effective - it won't squeeze as much juice as out of the fruit as a basket press would, but this set-up is a whole lot cheaper. I don't use it very often though - it's still a lot of work cleaning, pressing, and cleaning again.


----------



## cintipam

Dalal, what kind of juice is this? Doesn't really matter, but I am curious. It is important tho that the ingredients did not list any sorbate type chemical. If any fermentation did happen, there was probably no sorbate used as a preservative. Honestly I think the only way to be sure about your wine is to try a tiny taste. If it tastes good but has some sweetness then it is not done fermenting. If it tastes harsh and sour, then it is probably done. If done, I'd scrape the stuff out of the bottle and let it age a bit longer to try to mellow it some before drinking it. Some fruit wines become smoother and drinkable sooner than others.

I wish we could help more but we just don't have enough info to give better answers. We don't even know how long it's been since you added the yeast to the juice. If 1-2 weeks, all is prob fine. If 1-2 months, could be problems.

Pam in cinti


----------



## Shelton

Tom said:


> Whats the gravity?
> Whats the recipe?



Actually I needless to say, gravity doesn't work like this in real life. But what's going on when boulders or Acme anvils plummet to the Earth?


----------



## Val-the-Brew-Gal

I started a batch of Jack Keller's Chocolate Strawberry wine and it is now time for my first 2 month racking. He doesn't mention treating with potassium metabisulfite at rackings but what would others recommend? Since this wine is supposed to take a full year to clear, I want to make sure it is "protected" during the process.


----------



## scottdfore

im new to making wine i used grap juice to make my wine its been bubling over 60 bubling its been 15 days like this now it slowed down to about 3 bubles a min is this ok and how can i check the ac level now


----------



## scottdfore

help me please


----------



## Julie

How many bubbles you get per minute really means nothing, sorry but that is how it is. You need to get a hydrometer, this will help you calculate your ABV and let you know if your wine has completed fermentation.


----------



## sour_grapes

scottdfore said:


> im new to making wine i used grap juice to make my wine its been bubling over 60 bubling its been 15 days like this now it slowed down to about 3 bubles a min is this ok and how can i check the ac level now



You need to purchase a hydrometer (about $7 at your local home brewing store) and measure the specific gravity of your wine. 

Let us know what that reading is. Also, let us know what your starting juice was -- was it just grape juice, or did you add sugar? What kind of grape juice was it?


----------



## bfish19

So I attempted to make a fruit punch wine using frozen minute made fruit punch sugar and water and used lalvin EC-1118. So after 5 days I'm pretty sure the yeast hasn't started to work and I'm wondering if I should chuck it out and start over?


----------



## sour_grapes

bfish19 said:


> So I attempted to make a fruit punch wine using frozen minute made fruit punch sugar and water and used lalvin EC-1118. So after 5 days I'm pretty sure the yeast hasn't started to work and I'm wondering if I should chuck it out and start over?



I assume you do not have a hydrometer. See my post just above yours.

In the meantime, let me ask: How does your batch taste now? Is is sweet? Is is fizzy?


----------



## bfish19

I do have a hydrometer and my first reading was 1085 and remains the same


----------



## cintipam

There are several things that could be happening. The juice you bought could have sorbate or benzoate in it which which make it difficult if not impossible to ferment. or the must is not warm enough to get the yeasties growing. Or the yeast is bad, which sometimes happens even before you get it from bad treatment. If you think it is warm enough, at least 70, then I would do a yeast starter in order to get the colony growing and thriving before adding it to the must. 

Another thing that could trip you up later, but prob not yet, is you used a punch. In my experience things labeled punch do not have much real fruit in them at all. so your yeast is not going to have a good food supply. You should be sure to add nutrient and maybe some energizer to the must once the yeast seems to have a foothold.

Pam in cinti


----------



## bfish19

cintipam said:


> There are several things that could be happening. The juice you bought could have sorbate or benzoate in it which which make it difficult if not impossible to ferment. or the must is not warm enough to get the yeasties growing. Or the yeast is bad, which sometimes happens even before you get it from bad treatment. If you think it is warm enough, at least 70, then I would do a yeast starter in order to get the colony growing and thriving before adding it to the must.
> 
> Another thing that could trip you up later, but prob not yet, is you used a punch. In my experience things labeled punch do not have much real fruit in them at all. so your yeast is not going to have a good food supply. You should be sure to add nutrient and maybe some energizer to the must once the yeast seems to have a foothold.
> 
> Pam in cinti




Thanks I was thinking I should have added some nutrient... I think it's time to start this experiment over


----------



## Enologo

*Has anyone tried this product??*

I'm planning on refinishing a press I aquired and some other wood that will come into contact with the wine and I've read that people have used EZ Do for that purpose but in looking around at other similiar products I came across a product called Watco's Butcher Block oil finish. In reading the reviews it seems it's more of a ureathane product than an oil finish and is said to be safe for contact with food. I was wondering if anyone had any knowledge or experience with this product.


