First batch nerves

[cmason1957]

View attachment 98355

All in one wine pump and I don't move full carboys ever, well except for out of the fridge when I cold stabilize.

 

[Khristyjeff]

All in one wine pump and I don't move full carboys ever, well except for out of the fridge when I cold stabilize.

Yes to the All In One. I couldn't (easily) do what I do without it. And these for moving carboys between rooms.

 

[user 32114]

How do you all mange 6 gallon carboys? I have enough trouble moving and cleaning 3 gallon carboys.

i took a vacuum pump, put 16 foot lines on them, now i only lift empty carboys, lol
Dawg

 

[user 32114]

35 carboys??? That's almost a piecemeal variety of commercial production. I thought I was bad - started with one, now have 9 carboys, a couple of gallon jugs and a 10 gallon fermenter.
BTW congratulations! I have a new goal now

i only have 36 out in the open,,,,,
Dawg

 

[user 32114]

steves all in one pump, but with 16 foot hoses
Dawg

 

[Raptor99]

How do you all manage 6 gallon carboys? I have enough trouble moving and cleaning 3 gallon carboys.

AIO Wine Pump. I don't ever have to lift a full carboy. I only have to lift/move them for cleaning. So far my largest carboy is 5 gallons.

 

[user 32114]

How do you all manage 6 gallon carboys? I have enough trouble moving and cleaning 3 gallon carboys.

ok I took Steve's AIO pump. replaced all tubes with 16 to 20 foot hoses, i keep a wooden chair in my wine room, NO metal, I pump, rack , filter and bottle with out moving anything, EXCEPT empty carboys to clean, i have right leg amputated below knee, 1/3 left foot amputated, T-2 THRU T-7 bulging disk, T-12 crushed vertebrae , and a upper epidermal, arthritis in knees, shoulders, neck, arms, shall i go on because sadly I can, I handle from pints, quarts, half gallons, gallons, 3 gallon, 5 gallon, 6 gallon to 6.5 carboys no problem. my fermenters are from 14 gallon to 55 gallon, and change his vacuum over flow jar from a wine bottle to a gallon thumb hole jug, Steve has drilled 6.5 bungs for that as well. I buy all my pint thru gallon jugs with 38-400 threads, that way a drilled 6.5 bung fits them all. 1 small universal bung fits my carboys, except my 6.5s which i think use 6.5 bungs, only twin airlock, they hold water 4 times longer, them small universal bungs flipped upside down will airlock wine bottles or a number 3 bung, feel free to ask, that's how I learned, WELL THAT DEPENDS WHOM YOU ASK,, lol
Dawg

 

[user 32114]

All in one wine pump and I don't move full carboys ever, well except for out of the fridge when I cold stabilize.

@cmason1957 you admitting to being a might lazy,,, BAHWAAAAA
humbly Dawg

 

[cmason1957]

@cmason1957 you admitting to being a might lazy,,, BAHWAAAAA
humbly Dawg

Damn Skippy! If I can get the job done with three fourths of the work and not hurt my back, knees, feet, shoulders... You best believe I'm going to.

Is profanity rack out of the fridge, but I usually have more than will fit in one batch and the removal of tartaric acid is a one way thing, so I always let the carboys warm up and blend various carboys together.

 

[winemaker81]

How do you all manage 6 gallon carboys? I have enough trouble moving and cleaning 3 gallon carboys.

The short answer is "intelligently".

I'm a fairly strong man, and last fall lifted a Brute containing 9 gallons of wine from the floor onto a counter. This was far from the wisest decision I've made, and while it worked, it may not do so in the future.

Purchase a pump, AoI or otherwise, and use it.

EDIT:

Expanding on my above comment: Last fall I racked several containers in to a Brute to homogenize prior to bulk aging. I didn't feel like getting out the pump for just one 9 US gallon batch, so I picked it up -- about 80 lbs. My batches are typically either 5 to 6 gallon OR 15 to 20 gallon -- this one is in the middle. Large batches get the pump.

I discovered I'm not quite as young as I used to be (which everyone over 30 can attest to), but I got it up on to the counter, without spilling or breaking anything (including me). I like the Brutes because they have handles, and are generally not slick. [NEVER pick up a full globular demijohn of any size!]

After achieving my goal I decided I was an idiot (well, I already knew this, but was again confirming it), and decided that prepping and cleaning the pump is a small price to pay for not dropping a batch AND not hurting myself.

 

[Dwerth]

Quick update on batch:
Coming down nicely, essentially at the end of primary fermentation (as I understand the differentiation.) I took an SG reading this morning since the active fermentation had settled down quite a bit.
SG: 1.086 (2/6/2023)
SG: 1.004 (2/16/2023)

I will check it again in another few days.

I know it is early, but the aroma coming off that chardonnay was delightful, with a rich, sweet tropical fruit direction.

 

[Dwerth]

So...I (probably like many others before me) succumbed to temptation, and moved ahead in steps, ahead of the "official" timetable per the recipe. However, this batch had exceeded my target SG, and I did not want to have it go any lower, as I have a personal bias towards off-dry wines, so I may have missed a bit - oh well.

