All Juice or Add Water?

[UglyBhamGuy]

pitched.

i put the lid & airlock on my primary bucket, is this ok?
i'm not too keen on the whole dishtowel/rubberband thing (kids & animals).

how long, or at what SG should i rack to the secondary?

 

[arcticsid]

UBG, welcome to the forum, I reach out and shake your hand, Nice to have you here!

Leave the lid on, but don't tighten it down, leave it loose, at this point you want some oxegen in there. An airlock isn't going to hurt, but IMO, leave the lid loose.

Troy

 

[Leanne]

Now just have patience and let it do it's thing. Stir two or three times a day and let it ferment.

 

[UglyBhamGuy]

Thanks everyone for the help.

Is this like a ladling stir or like i'm stirring kool-aid?
Anything else i should know?

 

[Wade E]

When using Montrachet be sure to use plenty of nutrient. I use 1 tsp of nutrient per gallon and 1/2 tsp of energizer per gallon, reason being is that Montrachet is known to H2S problematic when not enough nutrient is used but the yeast works very well when properly nutriented.

 

[UglyBhamGuy]

So, i'm going in in the morning and afternoon and stirring this.
i did notice that "carbonation" hiss when i did this the first time, should i do this more than the twice a day?

 

[winemaker_3352]

2-3 times a day is enough. This will help to increase flavor and color extraction from the pulp.

 

[UglyBhamGuy]

i have been stirring when i wake, when i get home from work and before i go to bed.

When should i start looking to rack?
Better yet when should i check SG?

i don't want to mess with it too much, but need to prepare for the next steps.

 

[winemaker_3352]

I usually do daily SG readings and i rack into secondary when my SG is 0.990.

 

[UglyBhamGuy]

Ok, so, i checked the SG and it appears to have gone below 1.000 (hard to be exact with the darkness of the juice and the few bubbles.) Wow, 4 days to finish. i tasted it and it is definitely alcohol, not as tasty as i expected but not horrible.

What now?

What do i need to do other than rack to glass and top up?
is there an issue with leaving this until tomorrow to rack?

 

[ohbeary]

just jumping in, ovrnight is not likely to cause any probs, I normally rack @ 1020/30 and fit airlock, then leave to finish somewhere a little cooler, the guys are sure to be around any moment to correct .

I and a good few others over here make a quick wine for easy/light drinking, it only gets 2litres of juice!!, 1ltr grape juice and 1ltr of anything on the juice aisle in the supermarket, 700g sugar, pectolase, nutrient, acid blend and good old water to 1 gallon/4.5 ish ltrs + appropriate yeast,(champagne for whites and bourgovin for reds) comes in @ SG1080/90 finishes dry @ 990, potasium sorbate+campden tab, backsweetened if required, and pretty much ready to drink as soon as it is clear, it does not keep beyond a year as a rule, but then its not meant to

 

[Tom]

Sure wait.
Remember you CAN'T rush winemaking!
Patience
Patience
Patience
it will be rewarded...

 

[UglyBhamGuy]

Thanks, i appreciate any help i can get.

So, when i rack, what are the next steps? Just trying to prepare and stay ahead of the game.

I do not mind waiting until the weekend, as that ensures that i have time to get something else going, without being rushed myself.

 

[ohbeary]

Sure wait.
Remember you CAN'T rush winemaking!
Patience
Patience
Patience
it will be rewarded...

Absolutely correct the "Light Wine" as we call it is more of an "Alcopop" or "Cooler" served with ice and fizzy lemonade or just as a stop gap while the good stuff matures.

 

[UglyBhamGuy]

Yeah so i pinched my sciatic nerve and haven't been able to rack to secondary yet.
Is my wine ruined?

 

[UglyBhamGuy]

i racked it and it seemed ok.
Now, how long can/should i leave it in the glass jug (secondary)?
Do i need to top up with juice?