----------



## flapjack1439

when to rack wine from primary fermentation
I started an Eclipse Stag Leap Merlot kit Last Sunday. It took a couple days before it started fermenting. Currently, 7 days later, it is bubbling away really well. The instructions say to rack after 7 days.

Even if the sg gets below 1.010, should I leave it until fermentation slows down?
The current sg is 1.009


----------



## Tasha

Hi I am new to wine making, I am at day six of my primary fermentation I am using jamoon fruit with red grape juice, I tasted the batch today an it has sour taste can I add additional sugar now ? Also I had a friend helping me and she added campden tablets one to the 5gallon, Can I add the additional 4 now? Also the SG was 1.060 at now it 1.010


----------



## Val-the-Brew-Gal

Tasha said:


> Hi I am new to wine making, I am at day six of my primary fermentation I am using jamoon fruit with red grape juice, I tasted the batch today an it has sour taste can I add additional sugar now ? Also I had a friend helping me and she added campden tablets one to the 5gallon, Can I add the additional 4 now? Also the SG was 1.060 at now it 1.010



If you add sugar now, you are only going to have more fermentation, not a sweeter end product. In my opinion, you should wait for it to finish fermenting, sorbate it, add potassium metabisulfite and then sweeten it to your liking. The sorbate and sulfites will keep fermentation from restarting and you can have your sweeter wine.

As for the campden tablet...NO, do not add it now! Campden tablets are potassium metabisulfite and it will keep your wine from finishing the fermentation process.


----------



## Tasha

Thank you for the advice.


----------



## Sam

Hello, just started my first batch of wine with my father, and I would like to make sure it goes well. It's an Amarone wine. At the beginning of primary fermentation it had a SG of 1.085, when we moved it to a carboy for secondary fermentation it had an SG of .998. It's being kept at a temp of 66-70 degrees. 

The thing is, the instructions we followed said that during secondary fermentation, we should keep very little headspace in the carboy. We left maybe a couple of inches, but we found that when we did that, the wine actually very quickly overflowed the carboy - there seems to be a pulpy foam expanding at the top. We actually had to remove a bit to keep it from actively spilling over. When cleaning out the airlock, we actually noticed that there were large plumes of bubbles coming up from within the wine. 

Is secondary fermentation supposed to be this active? I was under the impression that it would be much calmer than primary fermentation (which was very active for this wine as well.) We currently have a bit more headspace than I'd like, to make space for more foam. It still tastes good (and fairly strong) right now. Should I filter out the pulp at the top? Or is everything all good?


----------



## sour_grapes

Sam said:


> when we moved it to a carboy for secondary fermentation it had an SG of .998. ...
> 
> Is secondary fermentation supposed to be this active? ... Should I filter out the pulp at the top? Or is everything all good?



I, too, would have thought you were in no danger of this problem at 0.998. It may just be lots of dissolved gas coming out due to agitation.

The pulpy part has me a little thrown. How did you transfer from primary to secondary? Did you transfer lots of the gross lees?


----------



## Sam

The kit we got came with a package of what looked like grape skins/crushed grapes that were added directly to the juice. During the primary fermentation, it seemed like the grape skins sort of separated from the rest of the material and floated to the top, but the crushed grape innards that the grape skins were mixed in with (about the consistency of jam) seemed to have turned into a pulpy texture that hung around the bottom, this got siphoned into the secondary fermenter with the liquid. I am guessing that between the agitation and the additional fermentation, this pulp mixed with the foam and floated to the top. Should we filter this stuff out? We don't have anything that came with our kit to filter that sort of thing, so I would appreciate recommendations for what to use, if you have any.


----------



## sour_grapes

First thing: next time, you can (but do not have to) put those grapeskins into a muslin or cheesecloth bag in the primary. This allows you to remove them easily before racking to secondary. This bag is included in many kits, but can be purchased separately at your local home brew store (LHBS).

Typically, we don't filter, as it were, but rather just rack from one vessel to another without sucking the unwanted parts into the siphon or racking cane. You could do this, but, unless you continue to have foamovers, I wouldn't do that at this stage.

Headspace is not toooo important at this stage, since your wine is (evidently) still giving off lots of CO2. I would just wait until your secondary is done, then rack, leaving this junk behind.

Oh, and welcome to WMT, too!


----------



## Sam

Thank you. How long would it be okay to keep that stuff in there, though? It was in there for ten days during primary fermentation, and the instructions I follow say we should take another ten days for secondary. Would it be okay for that to be in there for that long, if the intent was for it all to be removed when transferring from primary to secondary?

