Kiwi winemaking in action

[rajeevniro]

Hi folks..
I've started kiwi winemaking a week ago and it's my primary fermentation.. i don't see any action on my airlock..
few things that i want to know are..
How long does it take for my airlocks to start bubbling.. i use a 3 piece airlock and i have a conical carboy..

So here are the list of things I've added..
8 lbs of kiwi must
30 ltrs of water
17 brix sugar reading
10 grams of yeast
1.5 tsp of yeast energizer
4.5 tsp of acid blend
7.5 tablets of campden tablets..

 

[Ohio Bob]

Welcome!

Couple of things...
Primary is usually done in an open bucket, with loose lid or towel to cover it. At this stage, the must needs lots of oxygen.
Camden tablets now will stunt the yeast, better to have done the Camden 24-48 hours prior to adding yeast.
Using a yeast starter, made up 24 hours before pitching makes a strong yeast colony and will overwhelm any residual sulfite at pitching.

 

[rajeevniro]

Welcome!

Couple of things...
Primary is usually done in an open bucket, with loose lid or towel to cover it. At this stage, the must needs lots of oxygen.
Camden tablets now will stunt the yeast, better to have done the Camden 24-48 hours prior to adding yeast.
Using a yeast starter, made up 24 hours before pitching makes a strong yeast colony and will overwhelm any residual sulfite at pitching.

Thank you so much for your valuable response. Would it be advisable to add water to the must at primary fermentation or secondary fermentation?
And if secondary fermentation is when the water should be added.. until how many days should the primary fermentation be there and should sugar be added to it?

 

[BigDaveK]

Couple of more things.....
8 lbs kiwi in 30 ltrs of water is very light. I generally use 6 lbs (or more) fruit per 5 ltrs.
Brix of 17 may get an ABV of 9%+, not the best for longer term storage and freedom from contamination.
Energizer and nutrient are different. Nutrient, as the name implies, has more of what the yeast need.
Keeping in mind what @Ohio Bob said, signs of fermentation generally appear in a few hours. If you haven't seen activity after a week then the Campden might be the cause. An SG measurement with a hydrometer will tell the story.
And I'm confused about your adding water question - are you adding more water to the 30 ltrs or getting ready to add the 30 ltrs? Generally, everything (and sugar) is added at the beginning.

 

[winemaker81]

I agree with Bob & Dave. Also, activity in an airlock does not necessarily tell you anything. Use your hydrometer -- if the SG reading doesn't drop, there is no activity.

Here are instructions for how I make a yeast starter.

 

[rajeevniro]

Couple of more things.....
8 lbs kiwi in 30 ltrs of water is very light. I generally use 6 lbs (or more) fruit per 5 ltrs.
Brix of 17 may get an ABV of 9%+, not the best for longer term storage and freedom from contamination.
Energizer and nutrient are different. Nutrient, as the name implies, has more of what the yeast need.
Keeping in mind what @Ohio Bob said, signs of fermentation generally appear in a few hours. If you haven't seen activity after a week then the Campden might be the cause. An SG measurement with a hydrometer will tell the story.
And I'm confused about your adding water question - are you adding more water to the 30 ltrs or getting ready to add the 30 ltrs? Generally, everything (and sugar) is added at the beginning.

Thank you so much for your valuable response.. i have a small winery unit here and i am on my journey towards specialising about wines with fruits that are grown in my area.. before this my rhododendron wine was quite successful..
And thank you so much for upscaling my knowledge of wines.. it would be very kind of you if you help me if problem occours

 

[BigDaveK]

Rhododendron? I have some and it's a "maybe" on my list. Apparently the the nectar of the flowers can be toxic and even fatal. When bees use the nectar the end product is called "mad honey".

I have a suggestion - the next time you're planning a wine, give us a shout before you start. With a little luck you'll get some great ideas.

Let's start this way: what kind of fruit do you have in your area?

 

[rajeevniro]

Couple of more things.....
8 lbs kiwi in 30 ltrs of water is very light. I generally use 6 lbs (or more) fruit per 5 ltrs.
Brix of 17 may get an ABV of 9%+, not the best for longer term storage and freedom from contamination.
Energizer and nutrient are different. Nutrient, as the name implies, has more of what the yeast need.
Keeping in mind what @Ohio Bob said, signs of fermentation generally appear in a few hours. If you haven't seen activity after a week then the Campden might be the cause. An SG measurement with a hydrometer will tell the story.
And I'm confused about your adding water question - are you adding more water to the 30 ltrs or getting ready to add the 30 ltrs? Generally, everything (and sugar) is added at the beginning.

Hi Dave..
Thank you for the suggestion to the solution of this.
About water..
Ive added 20 ltr water and 10 kgs of kiwi fruit. I have a cylindrical carboy of 30 ltrs which makes me add 20 ltrs of water in 10 liters of must.. i boil the water with sugar in it by fire which gives a burning sensation to the wine. And the water is cooled down to room temperature and used in the must with the measure of sugar.

 

[rajeevniro]

Rhododendron? I have some and it's a "maybe" on my list. Apparently the the nectar of the flowers can be toxic and even fatal. When bees use the nectar the end product is called "mad honey".

I have a suggestion - the next time you're planning a wine, give us a shout before you start. With a little luck you'll get some great ideas.

