help please

[navi30]

Here is my situation:

Grapes chardonnay 15 boxes-destemed and crushed

In plastic barrel added pottasium meta,after 24 h added yeast c-1118 6 packs.After 5 days moved must to carboys .Now I am in 3rd day and it is fermenting a lot. Color is light creamy brown and I can see the yeast moving up and down. Is this normal for yeast to stay in must? I dont like the color!!!
What should I do?Please help.First time making wine!!!

Sorry for double posting.I cant delete the post fro other sub forum

 

[Sacalait]

I've never done grapes, just muscadines. However, it is normal for the yeast to stay in suspension during fermentation. Just have patience, as for the color, just remember everythings in suspension so don't sweat that right now. Once it has settled out I'd say it would look like chardonay.

 

[navi30]

I've never done grapes, just muscadines. However, it is normal for the yeast to stay in suspension during fermentation. Just have patience, as for the color, just remember everythings in suspension so don't sweat that right now. Once it has settled out I'd say it would look like chardonay.

Thank you for quick answer ,I will keep posting the progress so maybe I can help somebody.

 

[TwoRs]

Hi everybody. I don't even think I'm a beginner though I decided to play with this stuff. I got a book at the library on wine making read through all that brix and ph and all. But most important, I read that yeast is on the grapes, though not exactly desirable for sure in the wild.

Anyways, I get some thompson's from my backyard, throw them in a blender with stems and all. Put through a strainer, then into an old sparkling apple cider bottle, and attempt to ferment. Now it smells like champagne sort of. I open the cap every 2 days recently and shake the whole thing around to kill whatever is on top that is not yeast. Now I'm worried about methanol. I found out from wikipedia that methanol is wood alcohol. Since I processed the stems with the grapes, would that be dangerous since too much methanol would be produced from the stems?

Oh and I'm wondering one thing. I read that in France, their wild yeasts have been developing for more than 1000 years, and so we have laboratories producing those yeasts elsewhere. Why not buy wine yeasts and throw it onto my grape vine every year until it is so established that it would be like a miniature French vineyard?

Thanks everybody.

 

[TwoRs]

Hey someone help me too. I found out that yeasts are living things that live on sweet things. Got it from winemaking book.

Decided to do things experimentally, since I don't know if I could afford everything. So I take some backyard Thompson grapes, stem and all, throw in processor, strain and pour into sparkling apple cider bottle. Airlock is non-existant. I open cap 2 times a day at first, now 1 every 2 days and shake to make sure alcohol kills stuff on top that not wanted.

I am wondering since I processed the grape stems with grapes, will the methanol level be dangerous? I found out methanol is alcohol from wood and was wondering if the grape stems will do anything to increase methanol level?

I have another bottle for experimentation with destemmed grapes for yeast and some juice, and water and honey for the yeast so it would be somewhat like wine mead. It smells stronger than my the former bottle. I ferment it same way, without airlock. Tell me what will happen with both bottles, safe or unsafe?

As for yeast, maybe someone thought about it, but why don't vineyards throw wine yeasts from winemakers onto their grapes every year, so that it establishes itself almost naturally like in France? Would that be a good idea for my backyard?

 

[navi30]

Hey someone help me too. I found out that yeasts are living things that live on sweet things. Got it from winemaking book.

Decided to do things experimentally, since I don't know if I could afford everything. So I take some backyard Thompson grapes, stem and all, throw in processor, strain and pour into sparkling apple cider bottle. Airlock is non-existant. I open cap 2 times a day at first, now 1 every 2 days and shake to make sure alcohol kills stuff on top that not wanted.

I am wondering since I processed the grape stems with grapes, will the methanol level be dangerous? I found out methanol is alcohol from wood and was wondering if the grape stems will do anything to increase methanol level?

I have another bottle for experimentation with destemmed grapes for yeast and some juice, and water and honey for the yeast so it would be somewhat like wine mead. It smells stronger than my the former bottle. I ferment it same way, without airlock. Tell me what will happen with both bottles, safe or unsafe?

As for yeast, maybe someone thought about it, but why don't vineyards throw wine yeasts from winemakers onto their grapes every year, so that it establishes itself almost naturally like in France? Would that be a good idea for my backyard?

I dont know but I would use airlock. You will have a pressure build up in the bottle,and dont let air reach the must.

 

[Wine Maker]

Navi... see my post under Bottling. TwoR... sounds like you are experimenting in ways best left unexplored. When you say you crushed and processed the stems and grape, did you do this by using a food processor? If so, I would end my experiement. I can't comment on the methanol levels, don't know anything about it. Whenever you ferment wine you need to give ample air space for the fermenting gases to escape, using a cap and and trying to open the wine 2 time a day may result in enough gas build up to explode or crack the bottles. You are better off removing the cap and placing a papertowwl over the bottle with a rubber band. Go out and buy a few air locks so that when the fermentation is complete you can safely finish the fermenting with air locks.

 

[TwoRs]

Ya, thanks Wine Maker. I gave someone a sip to try the wine. He said it's weaker than beer and kinda sweet, I guess not fully fermented. And ya, food processor is what I used. I guess I should toss the bottles.

As for materials, what is minimum?
5 gallon water bottle I could use like a carboy?
I need food grade siphon hose, though I don't know where to get.
Are airlocks inexpensive and where do I get?

You seem to say that food processor is not a good idea. How to crush? The book I read says that crushing by hand or foot will do if only doing a few grapes. Will mortar and pestle do? Food processor was a quick way out.

 

[Wine Maker]

There really is no minimum. You can make as little as a gallon or less. The important thing is that after you destem and crush your fruit that you put it in a container so that it is no more than 2/3rds full. Once the fermentation has stopped you need to transfer the wine to a smaller container (one that has a neck) so that you keep the air contact to a minimum (one gal jugs work fine or if making smaller amounts then regular wine bottles). Once in the smaller vessel put an airlock on until all the bubbles have stopped. Only then is it safe to put a cap on it after you have racked it to get the solids out. Airlocks are inexpensive, about a buck a piece plus the cost of a rubber corks (a few cents) and can be ordered on-line or through a local wine or beer supply store. As for a siphone hose, go to your local Home Depot or Lowes and buy tubing used for home water lines. They come in various diameters and run less than 50 cents a foot. If it's ok for drinking water I can't see why it wouldn't be ok for transferring such small amounts of wine.

A food proceesor will damage the fruit and pulverize it too much releasing too many of the tannins, especially if you processed with the stems, which would also make the wine bitter. If you are making a small batch you could plaace the fruit in a food grade bucket and use a metal potato masher to crush the fruit (plastic would be to plyable). I would remove the stems before mashing them. Green stems will impart bitterness into the wine. Some wine makers will crush with a small portion of the stems but only if they are brown.

 

[TwoRs]

Found something for eveybody:
http://www.finevinewines.com//Wiz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4020&KW=methanol&PID=54974#54974

 

[TwoRs]

Found some info on methanol in wine:
http://www.finevinewines.com//Wiz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4020&KW=methanol&PID=54974#54974