Also, I have a feeling we're eventually going to need to filter somehow, since when we siphoned from the primary to the secondary, it swept up a lot of this pulpy stuff (though the majority of the grapeskins were removed.) Is there anything I could use for this?


----------



## Sam

I guess I should update: the wine settled overnight, and the pulpy foam disappeared. However, there were apparently more grapeskins sucked up by the siphon than I had thought, because there is now a layer of them on the top of the wine. Much less than we had during primary fermentation, but still, they are there. 

Another odd thing I ought to mention. I brew beer as well, and I was expecting to see a sort of fine sediment on the bottom of the wine after fermentation. However, it seems that the dead yeast cells never really quite settled to the bottom - the bottom of the wine was just this very cloudy, pulpy mixture of grape skins that had remained at the bottom and other debris. Is this something that I should worry about? Could I expect the sediment to settle more now that we've removed much of the grape skins that had been floating around at the bottom?


----------



## sour_grapes

Yes, I think you will be fine to leave that stuff there for the duration of secondary. (I should say that I am not all that experienced myself, but this is my best guess.)

As I understand it, the danger of leaving the wine on copious amounts of gross lees is that some of the dead yeast may begin to break down and impart "off flavors" to the wine. However, the danger is proportional to the amount of stuff sitting on the bottom. If you racked as you said, you probably don't have tons of this stuff to worry about. I would say that if, in the coming days, you see more than an inch of sediment on the bottom of your carboy, then you should rack to get rid of it. (I would not worry about the floaty stuff.)

By the way, what kind (brand, etc?) of wine kit is this?


----------



## Sam

It is Cellar Craft Showcase, Amarone style. 

I guess I'm a bit confused. Gross lees are the leftover bits of fruit that sink to the bottom of the wine, right? 

In our case, there was never really a solid layer of that - just a sort of pulpy liquid towards the bottom, a lot of which was removed when we racked from primary to secondary (though I'm sure some of it got in.) What we do have is a layer of grape skins that float to the top. Would those also be considered gross lees?


----------



## sour_grapes

Yes, gross lees refers to all the junk that (typically) falls to the bottom. It is mostly dead yeast cells. (For example, you get gross lees even if you ferment pure juice with no fruit in it.) I would describe it generally as "a slurry."

I do not know why you did not see any gross lees (unless it was what you are calling a "sort of pulpy liquid"). Did you, by chance, stir or otherwise agitate your wine just prior to racking to secondary?


----------



## Sam

It's possible that it became agitated during racking, since I kept having to remove the autosiphon and unclogging it from grape skins. But at the very beginning of the racking, I began the siphon, and gently placed it towards the bottom, where I was expecting to feel it come to a rest on the sediment. To my surprise I felt it hit the bottom of the carboy. During primary fermentation, a sediment buildup was not visible on the bottom, but I thought that may be because it was such a dark wine. 

I do have a theory as to why it happened. As I mentioned, we put the crushed grapes directly into the wine during primary fermentation, which at first settled at the bottom. As fermentation progressed, however, a lot of the crushed grape skins broke free of the jam-like consistency and floated up toward the top. I think that maybe this upward push, and the fact that the bottom was already thicker/pulpier than the rest of the liquid, prevented the sediment from really settling at the bottom, instead just mixing in with the heavier liquid on the bottom of the carboy. Fortunately most of the stuff at the very bottom didn't make it into the secondary anyway.


----------



## SoCalGuy

I'm making a Cellar craft Chardonnay and I plan on doing a Batonnage. Like a moron I just racked to secondary and I accidentally put k meta in. What to do?


----------



## sour_grapes

SoCalGuy said:


> I'm making a Cellar craft Chardonnay and I plan on doing a Batonnage. Like a moron I just racked to secondary and I accidentally put k meta in. What to do?



What was your SG when you transferred? What yeast did you use?

I would think about waiting a few days, maybe splash racking. Then make a yeast starter using EC1118, and re-inoculate.


----------



## SoCalGuy

SG is 1.000 and I used IVC-D47. Trying to get that buttery texture to it.


----------



## sour_grapes

Your first job is to get the wine to ferment to completion. The reason I asked what yeast is that I was wondering about the tolerance of your yeast strain to sulfites. However, I have to admit that I do not know how sulfite-tolerant D47 is, so I am not much help there.

Seems to me that there would be no harm in just keeping it warm and monitoring the SG for a few days, to see if it completes.


----------



## SoCalGuy

That's what I'm doing now. I put a thermo wrap on it at 75 deg. See what happens. At least it's down to 0%.


