# Next Step: Blueberry Wine



## MSIMSON (Nov 28, 2013)

Background:

I'm a very novice wine maker - this is my first attempt!
Started around the end of July, primary and secondary fermentation lasted for all of July and most of August.
About 100 days ago (August 20th), I added K-Meta (to ward off bacteria) and Potassium Sorbate (so stabilize) to my wine. It has been sealed with a 1 way air lock for the past ~100 days to allow it to to bulk degas.

I'd like to bottle it now and possibly sweeten it, if it needs it. (Want to bring a bottle to thanksgiving dinner!) 

Here are my questions: (Any help is appreciated, please let me know if you need more information.)

Is 100 days enough time for it to degas? - Before I sealed it for bulk aging, I used a vacuum bottle sealer to try to manually degas it, and it drew bubbles out, it wasn't able to produce enough suction to fully degas it so I decided to let it degas over time.

Should I add more potassium sorbate before I bottle if I decide to sweeten it?

Should I add more K-Meta to keep bacteria out?

When I do bottle, I'm supposed to store the bottles on their sides for a certain amount of time, correct? then turn them right side up?

Thanks in advance for your help, you guys are so great!
I haven't opened the wine in 100 days and I'm really hoping it hasn't gone bad in that time! Haha, I'm very nervous...


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## iVivid (Nov 28, 2013)

Others will chime in I'm sure; but depending on the wine, it may or may not be degassed. Some are quick, some take a year (in my experience). Good that you used the vacuum already.

Is the wine completely clear?????
No, you don't need to add more sorbate as long as you added the correct amount.
Yes, I would add k-meta at bottling. 1/8th tsp per 23 litres or 6 gals.
Store the bottles UPRIGHT for 72 hours after corking, then you can store them on their sides from then on in a rack.

First thing I would do? Open 'er up. Have a TASTE.
Then you can decide re sweetening, and MAKE SURE it is CLEAR.

Let us know!
Cheers


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## iVivid (Nov 28, 2013)

If it's clear and you want to bottle one for Thanksgiving; add the sugar (sweetening) at serving for this one, and keep the rest in the carboy. When you sweeten, the wine normally throws another lot of sediment. I wouldn't sweeten and then bottle IMHO. I'd wait another 2 months or so. (but steal one bottle off and top up with even a commercial bottle of quite neutral wine).


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## MSIMSON (Nov 29, 2013)

Here's the thing: it isn't clear... It's still quite cloudy. It also isn't all the way to the neck of the carboy. (I didn't want to add someone else's wine because I wanted it all to be mine, so I didn't end up getting it all the way to the neck. It is only at the slanted part.)

I have not yet opened it because I didn't want to let oxygen into it.
Here is my planned course of action - Let me know what you think, please!
-I'll let it bulk age 3 more months or so 
-Then I'll rack off any sediment, add k-meta (aka campden), add sparkolloid
-Wait 2 weeks
-Rack again to remove settled out sparkolloid
-Then, if it doesn't need sweetening, I'll bottle.
-If it does need sweetening, I'll sweeten it, add it back into the carboy to make sure it isn't going to start fermenting again. (I don't want to blow any bottles!)
-Once I'm sure it hasn't started fermenting again, (I'll watch it for about 3 days) I'll bottle it.

I'm waiting 3 more months (which will then be 6 months total bulk aging/degassing) to ensure it is degassed and as clear as it is going to get. It still might be cloudy but that's what I have sparkolloid for!

Does that seem to be in order?


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## Stressbaby (Nov 29, 2013)

That is a reasonable plan if you ask me.
Generally you want to wait to add the sorbate until the wine has cleared. However, I have added sorbate to wine that was not quite clear and I later backsweetened with no notable adverse effect.
Adding kmeta about every 3 months is a good plan if you have no way to test.
You do want to try to get rid of the head space if you can. Lots of people use sanitized marbles, but I never do. I just top with similar wine.


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## MSIMSON (Nov 29, 2013)

Stressbaby said:


> That is a reasonable plan if you ask me.
> Generally you want to wait to add the sorbate until the wine has cleared. However, I have added sorbate to wine that was not quite clear and I later backsweetened with no notable adverse effect.
> Adding kmeta about every 3 months is a good plan if you have no way to test.
> You do want to try to get rid of the head space if you can. Lots of people use sanitized marbles, but I never do. I just top with similar wine.



I considered using marbles, I was just worried about them not being completely sterile, or having some chemicals in them since they all probably come from china. Maybe I'm being paranoid, but you never know what could be in marbles, especially since I bought a bunch from the dollar store.

Am I being overly paranoid with worrying about the marbles?
Do you guys think sterilized marbles are fine to use even if they're from a place like the dollar store?
What do you think about putting marbles in a zip-lock bag and then sterilizing the bag and putting that into the carboy?


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