SG: 1.086 (2/6/2023)
SG: 1.004 (2/16/2023)
SG: 0.996 (2/17/2023)

Degassed, added sulphite, added sorbate, and used the included kieselsol. (2/17).
Added clearing agent (chitosan 2/18)

The punchy aromas of mango and pineapple dominate the wine. I expect this wine to be delightful when chilled in a few months, when late spring or early summer finally arrives in NE Wyoming.

Thoughts on the kit itself:
For a rank newbie like myself, the included instructions have been fantastic. The formatting of the instructions, bolding of the specific item being used, made it very easy to follow. I cannot speak to the quality of the finished product yet, but having such clear instructions, with pre-measured components for the first fermentation has made the process easy.

 

[Ohio Bob]

If you prefer the wine off-dry, why not add some sugar to sweeten it up? Since you added sorbate the wine won’t ferment the added sugar, since the sorbate essentially kills the yeast. Not technically, but that’s why sorbate is added.

 

[Dwerth]

If you prefer the wine off-dry, why not add some sugar to sweeten it up? Since you added sorbate the wine won’t ferment the added sugar, since the sorbate essentially kills the yeast. Not technically, but that’s why sorbate is added.

I probably will be doing so, but I will be making that determination in another day or two. I want to let the wine have ~3-4 days after racking to settle and clear. I will then do an initial tasting and make adjustments then.

 

[winemaker81]

For a rank newbie like myself, the included instructions have been fantastic. The formatting of the instructions, bolding of the specific item being used, made it very easy to follow. I cannot speak to the quality of the finished product yet, but having such clear instructions, with pre-measured components for the first fermentation has made the process easy.

Congratulations!

Quality kits, including their instructions, are optimized to produce a successful result every time. You are proof of that!

How long are you going to bulk age? Kits can be bottled in 4 to 8 weeks, depending on the kit. However, bulk aging longer produces a more consistent wine, bottle to bottle. I recommend 3 months.

Post-bottling, don't open a bottle for at least a month. Wine often goes through "bottle shock", where it temporarily develops off-flavors.

Set aside 2 bottles for 1 year -- this batch will disappear amazingly fast. Every month or two, when you open a bottle, record your impressions and put those notes away and don't look at them. At the 1 year mark, read the notes, first to last. This will teach you a lot about how wine ages.

 

[Dwerth]

Congratulations!

Quality kits, including their instructions, are optimized to produce a successful result every time. You are proof of that!

How long are you going to bulk age? Kits can be bottled in 4 to 8 weeks, depending on the kit. However, bulk aging longer produces a more consistent wine, bottle to bottle. I recommend 3 months.

Post-bottling, don't open a bottle for at least a month. Wine often goes through "bottle shock", where it temporarily develops off-flavors.

Set aside 2 bottles for 1 year -- this batch will disappear amazingly fast. Every month or two, when you open a bottle, record your impressions and put those notes away and don't look at them. At the 1 year mark, read the notes, first to last. This will teach you a lot about how wine ages.

I am currently planning on bulk aging for 3 months as you had mentioned - I think I remember reading you or someone else mention this previously on the forum. I will be putting in potassium metabisulfite per instructions tomorrow. I will follow your suggestions for bottle usage as well. While it will be hard to wait to test the batch, that is what making another batch is for...

As to the record keeping, I have a notebook with notes on the steps taken, and observations during (aroma, fermentation speed, gravities) the process.

 

[Dwerth]

Moved the batch to bulk aging today, with an intent to bottle the first week in May.
Added 1/8 tsp k-meta.

I went ahead and tasted a bit when racking to bulk aging, before topping off with a similar chardonnay.

Wine is crystal clear, with a pale straw color.
Aroma has softened considerably in the past two weeks. Still has a light tropical fruit nose, but is nowhere near as punchy. Still a sweet nose.
This wine is dangerous, for all the right reasons. It has a slight sweetness that I love, cleansing acidity to balance the initial sweetness, and a wonderful viscosity. It has flavors of lemon, green apple, and a bit of some tropical fruit I can't quite put my finger on right now.

Hmm...time to get a second batch of this going. This first batch will disappear quickly, and I will probably have to hide 2 bottles away for tasting after a year.

 

[Dwerth]

Ok...this winemaking hobby is addictive. Whomever commented that carboys multiply when wet is absolutely correct. Moved some cabernet sauvignon (WinExpert kit) to clearing today, and I realized I already have doubled the number of 1gal bottles I have for racking, etc. Trying my first wine from just a recipe (simple red wine) starting today.

 

[winemaker81]

Ok...this winemaking hobby is addictive. Whomever commented that carboys multiply when wet is absolutely correct. Moved some cabernet sauvignon (WinExpert kit) to clearing today, and I realized I already have doubled the number of 1gal bottles I have for racking, etc. Trying my first wine from just a recipe (simple red wine) starting today.

You are doomed. It's not going to get better.

Have a glass of wine to celebrate your doom. It doesn't change anything, but it's fun.

 

[BigDaveK]

Ok...this winemaking hobby is addictive. Whomever commented that carboys multiply when wet is absolutely correct. Moved some cabernet sauvignon (WinExpert kit) to clearing today, and I realized I already have doubled the number of 1gal bottles I have for racking, etc. Trying my first wine from just a recipe (simple red wine) starting today.

"Addictive" sounds negative. I like to think I have an enthusiastic passion for the hobby.

And you've doubled the number of 1 gal bottles? Some day you'll think that's funny.