----------



## Tasha

Hi, My wine is at the secondary fermentation stage in a 6 gals carboy but my wine is about 4 gals which means Its has air space, i had to travel urgently on a trip the next day after transferring to the carboy leaving my wine unattended an average of four weeks, The color is still the same and it doesn't smell bad but I am not seeing any activity of bubbling from the airlock. Is my wine still fine or should I dump it?


----------



## sour_grapes

I wouldn't dump it. It is unlikely to be spoiled, but it may be a bit oxidized due to the air exposure. How does it taste?


----------



## Tasha

Hi, It taste fine just need sweetening.


----------



## sour_grapes

Well, good. You should just proceed as usual now. That means you should rack it off the lees, add potassium metabisulfite (k-meta), and let it age some more.

Two additional notes: (1) You need to eliminate that headspace. You can do this by racking to a smaller vessel, or by topping off your vessel with a similar wine. (2) if you do sweeten it, you need to add potassium sorbate to fend off refermentation of the sugar you added.


----------



## Yellow

Just doing a dandelion wine. I had about 500g of yellow pedals. I cut the bottom portion off the head of the flower to reduce bitterness as I read. Thing is most call for 2-3quarts of flowers which range from 89-100g weight. They then say 1gal of water to steep these in. I put my flowers in 1gal to steep just now. Question is since my steep fluid will be so concentrated is it ok to add another gallon of water after two days. Basically making a double batch. Here was what I was kinda using for instructions. http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/dandelio.asp


----------



## Generaldisorder

*Newbies Questions*

Hi All
Just a few quick questions about what i do next with two new brews.

17th April I made a gallon each of Brandy and ginger wine and Ginger wine on its own.
Brandy and ginger mix has reached 1.014 and I like a sweet one. Fermentation has slowed but not stopped and I have racked it off the mush. Removed it from warm location and sealed with an airlock in a glass gallon demijohn. The wine isnt anywhere near clear yet and i intend to store it for a min of 6 months as per recipe. Should I be adding ksorb or camden at this stage or should I leve it until clearer and then use chemicals such as finings ksorb and campden. Need to stop the fermenting but i think if i leave it in a cold place this might happen anyway??

And the ginger wine I brewed is at 1.060 still and I know this is nowhere near finished. It is still fermenting and not racked off the mush yet.

Any advice appreciated. Thanks


----------



## sour_grapes

Generaldisorder said:


> Hi All
> Just a few quick questions about what i do next with two new brews.
> 
> 17th April I made a gallon each of Brandy and ginger wine and Ginger wine on its own.
> Brandy and ginger mix has reached 1.014 and I like a sweet one. Fermentation has slowed but not stopped and I have racked it off the mush. Removed it from warm location and sealed with an airlock in a glass gallon demijohn. The wine isnt anywhere near clear yet and i intend to store it for a min of 6 months as per recipe. Should I be adding ksorb or camden at this stage or should I leve it until clearer and then use chemicals such as finings ksorb and campden. Need to stop the fermenting but i think if i leave it in a cold place this might happen anyway??
> 
> And the ginger wine I brewed is at 1.060 still and I know this is nowhere near finished. It is still fermenting and not racked off the mush yet.
> 
> Any advice appreciated. Thanks




Am I to understand that you added the brandy early in the fermentation? I think to answer your question about stability, we will need to figure out what the total ABV (alcohol by volume) of the fortified ginger wine is right now. We can do that, but will need to know what the SG was when you started fermentation, how much brandy you added to how much must, and when you added it with respect to your SG readings.


----------



## Generaldisorder

Thanks for posting Paul. I did not add any brandy yet. I made a must from potato, raisins, barley and demerara sugar. The recipe said to ferment until required sweetness was reached on the hydrometer and then rack the wine off the mush. After clearing add brandy and store in a cool dark place for at least a year but anything up to 3yrs. I didnot work out any abv before starting so i dont know. What I need to know now is the best way to stop the fermenting and clear the wine before adding the brandy and storing.

Thanks
Generaldisorder


----------



## Generaldisorder

Also the ginger wine is a separate gallon of wine to the brandy+ginger just so there is no misundeerstanding. The ginger wine is still at 1.060 and is still fermenting. As with the other wine i took no sg rading at start of fermenting.


----------



## sour_grapes

Generaldisorder said:


> I didnot work out any abv before starting so i dont know. What I need to know now is the best way to stop the fermenting and clear the wine before adding the brandy and storing.



The only practical way to stop the fermentation is to raise the ABV (by fortifying) such that it exceeds the alcohol tolerance of the yeast you used. I think 20% ABV is a fine target.

In order to ascertain precisely how much brandy you would need to add, you need to know the ABV (and the volume) of the wine before you add the brandy. That is why I asked what the starting SG was. Next time, be sure to measure your SG before fermentation commences.

