Improbable Successes

[Julie]

I may have just added one to the junk list, had a 1 gallon jug and went against popular advice and used a solid stopper instead of an airlock. I got a minute today and was going to bottle it up, this batch finished fermenting Feb 9 and was in its second glass carboy so it was about ready. This past friday something happened with the AC, the wine warmed up and popped the top, I'm thinking the stopper been off sense maybe friday afternoon and its now sunday afternoon, the bad news is with just starting out and still learning I was a bit intimidated with the use of sulfites and have only added what the original recipes called for, ya I know bad call. This one gallon batch has really helped show me a bunch, I'll be getting a so2 meter, only use airlocks and stop putting any wine where it will get temperate fluctuations.

Did you taste it?

 

[TJsBasement]

Not yet Julie, it don't smell as good as it did but not bad so maybe its not lost. Instead of continuing with my wine work I took a nap

 

[Rodnboro]

My biggest but not only mistake was oversulfiting. I was under the assumption that 1 campden tablet per gallon was the standard, even during the aging process. I was racking every 2 or 3 months and adding 1 campden per gallon. I also went by recipe amounts instead of checking sg and acid content. After about 18 months in the hobby, I'm slowly learning. This forum has been my best source of information. I make country fruit wines and most IMO are decent. I do think I'm getting better with time. I will keep going til I make a great wine. Maybe a good kit would boost my confidence.

 

[Julie]

Not yet Julie, it don't smell as good as it did but not bad so maybe its not lost. Instead of continuing with my wine work I took a nap

Bottle it and let it age, you just might be surprised.

 

[SarahRides]

Oh it wasn't me that it happened to.

I just read this thread, so I'm a little late on this one! But here is the thread: http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f6/winemaking-just-not-meant-me-14300/

I'll be the first to admit I've made a lot of mistakes, it would be too long of a list for this thread! Mostly my own fault, I've always been one to try and stray from directions and try to experiment.

There have been a lot of people here that have helped me work things out. I have had to dump a few batches, but for the most part, I have been able to resurrect a lot of the ones that have given me trouble.

 

[wvbrewer]

I made a apple wine which I filtered with a minijet, and it still has some thing floating in it. Sometimes no matter how hard you try something will go wrong...

 

[Julie]

I made a apple wine which I filtered with a minijet, and it still has some thing floating in it. Sometimes no matter how hard you try something will go wrong...

Well if it taste and smells good, then just drink it yourself and don't share it with anyone,

 

[Bartman]

I made the joes ancient orange mead and also used too much cloves anx strayed from the directions and used wine yeast. This came out so horrible. Be careful when using cloves as a little really goes s long way!!!!!!

Wade,
I tried Joe's Ancient Mead earlier this year, just to give it a try since it sounded so simple and easy. I mixed it up in a 3 gal carboy, without really measuring it out (I estimated the honey based on the container's total volume - you know, "a little more, a little more, ok, that looks about right"), and let it do its thing (I know, too much headspace in a 3 gal carboy for 1 gallon recipe). Last night, two months+ later, I bottled it - it looked kind of cloudy until I got up close and was really pretty clear. I only got 3.5 bottles, not the 5+ bottles I was expecting! It was awfully sweet - did I screw it up (which seems next to impossible)? And how long should I wait to let it age, if at all?