WineXpert Island mist wildberry shiraz

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You really don't need to soak corks that long, Stinkie. All you need is a quick dip in campden water to sanitize them.





I say 10 minutes TOPS, but that's just me.
 
Stinkie, you probably should have been sure the CO2 was all gone before actually corking the bottles. I should have been more clear. You can put airlocks on the bottles if you have the correct size bung to fit them. Also, no need to soak corks. Cork soaking is the same as hogwash.
 
I sanitize my corks by soaking them for 5 minutes. The wet corks are also easier to insert.
 
I also do the same with corks a quick wash with sanitizing solution....dry ones seem to chip very easy and no one wants floaters in their wine!
 
the booklet I have said soak overnight, I guess my forgeting worked out for the best. they went in smooth as glass.
 
Well it's good everything went well. Nothing is quite so satisfying as getting a wine under cork and stepping back and looking at the bottles.
 
Acording to the chart masta posted the link to my wildberry shiraz is
6.4% alchohol by SPECIFIC GRAVITY...LOL it's just what I like
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by weight not volume.
 
I have charts at home that show how to figure alcohol contenby both weight and volume. Since calculating alcohol content by SG is not an exact science by any stretch of the imagination, I usually do both, average the 2, then round down to the nearest whole number.
 
Anyone ever hook up their vacuum bag machine to their carboy to remove CO2, my machine came with a jar cover, a quick gasket fix ans I could probably draw a vacuum
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I bottled my wildberry schiraz yesterday, 12 750's, 15 375's, one 1.5 gal. bag. still tastes better if I mix it with juice, I'm going to have a bottle once a week and see if aging it makes it better, I will also take my time with my other wines.
 
That sounds like a very good plan, but if you can have a bottle every 2 weeks, you might be better off.
 
I open one every two (2) months and add to my notes the noticeable changes. When you have multiple choices, you can still open one (1) a week and compare your notes.


This way you can stretch your 30 bottles up to two (2) years and know your maximum time frame to reach your goals on various wines on hand. One (1) gallon experiements can be done the same way by bottling "splits."
 
Very good advice, Maui.


I would agree. I try to open different wines on different days. Unfortunately, I forget to write my tasting notes down.
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Well, I bought the Island Mist for a fast wine, so I could have a drink while my higher quality kits mature..I'll have to wait on this too I guess and drink the welches..lol..looks like there is no short-cut to TIME in winemaking
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There's always a place like "Costco" for deal buys. This way you have some clean bottles to use as well, "between those "dry days!"
 
With wines I am not sure of, I normally taste one bottle after a month just to see if it has changed much. If it hasn't, I will not try another for maybe 6 months, if it has, I might try another in 1 or 2 months. Most fruit wines need a year or better, light, dark, or otherwise.
 
I agree as well. That's why I purchased some splits for short term testing when I get the urge. If not, well, it's Costco time again. Patience JOE....
 


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