If it were my wine, I would make a reasonable estimate of your starting SG, then work out how much alcohol there is in your must now, then use a Pearson's square to figure out how much brandy to add to reach the desired ABV (~19 or 20%, probably). Rack the must off the lees, then add the brandy, and let it sit for a while.


----------



## Boatboy24

We need to change the title of this thread to "How to get an answer fast" and lock it. 

Welcome to WMT, Generaldisorder.


----------



## Generaldisorder

sour_grapes said:


> The only practical way to stop the fermentation is to raise the ABV (by fortifying) such that it exceeds the alcohol tolerance of the yeast you used. I think 20% ABV is a fine target.
> 
> In order to ascertain precisely how much brandy you would need to add, you need to know the ABV (and the volume) of the wine before you add the brandy. That is why I asked what the starting SG was. Next time, be sure to measure your SG before fermentation commences.
> 
> If it were my wine, I would make a reasonable estimate of your starting SG, then work out how much alcohol there is in your must now, then use a Pearson's square to figure out how much brandy to add to reach the desired ABV (~19 or 20%, probably). Rack the must off the lees, then add the brandy, and let it sit for a while.



Thanks Paul - so next time i make a wine must I measure the sg before I add the fermenting yeast is that right? As to making an estimate of starting sg that would be almost impossible unless I assume that it was somewhere between 1.000 and the 1.014 it is now. As I have nt a clue would it be reasonable to half the difference and call it 1.007? The quantity i have now is exactly one gallon and the recipe said to add half pint of brandy per gallon, but not to add this until the wine is clear. And do I wait until I have done the calculations and stopped the fermentation before i add finings or would it be just as well to add the brandy now to stop the fermentation and then add finings.


----------



## Generaldisorder

why would you wantt to lock the thread? I am a newbie and worse than clueless because I have always made my own musts as per recipes and never did any calculations regarding abv etc


----------



## Generaldisorder

oh yeah Paul forgot to ask what is a Pearsons Square? I am sure my granny never used one haha


----------



## sour_grapes

At the risk of saying things that are obvious to you, let me review the process. Water has a SG of 1.000. When you dissolve sugar into it, the SG goes up; for winemaking, one usually gets the SG up somewhere between, say, 1.070 and 1.100. Then you add yeast. The yeast eat the sugar, and convert it to alcohol and CO2. The SG goes down, partly because the sugar has been removed, and partly because the alcohol has a lower SG than water does.

You can estimate the percentage ABV by the formula ABV=(starting SG - ending SG)*131.



Generaldisorder said:


> I made a must from potato, raisins, barley and demerara sugar.



If you post your EXACT recipe, it may be possible to get at least a rough estimate of the SG.


----------



## sour_grapes

Generaldisorder said:


> oh yeah Paul forgot to ask what is a Pearsons Square? I am sure my granny never used one haha



Don't be so sure -- your granny was likely more perspicacious than you realize! 

Take a look at this document: http://www.northtexaswinemakers.org/Wine/using_pearsons_square.pdf


----------



## Generaldisorder

sour_grapes said:


> At the risk of saying things that are obvious to you, let me review the process. Water has a SG of 1.000. When you dissolve sugar into it, the SG goes up; for winemaking, one usually gets the SG up somewhere between, say, 1.070 and 1.100. Then you add yeast. The yeast eat the sugar, and convert it to alcohol and CO2. The SG goes down, partly because the sugar has been removed, and partly because the alcohol has a lower SG than water does.
> 
> You can estimate the percentage ABV by the formula ABV=(starting SG - ending SG)*131.
> 
> 
> 
> If you post your EXACT recipe, it may be possible to get at least a rough estimate of the SG.



Great Paul Thanks - now you can see why my previous winemaking efforets were very hit and miss. Here goes with the recipe

Brandy and ginger wine
Into brewing vessel goes
1lb Barley
1 lb Chopped raisins
1 lb of old potatoes (with shoots)
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
4lbs Demerera sugar
2oz root ginger

Pour on 1 gallon Boiling water and stir until cool then ad yeast starter
After this i placed it in glass gallons with airlocks and a heater at 20c. checked the sg after 20 days which was 1.014
Is this enough for you - i presume you dont need the whole procedure.

I feel confident enough to work out the abvs etc once I have estimated the starting sg.

Once again thanks for your help


----------



## Generaldisorder

sorry forgot to add that i have racked it off the lees now and it fits exactly into a gallon demojohn


----------



## Generaldisorder

Generaldisorder said:


> sorry forgot to add that i have racked it off the lees now and it fits exactly into a gallon demojohn



Just had another thought haha. Would you mind having a go at determining same with this recipe please:

Ginger Wine

Into 1 gallon of water add:
2oz of well broken root ginger
thinly pared rinds (not pith) of 2 lemons and 2 oranges
Bring to boil and add a good pinch of cayenne

Boil for half an hour and then strain the liquid pouring it onto 
3 lb sugar
1lb chopped raisins

add the juice of the lemons and oranges

Cool add yeast and ferment in usuall way

This one is a gallon that currently reads 1.060 but is still fermenting at 20c

Generaldisorder


----------



## sour_grapes

Generaldisorder said:


> Great Paul Thanks - now you can see why my previous winemaking efforets were very hit and miss. Here goes with the recipe
> 
> Brandy and ginger wine
> etc.



