Greeting from MN

[cderickson]

Hi All,

Just getting started into wine making. My wife and I are a more of Cab fanatics, but have recently started enjoying whites as well (Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris)
What a great forum. I’ve spent hours reading through a lot of the comments and have already learned so much.
Our first batch is a WE Eclipse Lodi Ranch 11 Cab, which we started 6-19. Following directions exactly, this being our first batch.
Yeast - EC1118, oak chip and, grape skins. Must @74 deg.
6-19 – SG 1.086
6-20 – SG 1.10 (not sure what happened in first reading, well maybe I do) CO2 being created, bag of skins now floating
6-21 – SG 1.09
6-23 – SG 1.06


I'm sure I'll have question in the future,


Craig

 

[Johnd]

Hi All,

Just getting started into wine making. My wife and I are a more of Cab fanatics, but have recently started enjoying whites as well (Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris)
What a great forum. I’ve spent hours reading through a lot of the comments and have already learned so much.
Our first batch is a WE Eclipse Lodi Ranch 11 Cab, which we started 6-19. Following directions exactly, this being our first batch.
Yeast - EC1118, oak chip and, grape skins. Must @74 deg.
6-19 – SG 1.086
6-20 – SG 1.10 (not sure what happened in first reading, well maybe I do) CO2 being created, bag of skins now floating
6-21 – SG 1.09
6-23 – SG 1.06


I'm sure I'll have question in the future,


Craig

Welcome aboard! That's one of my favorite kits, wife and I drank a bottle the other nite, 1 year, 11 months old and very nice. If you get it to finish nice and dry, and don't plan to sweeten the finished product, consider eliminating the potassium sorbate from the chemical additions, you don't need it.

 

[sour_grapes]

When you put the grape-skin goo into the bucket, it takes some time for the sugars to dissolve and raise the SG. I find the skin pack adds ~0.015 to 0.020 eventually.

 

[cderickson]

John, I have no intention to back sweeten and will take it as dry as it will go. Time to do a bit more research.
Paul, good point, I would not have thought of that. And here I thought I forgot how to read a hydrometer. Thanks.

 

[Johnd]

John, I have no intention to back sweeten and will take it as dry as it will go. Time to do a bit more research.

It's really common to omit on a dry wine. Sorbate doesn't kill yeast, but is sorta like birth control for yeast cells, keeps them from multiplying so they can't create a colony to metabolize sugar. If you have no sugar, you need no sorbate. It has a taste, which I find undesirable in my dry wines. If fruity, sweet wines, where you really need it, it's a lot less noticeable, at least to me.

 

[bkisel]

Welcome to the forum!