Didn’t Follow All Directions, But

[Bohunter]

My first ever batch of wine is in the final stages and yes, I made it from a kit. It is an $89 Merlot from Northern Brewer and no, I didn’t follow the directions to a T. I tried my best until the last step before racking it to the carboy for the final step before bottling. At this point the directions said to wait ten to twelve days before racking to the carboy, I took a SG reading and it was at 0.994 so I racked it to the carboy. My starting SG reading was 1.100. Planning on waiting another couple weeks, at least, before bottling and hoping it turns out drinkable.
I tried to do all I could following the directions, with that one exception, and with reading all I could but I found there are quite a few conflicting opinions out there. What one person recommends another says “never do that”. Is there a Wine Bible out there written for the brand new wine maker?

 

[BernardSmith]

Great question, Bohunter - and welcome to the forum.
The thing about kits is that manufacturers have designed their kits so that absolute first time wine makers who follow their instructions can end up with a very drinkable wine without needing to make any decisions or take any action that involves a deeper knowledge or level of skill than they have. But these instructions are not carved in granite. With experience and with knowledge many folk on this forum who use kits follow their own best practices. That said, there are two caveats here: 1 - those who do not follow the instructions should know why they are not; and 2 - should anything "go wrong" when instructions are not followed , the kit manufacturer can deny any responsibility - even if the real cause of the problem lies with them (Whether they do or not deny responsibility, I cannot say, but that is a concern). But things like timing are really suggestions by the manufacturer. They suggest that racking or adding fining or clearing agents should be based on a gravity reading likely to be met around the time they indicate. Your winery will have conditions (temperature, water quality etc, even perhaps the yeast if you chose to use a yeast that they did not supply) that will have bearing on how long fermentation may take.
All that said, there are probably more DIFFERENT good practices in making wine than there is in making pizza or sourdough bread. Ten wine makers will probably use and argue for 25 different best practices.

 

[Old Corker]

My father always said "Always...
no, wait maybe it was "Never...
Dangit! I can never get that part right.

 

[Scooter68]

All that said, there are probably more DIFFERENT good practices in making wine than there is in making pizza or sourdough bread. Ten wine makers will probably use and argue for 25 different best practices.

Actually I would disagree on the number of best practices.....

Just kidding - so very true. Beware setting down your "Rules" in stone. Someone will come along with sledge hammer and shatter your pretty little rules.

 

[KCCam]

Good advice here! You didn’t really say what you did that went against the instructions. Did you wait fewer than 10-12 days? Kits don’t usually give a day range without some other qualifier, such as below a certain SG, or SG hasn’t changed for 3 days in a row AND is below a certain value. The last step you refer to is, I’m guessing, clearing. Was your wine still in the primary fermenter when it reached 0.994, or had you racked it into a carboy already? Clearing begins once the fermentation is complete (SG doesn’t change), and the wine is completely degassed. The only critical thing, IMO, before bottling is that fermentation cannot happen in the bottle, so all sugar must be consumed, or potassium sorbate has been added. Depending on how long it will be in the bottle and how sensitive you are to sediment in the bottle, the wine should also be crystal clear, because anything left in suspension at bottling time will eventually settle out in the bottle, which is unappealing, but not harmful.

 

[KCCam]

Is there a Wine Bible out there written for the brand new wine maker?

Although there are lots of differing opinions, the more you read, and the more you make, the more you will develop a process that works well for you. I really like @Scooter68's tips, which are specifically written for country (fruit) wine, but apply to all wine just as well. There's a lot of info you won't need yet, especially since you are making kits, and you don't need all the equipment he suggests... yet, but he gives a very good description of when and why things are done, or chemicals are added. Check it out:
https://www.winemakingtalk.com/threads/getting-started-in-country-fruit-wine-making.73327/

 

[Bohunter]

Good advice here! You didn’t really say what you did that went against the instructions. Did you wait fewer than 10-12 days? Kits don’t usually give a day range without some other qualifier, such as below a certain SG, or SG hasn’t changed for 3 days in a row AND is below a certain value. The last step you refer to is, I’m guessing, clearing. Was your wine still in the primary fermenter when it reached 0.994, or had you racked it into a carboy already? Clearing begins once the fermentation is complete (SG doesn’t change), and the wine is completely degassed. The only critical thing, IMO, before bottling is that fermentation cannot happen in the bottle, so all sugar must be consumed, or potassium sorbate has been added. Depending on how long it will be in the bottle and how sensitive you are to sediment in the bottle, the wine should also be crystal clear, because anything left in suspension at bottling time will eventually settle out in the bottle, which is unappealing, but not harmful.