I think we can focus on just the demerera sugar and raisins. Raisins are about 65% sugar; added to the demerera sugar, that makes 4.65 lbs. sugar. According to Fermcalc, 1 gal water + 4.65 lbs sugar should result in a must with specific gravity of 1.157. This is pretty danged high!

If a must of this SG was fermented down to 1.014, the resultant ABV would be about (1.157 - 1.014)*131 = 18.7%. This is right up agains the limit of any winemaking yeast. (Did you add yeast? If so, which one?)

If all of that is correct, I would say you are in little danger of additional fermentation, that is, I doubt you could get that last bit of sugar left to ferment, even if you wanted to. Nonetheless, were it mine, I would add enough brandy (determined by the Pearson's Square) to raise it to 20% ABV to be sure.

The only lingering concern I have regards the use of demerera sugar. I don't know if there is a significant amount of non-fermentable solids in that sugar. My calculations assume not.


----------



## Generaldisorder

sour_grapes said:


> I think we can focus on just the demerera sugar and raisins. Raisins are about 65% sugar; added to the demerera sugar, that makes 4.65 lbs. sugar. According to Fermcalc, 1 gal water + 4.65 lbs sugar should result in a must with specific gravity of 1.157. This is pretty danged high!
> 
> If a must of this SG was fermented down to 1.014, the resultant ABV would be about (1.157 - 1.014)*131 = 18.7%. This is right up agains the limit of any winemaking yeast. (Did you add yeast? If so, which one?)
> 
> If all of that is correct, I would say you are in little danger of additional fermentation, that is, I doubt you could get that last bit of sugar left to ferment, even if you wanted to. Nonetheless, were it mine, I would add enough brandy (determined by the Pearson's Square) to raise it to 20% ABV to be sure.
> 
> The only lingering concern I have regards the use of demerera sugar. I don't know if there is a significant amount of non-fermentable solids in that sugar. My calculations assume not.




Thanks Paul thats most informing. I have now learned more from you in 2 days than any wine manual could give and by the time i have googled FERMCALC and read up on Pearsons Square I have no doubt I will be much better informed.

To answer your question - yes I did add yeast it was Gervin 1 in a 5gm sachet and I split this equally between the two brews I made. Again i didnt keep the sachet so I can tell you no more than this link tells:
https://www.thehomebrewcompany.ie/g...reen-label-all-purpose-wine-yeast-p-2340.html

I can now work towards calculating the amount of Brandy I add. Question is do I wait for the wine to clear first or add the brandy now as is? Would you add any Campden tablets at this stage

Much appreciate the input

General


----------



## Tasha

Hi, I am a newbie and would like to try doing a batch of Mango wine and Apple wine but I am unsure about which wine yeast To use, can anyone help me please?


----------



## Bartman

Tasha - use the basic Lalvin EC-1118 yeast. Your local home-brew store (LHBS) should carry it. It's the most reliable and all-purpose-effective yeast out there.


----------



## Tasha

Thank you Bartman


----------



## 1stfinger

Is it important to fill the carboy to the base of the neck? I have about 4" of head space in a 5 gal carboy after my first rack. Should I add sugar, water, yeast nutrient, and yeast to reduce the head space? My SG is at .995 and still fermenting.

Thank you for you guidance. 
1stfinger


----------



## djrockinsteve

If it's still fermenting you are fine. Once it's finished, you rack to clear. This is when it must be filled to the knuckle. 

Don't add any sugar then.


----------



## 1stfinger

djrockinsteve, thank you.
What should I add to bring the volume up when fermentation has finished?


----------



## djrockinsteve

You will add a little Sparkolloid, Bentonite or whatever clearing agent you plan to use. 

The remaining space needs to be filled. Do you have any more juice? Usually to end with 5 gallons you start with 6 gallons. 

Marbles, glass item can carefully be added to fill space.


----------



## 1stfinger

*Best time to degas and add fining agent*

What is the best time to add fining agent? Should I clarify my wine before degassing and stabilizing or after? I need to know the proper order of these steps. Can someone please put degassing, fining, stabilizing, and bottling in order for me.


----------



## sour_grapes

I make kits, and so I do these steps in the order called for by the kit instructions: degas, stabilize, and fine (in that order) but essentially contemporaneously. Then I age for as long as I can in the carboy (normally ~4 mos.) before bottling.

