Ajmassa
just a guy
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Bottling from the carboy ...
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Great suggestion. I never tasted my wine when I following the directions. I have know idea what it is supposed to taste like! I am about to embark on another kit, this time a 4 week one. It is from WE Diablo Rojo which I’ve never made before. I’ll test along the way.
One thing I’ve gleaned from this forum, is you can make modifications to the kits. I thought I had to follow the recipe to the “T” . Also, understanding the SG part is another thing. LOL. Thanks for your insight
VinesnBines
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I’m a firm believer in tasting at every step. Taste (and smell) at the start, every time you take a reading in primary, every racking, and throughout aging. You quickly learn how to use your most sensitive testing equipment; your nose and tastebuds.
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tasting at every stage in time you learn to tell how it will finish,
Dawg
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just tasting as you go along and learning your hydrometer and you'll be putting out wines to suit yourself, i did not see where you answered if what you got taste sweet, dry, flat so on so forth, even if you got just a little alcohol in it you may be able to still add sugar and EC-1118 OR K1V-1116 AND RUN UP YOUR ABV, never give up, answer a few of the post before this, we need more info, and your taste is info as well
Dawg
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Thank you for your insight. This will be my 4th kit.
The one thing your wine making equipment kits don’t include is the thing that will enable you to very good wine with few mistakes - patience.
Take your time.
Kits are engineered to taste about the same every time you make the same one (e.g. the Eclipse Stags Leap Merlot that I’m making right now should taste like the one I made in 2016). Remember that the directions are a guide, not a set of mandates... using the number of days, rather than a hydrometer and your own tastebuds, will lead to a less than optimal result. Make minor corrections only as needed. Don’t be too hasty to “fix” something that isn’t really “broken” (it’s just your wine telling you it’s not ready yet).
Think of it this way - humanity has been making excellent wine for thousands of years. Long before high tech testing equipment and all the chemical additives, wine makers had only grapes, good hygiene and patience. So, remain clam, keep your work area clean and enjoy the experience. There’s no reason your wine won’t come out every bit as good.
Take your time.
Kits are engineered to taste about the same every time you make the same one (e.g. the Eclipse Stags Leap Merlot that I’m making right now should taste like the one I made in 2016). Remember that the directions are a guide, not a set of mandates... using the number of days, rather than a hydrometer and your own tastebuds, will lead to a less than optimal result. Make minor corrections only as needed. Don’t be too hasty to “fix” something that isn’t really “broken” (it’s just your wine telling you it’s not ready yet).
Think of it this way - humanity has been making excellent wine for thousands of years. Long before high tech testing equipment and all the chemical additives, wine makers had only grapes, good hygiene and patience. So, remain clam, keep your work area clean and enjoy the experience. There’s no reason your wine won’t come out every bit as good.
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As others have noted, patience is key.
Kit wines instructions are designed so a newbie can produce a result they are proud of. And (hopefully) buy more kits. So the directions are generic to fit most situations. However, the time frames are approximate, as explaining the correct time frames in general instructions is harder than you'd think.
From start until fermentation is complete, the hydrometer tells you when fermentation is done. For most wines, the SG will be 0.998 or less and will be stable for 3 days.
Yours is sitting at 1.000? Your hydrometer says it's not quite done, so let it set another week then check the SG. If it's still 1.000, it's probably done. If you are backsweetening the wine, you're adding potassium sorbate (which prevents a renewed fermentation) so you're good to bottle if you want.
Personally? I'll let it set another few weeks. I bottled one batch early and a renewed fermentation started pushing out corks. I had to unbottle the batch and put it back in the carboy until it was done, then rebottle. This was not so much fun that I'd want to do it again.
Once fermentation is complete (or in this case close enough), the time frames in the kit instructions are a minimum.
Paul (sour_grapes) ages his kits ~1 year, so bulk aging longer is obviously ok. I tend to age kit wines 1 to 8 weeks longer than the instructions say, and bottle when the wine is ready (it is stable and has dropped no sediment for 2 weeks minimum) and I have time. While the wine is in control, there is a lot of wiggle room for personal preference.
As long as the wine is protected from air, longer does no harm.
That said, I added French oak cubes to a pinot noir I'm making for my niece. I added the cubes after the wine was clear. Now it's sitting 3 months on the cubes, then I'll rack and let it bulk age another 2 to 4 weeks. If it's not dropping sediment I'll bottle. She lives several states away, so my bottling date may be influenced by when one of us is traveling. However, if the wine isn't ready to bottle, she'll get it the next trip.
EDIT: fixed typos
Kit wines instructions are designed so a newbie can produce a result they are proud of. And (hopefully) buy more kits. So the directions are generic to fit most situations. However, the time frames are approximate, as explaining the correct time frames in general instructions is harder than you'd think.
From start until fermentation is complete, the hydrometer tells you when fermentation is done. For most wines, the SG will be 0.998 or less and will be stable for 3 days.
Yours is sitting at 1.000? Your hydrometer says it's not quite done, so let it set another week then check the SG. If it's still 1.000, it's probably done. If you are backsweetening the wine, you're adding potassium sorbate (which prevents a renewed fermentation) so you're good to bottle if you want.
Personally? I'll let it set another few weeks. I bottled one batch early and a renewed fermentation started pushing out corks. I had to unbottle the batch and put it back in the carboy until it was done, then rebottle. This was not so much fun that I'd want to do it again.
Once fermentation is complete (or in this case close enough), the time frames in the kit instructions are a minimum.
Paul (sour_grapes) ages his kits ~1 year, so bulk aging longer is obviously ok. I tend to age kit wines 1 to 8 weeks longer than the instructions say, and bottle when the wine is ready (it is stable and has dropped no sediment for 2 weeks minimum) and I have time. While the wine is in control, there is a lot of wiggle room for personal preference.
As long as the wine is protected from air, longer does no harm.
That said, I added French oak cubes to a pinot noir I'm making for my niece. I added the cubes after the wine was clear. Now it's sitting 3 months on the cubes, then I'll rack and let it bulk age another 2 to 4 weeks. If it's not dropping sediment I'll bottle. She lives several states away, so my bottling date may be influenced by when one of us is traveling. However, if the wine isn't ready to bottle, she'll get it the next trip.
EDIT: fixed typos
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BTW, I recommend the FermTech Wine Thief. This thief is big enough to hold a hydrometer and it makes it much easier to check SG.
I clean it after each use and dose with K-meta water inside and out, before each use. Once the SG is read, press the small lever at the bottom against the inside of the carboy neck and the wine is released back into the carboy with minimal air contact. It can be tricky reading the hydrometer as it wants to adhere to the side, but it works.
I clean it after each use and dose with K-meta water inside and out, before each use. Once the SG is read, press the small lever at the bottom against the inside of the carboy neck and the wine is released back into the carboy with minimal air contact. It can be tricky reading the hydrometer as it wants to adhere to the side, but it works.
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yep i spin my hydrometer as i drop it into my wine thief
Dawg