 

[Bohunter]

Here’s what I did;
Day 1, per instructions
Poured juice into primary fermentation bucket, topped off to the
6 gallon mark, took SG reading (1.100) sprinkled yeast and closed up with bubbler attached. Room temperature was 70 degrees.
Day 4,
Removed bucket lid and took SG reading, 1.080.
Day 5,
Removed lid, took SG reading, 1.060, stirred well with drill and whip and closed up.
Day 6,
Removed lid took SG reading, 1.045, added 10G yeast nutrient (per instructions) stirred well and closed up.
Day 8,
Removed lid took SG reading 1.015, racked into secondary fermentation bucket and installed lid with bubbler.
Day 13,
Action in bubbler had all but stopped, removed lid and took SG reading 0.994, racked wine into clean fermentation bucket (not exactly following instructions here, instructions were to wait 10 to 12 days but seeing that the fermentation had slowed to nearly a stop and the SG reading was below the target point I moved forward) and de-gassed (stirred with drill and whip for 20 minutes). Added Potassium Metabisulfite and stirred well, added Keiselsol and stirred well. After an hour added Chitosan and stirred well. Added Potassium Sorbate and stirred well. Racked into glass Carboy, installed bubbler and placed this in the coolest part of my basement.
Now waiting to see if I end up with a drinkable wine!!! I plan on leaving it in the carboy for three or four weeks.
Any and all comments are welcome and appreciated.....

 

[Gill]

My first ever batch of wine is in the final stages and yes, I made it from a kit. It is an $89 Merlot from Northern Brewer and no, I didn’t follow the directions to a T. I tried my best until the last step before racking it to the carboy for the final step before bottling. At this point the directions said to wait ten to twelve days before racking to the carboy, I took a SG reading and it was at 0.994 so I racked it to the carboy. My starting SG reading was 1.100. Planning on waiting another couple weeks, at least, before bottling and hoping it turns out drinkable.
I tried to do all I could following the directions, with that one exception, and with reading all I could but I found there are quite a few conflicting opinions out there. What one person recommends another says “never do that”. Is there a Wine Bible out there written for the brand new wine maker?

No matter what mistake you make, I would suggest you cork it and wait a year. My first batch I thought I completely destroyed it. I wrapped it in a blanket and put it next to a heater for fermentation because I thought the room was too cold. The yeast pretty much exploded around a 5 foot radius around my car boy. I went ahead and completed the process anyway just so I could learn along the way. I dropped unsanitized items into the wine trying to rack it, etc. At the end of the process I thought it was completely nasty. It smelled bad, and it tasted bad. I made the mistake of pouring most of the bottles out, but I kept a few just for nostalgia sake. After a year I decided to go ahead and throw them away, and I tried it just out of curiosity. It completely blew my mind that it was totally drinkable. Not bad at all.

So my lesson learned was that aging can fix a lot of mistakes.

I don’t follow the instructions to a T anymore. For example, I don’t transfer to a second fermentation. I just let it ferment for two weeks, then check the standing gravity. If that’s good, which it normally is, I go ahead and go to the next step.

I don’t mix an agent, wait or do a step, then add the next agent. I just do it all at once.

I use the instructions as general guidelines, and so far all has been well.

Enjoy the journey.

 

[Scooter68]

... I wrapped it in a blanket and put it next to a heater for fermentation because I thought the room was too cold. The yeast pretty much exploded around a 5 foot radius around my car boy. I went ahead and completed the process anyway just so I could learn along the way.

This is one of the best examples of why fermenting in a Carboy is NOT a good plan. Ferment in a bucket and don't even bother with a lid. Just get a towel or piece of muslin cloth and tie that down covering the bucket. Worst cast some foam might over flow but it will have to be a lot other wise the cloth with suppress the foam layer a bit.

As to sanitation - follow the guidelines - why risk wasting the time, money and effort you put into a wine. You may well get away with many mistakes but one day you may lose a batch to spoilage even after it's in the bottle.

You'll see folks talk about the old days when they didn't have chemicals and sanitation processes as we do now. You won't see many talk about the death rates from food poisoning or 'mysterious' deaths of large numbers of people that occurred 'back in the days' before modern sanitation. Those things just happened and were accepted as what happens in life. Look at what happened in Italy during the early days of this pandemic - Shockingly high death rates due mainly to lack of knowledge about what to do and what they were dealing with.

Don't lean on good fortune - use good practices.