In particular, note that your wine will not really clear until it is degassed.


----------



## Arieh

Hi Wade,

Glad to have just joined this forum...

I crushed just over 100kg Merlot last Thursday to yield 82l: Brix 23; pH 4.2. The grapes had come in fridge trucks from Puglia, Italy (2-3 days) but looked healthy so I was a bit taken aback by the high pH, although they did have a heat wave of a summer. Anyway, I guess I panicked and added 18g K meta (125ppm by my calc) and then cold soaked at around 5c, stirring 2/3 times a day, until today (Sunday).

Today I managed to lower pH to 3.5 with Tartaric Acid (which I should have done before the K meta!), raised temp to 25c and added Tronozymol nutrient (1 tsp per 4.5l), followed by hydrated Vitilevure MT yeast.

I guess I'll see in the next few days whether this has any chance, but in the meantime I feel sick to my boots about the K Meta debacle. I have an Acuvin testing kit on its way to me but am praying the free SO2 in my must will be just low enough...:0

Any thoughts / help you can give me?

Thanks!


----------



## Arieh

By the way, I addressed the post to Wade but please, anyone else jump in if you're able to advise. Thanks


----------



## Boatboy24

Without an SO2 test, its hard to say. But I imagine after 5 days and multiple stirrings, you may be just fine.


----------



## Tom

1st I would stabilize after you rack from primary providing it fermented dry.1 week later I would degas aftrer you add fining agent.


1stfinger said:


> What is the best time to add fining agent? Should I clarify my wine before degassing and stabilizing or after? I need to know the proper order of these steps. Can someone please put degassing, fining, stabilizing, and bottling in order for me.


----------



## klutz

I started some must 6 days ago. I can't tell you the name of my grapes, since I don't know. At the start, SG was 1.050. I added sugar according to the tables to bring it up to 1.090. I have kept the must in plastic pails at between 19 to 21 degrees celsius. Now, 6 days later, I have separated the liquid from the grapes and put the liquid in a carboy, adding some of my own raw table-grape juice (about 1 quart) and water to make sure the carboy is full. SG is now 1.000 (before adding the juice etc.) Is my wine done? Why is it already so low? Should I be adding more sugar? I am not interested in high alcohol content, except if that is necessary to keep the taste perfect. 
Also, I forgot to make sure the table-grape juice was at room temp. when I added it, though the water I added just after was tepid. Don't know if I didn't anything bad there. My second try only. Please help!


----------



## sour_grapes

I think you will be fine. I do not think you should add any more sugar. As it stands, your wine will be about 12.5% ABV. Unless you know that this will be a bold wine (and you don't), this seems about right.
As far as the time frame, I don't see anything unusual here. 6 days is not particularly short to go from 1.090 to 1.000.
And I would not worry about the temperature, either. Room temperature and/or tepid will not make much difference. I think you should relax and enjoy a glass of wine!!


----------



## klutz

Thank you, but now I have another question...then I will relax  I just racked the wine, because there was so much stuff on the bottom. Now, nothing is happening at all by the looks of it. Should I not have done this thing? or will it go on fermenting later?


----------



## sour_grapes

klutz said:


> SG is now 1.000





klutz said:


> Thank you, but now I have another question...then I will relax  I just racked the wine, because there was so much stuff on the bottom. Now, nothing is happening at all by the looks of it. Should I not have done this thing? or will it go on fermenting later?



You did the correct thing by racking off the sediment. Now you wonder if it will ferment more later. What do you propose it will ferment? The sugars were very nearly depleted when you racked. There is almost nothing more to feed the yeast. Very little visible activity will happen from here on out. They will slowly, over the course of a week or three, eat everything that is left. At that point, you will have a SG of 0.990 to 0.995 (give or take), and you will be done.

Usual advice is to go by SG. If it is lower than, say, 0.995, and remains the same for 3 days in a row, you can call it done.


----------



## klutz

A week or three. Ok, thanks. Then I know what to look for.


----------



## jlshores

Mold or Dried Yeast???
I crushed my grapes last Saturday
SG 1.065 added sugar to make 1.09
Added K-meta
Pitched yeast late Sunday
Left on Business trip Monday and had family punch down cap while I was gone.
Looked at Must Friday morning and there is a white film on must and the cap has not risen like i usually see.
Is this mold? and if so is there a way to rescue the Batch?

Thank you.


----------



## winetortoise

I'm making beautyberry wine and it's about day 6 or 7 days.

I pulverized the berries, seeds and all, into a mush, and then diffused heating in water with the sugar. Fermentation has been going nicely, but my question is should I continue to plunge the must on top (it's mostly only translucent skins) even now, or should I just let that thin layer rest on top until primary is finished?