Let's start this way: what kind of fruit do you have in your area?

I have

 

[rajeevniro]

I have

I have temperate fruits in my area the highest temperature goes up to 27 degrees and lowest goes to 4 degree..
I have an integrated orchard and a vineyard of the local fruits and flowers which are on verge of extinction .i am based in sikkim (rural part and my place has been following permaculture ethics and principles on farming)
We do machineless orchard management and we are trying to get the best taste of wines from those fruits..
My fruits include...
PLUM , PEAR , KIWI , PEACH , RHODODENDRON

 

[rajeevniro]

I agree with Bob & Dave. Also, activity in an airlock does not necessarily tell you anything. Use your hydrometer -- if the SG reading doesn't drop, there is no activity.

Here are instructions for how I make a yeast starter.

Thank you so much for the article.. i seem to be a bit clear about yeast starter.. also , do you have anything for me to read about titrable acid?

 

[Rice_Guy]

TA is the flavor balance against sweet on the finished wine.
For a primary fermentation pH is more important. It will limit micro infections and makes chemicals as SO2 work better. For fruit wine pH should be less than 3.5 and yeast get unhappy under pH 3.2 ( red grape will go up to pH 3.7)

 

[BigDaveK]

I have temperate fruits in my area the highest temperature goes up to 27 degrees and lowest goes to 4 degree..
I have an integrated orchard and a vineyard of the local fruits and flowers which are on verge of extinction .i am based in sikkim (rural part and my place has been following permaculture ethics and principles on farming)
We do machineless orchard management and we are trying to get the best taste of wines from those fruits..
My fruits include...
PLUM , PEAR , KIWI , PEACH , RHODODENDRON

Great!
I have limited experience with plum and peach but pears I know.
My first pear wine only used 6 lbs per gallon but they were VERY ripe, great flavor. Very ripe was the key. It turned out really well. Now my pear wines are almost all pear. I made six different 3-gallon batches this year. Each one used about 42 lbs of pears. I crushed and pressed but everything went into the bucket. It was so thick that I added maybe a half gallon of water that had the pectic enzyme and most of the sugar dissolved. They're still bulk aging but they all taste great. Pears need to be ripe, maybe even a little over ripe.
The key to a good tasting wine is good tasting fruit.

 

[rajeevniro]

Great!
I have limited experience with plum and peach but pears I know.
My first pear wine only used 6 lbs per gallon but they were VERY ripe, great flavor. Very ripe was the key. It turned out really well. Now my pear wines are almost all pear. I made six different 3-gallon batches this year. Each one used about 42 lbs of pears. I crushed and pressed but everything went into the bucket. It was so thick that I added maybe a half gallon of water that had the pectic enzyme and most of the sugar dissolved. They're still bulk aging but they all taste great. Pears need to be ripe, maybe even a little over ripe.
The key to a good tasting wine is good tasting fruit.

Hey if we could connect in a better way i guess.. i have long been searching for a winemaker to upscale my production and make awesome wines.. i will be making rhododendron in April.. if you are free you could join me on rhododendron winemaking

 

[rajeevniro]

TA is the flavor balance against sweet on the finished wine.
For a primary fermentation pH is more important. It will limit micro infections and makes chemicals as SO2 work better. For fruit wine pH should be less than 3.5 and yeast get unhappy under pH 3.2 ( red grape will go up to pH 3.7)

Okay noted it down now

 

[winemaker81]

Thank you so much for the article.. i seem to be a bit clear about yeast starter.. also , do you have anything for me to read about titrable acid?

I totally suck at doing acid titration. I used pH test strips for years to get a ballpark. Last fall I purchased a pH meter, which works nicely.

Please note I adjust acid by taste. It doesn't matter if I get the "perfect" pH or TA if the wine doesn't taste right.

 

[rajeevniro]

I totally suck at doing acid titration. I used pH test strips for years to get a ballpark. Last fall I purchased apH meter, which works nicely.

Please note I adjust acid by taste. It doesn't matter if I get the "perfect" pH or TA if the wine doesn't taste right.

What would your initial brix of the fruit be when it's ripe and without adding extra sugar

 

[rajeevniro]

What would your initial brix of the fruit be when it's ripe and without adding extra sugar

Do you grow your own fruits to keep check on how much sugar is present on your fruits?

 

[BigDaveK]

What would your initial brix of the fruit be when it's ripe and without adding extra sugar

That's one thing you can't really control. You can fertilize and water to ensure a healthy plant but then it's all about weather - temperature and sunshine. I just started measuring Brix this year, mostly out of curiosity, and it will be interesting to see how it changes from year to year. My pear, for example, had a Brix of 13 and my blackberries were 8. But that's just part of it. The overall flavor is what I'm looking for. If I taste something and say, "Wow, that's good!" then I'm making wine with it. I really wanted to make watermelon wine this year but the fruit was disappointing so I didn't bother. I'll try again next year.

I grow my own fruits and vegetables for economy and quality. For a couple dollars of seeds I'll have dozens of plants and fruit/vegetables picked when they're at the peak of flavor. At least that's the plan.

And thanks for the offer.If I were able I'd LOVE to see that part of the world.

 

[rajeevniro]

Yes please do.. i would be really happy to host you to my property and maybe exchange knowledge of our winemaking experience