AND be patient. MANY wines take well over a year to get anywhere near an enjoyable state. New wine is very often sharp and harsh on the palate as it still has a lot of the fermentation by products beyond just gases. Aging in bulk and periodic racking speeds up that process to a degree and permits you to bottle a wine that is clearer and better aged without the use of additional chemicals.

 

[winemaker81]

@Bohunter, you've received good advice so far. A couple more points:

First, read the kit instructions. Then read them again. A vendor's instructions vary with time, and sometimes with products, and it's good to know what they are saying.

During fermentation, ignore the calendar. The timeframes in the instructions are to ensure that the new winemaker can produce a pleasing result on the first try without help. As such, the instructions work but are not optimal.

During fermentation, use your hydrometer. It tells you when fermentation is done, and approximately how far along fermentation is. Fermentation is a natural process, yeast is gonna do it's own thing, and it doesn't know what a calendar is. Most folks rack a kit the first time between 1.020 and "done" (typically 0.990-0.996). This is a lot of room for choice (I typically rack between 1.010 and 1.000, as I want activity remaining), and all points in that range are valid.

If you rack before fermentation is fully complete, it may take a week or more in the carboy. Once I put it in the carboy, I don't usually check the SG for 4 to 7 days. The wine is under airlock, a lot of CO2 is being emitted, and the wine is safe, even with a relatively hard headspace.

Next, degas the wine. If there is a lot of dissolved CO2, it's not going to clear. Then add the fining agents, typically kieselsol & chitosan. These need to be added in the order indicated -- if added in the wrong order, often the wine will not clear.

Kit instructions vary a lot -- some say to add the kieselsol, wait 5 minutes, then add the chitosan. In others the interval in between may be hours or even a day. I do not know why the variation, I haven't seen any real research on the topic. I add the kieselsol, stir, cover the primary with a towel, after an hour add the chitosan, stir, and rack back into a carboy. The wine continues to emit a lot of CO2, so it's fine for the hour.

Post fermentation? The timeframes in the instructions are minimum values. Each step should be at least as long as indicated. Some folks bulk age kits for a year or more.

Final note -- some instructions state the carboy doesn't need to be topped up. The instructions specify a 23 liter kit is aged in a 23 liter carboy. After racking, there will be a headspace, probably 1 to 2 liters. If you are bottling on schedule, forum members have reported that they don't top up and the wine is fine.

However, if you are bulk aging longer, put the wine in a 19 liter carboy with the excess in smaller bottles OR top up the 23 liter carboy with a similar or compatible wine of decent quality. You are protecting your investment, which includes not just the cost of the kit, but your labor.

 

[Bohunter]

I want to thank you all for your comments, suggestions and recommendations, they are all appreciated. All future additions to this will be appreciated as well. I continue to read all I can on the subject of wine making and I am learning something new each day but I still have a long long way to go but I ain’t quitting, Just learning the terminology used and what each of the additives actually do is a challenge. I’m gonna make some good wine before I’m done!
Thanks again and keep the information coming.

 

[winemaker81]

@Bohunter, your wine will probably be fine. Wine is very forgiving, far more forgiving than many (including me) give it credit for. That said, it's best to use good techniques and precautions.

You're right in continuing your learning. I've been making wine a long time and I'm still learning new things. IMO the secret to success in any endeavor is to be a lifelong student. If nothing else, it keeps things interesting.

 

[Bohunter]

Happy face! My first batch turned out great, my wife even likes it and she has enjoyed a glass of fine wine each day for several years now so I guess my wine is fine. I just ordered what will be my second batch and I’m hoping it turns out as well. Thank you all for the advice and no doubt I’ll be back looking for more. Brew On...

 

[winemaker81]

@Bohunter, you just bottled the wine and you're already drinking it?

Situation normal!

Nope, I'm not laughing at you. Wine making is exciting, and tasting the wine you made is a thrill! Do yourself a favor and hide 3 bottles -- do not touch them for 1 year. A year from now when you open the first one, post your reaction to the wine.

Also, think about this -- if you open 1 bottle per week, that carboy is gone is less than 6 months. Gauge your production accordingly.

 

[BernardSmith]

Yeah... But it takes a few months to create a pipeline so that you don't feel any loss about allowing a wine to age. And allowing a wine to age can sometimes mean that you can unmistakably taste the difference. For example, if you make an apple wine, and you use the right yeast (71B), the harsh malic acid in the apples is largely transformed into lactic acid- a far less harsh acid (this is often done with red wine through the addition of a bacteria that converts malic into lactic) and so after 6 -9 months of aging an apple wine can be completely transformed. I mean completely transformed. It's like the difference between a caterpillar and a butterfly .