So far, I've been remixing them back down into the brew every day. Should I continue to immerse them back down, or leave the layer alone at this point? Should I simply scoop or siphon these out if they seem totally expunged? The yeast seem to be working beneath the liquid surface and so beneath the layer of skins on top.


----------



## 1stfinger

*Black Muscadine must will not ferment.*

I put EC118 yeast to my must at 3:00 PM and at 5:00 PM I could see no fermentation action so I rehydrated another packet of yeast for 15 min. at 106 degrees and added that second packet of the same yeast. When I look at it now I see a very small amount of bubbles on top of the must. I used a PH meter and the PH was 5.5. I do not know if my meter is correct. Does the PH have an effect on fermentation?
Another affecting factor may be the way In processed the Muscadines. I froze them for a few weeks, then thawed them in a water bath. Next I chopped them up seeds, skins and all in a blender to the consistency of preserves and added Tannen, Campden tablets, and yeast nutrient. After 14 hours, I added Pectic enzyme. After 27 hours, I added the first packet of EC1118 yeast. 
Please tell me what you think.


----------



## olusteebus

I am not really comfortable answering these questions but by posting, hopefully some with more experience with whole grapes and fruit will chime in. However, here are my thoughts



jlshores said:


> Mold or Dried Yeast???
> I crushed my grapes last Saturday
> SG 1.065 added sugar to make 1.09
> Added K-meta
> Pitched yeast late Sunday
> Left on Business trip Monday and had family punch down cap while I was gone.
> Looked at Must Friday morning and there is a white film on must and the cap has not risen like i usually see.
> Is this mold? and if so is there a way to rescue the Batch?
> 
> Thank you.



Havng used kmeta, I think you are ok. Is the sg dropping any?



winetortoise said:


> I'm making beautyberry wine and it's about day 6 or 7 days.
> 
> I pulverized the berries, seeds and all, into a mush, and then diffused heating in water with the sugar. Fermentation has been going nicely, but my question is should I continue to plunge the must on top (it's mostly only translucent skins) even now, or should I just let that thin layer rest on top until primary is finished?
> 
> So far, I've been remixing them back down into the brew every day. Should I continue to immerse them back down, or leave the layer alone at this point? Should I simply scoop or siphon these out if they seem totally expunged? The yeast seem to be working beneath the liquid surface and so beneath the layer of skins on top.



It seems to me that you have plenty of tannins in the mix so I think you should use a strainer to remove them.



1stfinger said:


> I put EC118 yeast to my must at 3:00 PM and at 5:00 PM I could see no fermentation action so I rehydrated another packet of yeast for 15 min. at 106 degrees and added that second packet of the same yeast. When I look at it now I see a very small amount of bubbles on top of the must. I used a PH meter and the PH was 5.5. I do not know if my meter is correct. Does the PH have an effect on fermentation?
> Another affecting factor may be the way In processed the Muscadines. I froze them for a few weeks, then thawed them in a water bath. Next I chopped them up seeds, skins and all in a blender to the consistency of preserves and added Tannen, Campden tablets, and yeast nutrient. After 14 hours, I added Pectic enzyme. After 27 hours, I added the first packet of EC1118 yeast.
> Please tell me what you think.



It takes some time for the ferment to show signs. Sometimes a couple of days. If it is not showing signs now, I would be concerned.


----------



## winetortoise

olusteebus said:


> It seems to me that you have plenty of tannins in the mix so I think you should use a strainer to remove them.



I figured that much, and so I cleared some of them out and then went ahead and racked it into second fermentation. Thanks for your assurance.


----------



## Jlars72

So I recently found out about sparkoloid. I'm a noob at wine making and am experimenting with fruit bases. Is there any reason why I shouldn't add it to all of the wines I'm making to help clear it faster?


----------



## Bartman

Jlars72 said:


> So I recently found out about sparkoloid. I'm a noob at wine making and am experimenting with fruit bases. Is there any reason why I shouldn't add it to all of the wines I'm making to help clear it faster?


You could - some folks do that. I personally don't because I use very few clearing agents of any kind. If you bulk age for 3 months or more, your wines will become largely clear on their own, mostly due to gravity. I would rather keep my wines as clear of non-grape additives as possible, than to have it clear a little faster, especially in the case of dark red wines, where clarity is not so critical.


----------



## Jlars72

Thanks Bartman. Do you by chance have a recipe for a dark red?


----------



## Bartman

Jlars72 said:


> Thanks Bartman. Do you by chance have a recipe for a dark red?


A recipe for a dark red wine? Get some dark red grapes and ferment 'em! I'm not sure what you mean by a "dark red". The last Malbec I made was so dark it stained the inside of the carboy and all of the bottles I put it into, but I don't think that's what you meant...


----------

