My First Wine. After 7 Days SG Is 0.995

[stevenstead]

Hi everyone,

Just started my first wine last week with Blackberries. Carried out the instructions below. I didn't know about a hydrometer at that stage so didn't get an SG reading.

Today I have transferred the wine from a 5gallon fermentation bin in to a 1gallon demijohn via a muslin cloth and sieve. Corked and airlocked 4 hours ago.

My new hydrometer came today so thought I best get a reading and to my amazement it read 0.995. I checked plain water and it read 1.000 so it seems to be working. I gently slid the meter in and whizzed it around a little to clear air bubbles for both readings.

What the heck have I done?


Recipe:

Ingredients:
 2½ lb blackberries (using 4.8lb)
 ½ lb sultanas (not added)
 Campden tablets
 3 lb sugar
 Wine yeast (check packet for amount, usually 2g per gallon)
 Nutrient
 Water
Method:
 Strip and rinse the blackberries..
 Put into a fermenting bin and crush. Chop the sultanas and add to the bin.
 Pour on 4 pints of water. Add 1 Campden tablet, crushed and dissolved in a little warm water. (Add pectalose when cool and leave overnight.)
 Boil all of the sugar in 3 pints of water for 2 or 3 minutes and, when cool, mix into the pulp.
 Add the yeast and nutrient and cover and allow to ferment for a week, stirring daily. (Prepare yeast first by placing in 4floz of warm water for 10 mins).
 After 7 days, strain and press and return to a clean fermenting bin.
 Cover again and leave for 3 or 4 days.
 Pour carefully into a gallon jar, leaving as much deposit behind as possible.
 Fill up the jar with cooled, boiled water to where the neck begins.
 Fit a fementation lock and leave until fermentation has finished (stops bubbling).
 Rack, as necessary, adding a Campden tablet after the first racking.
 Syphon into bottles.

 

[Dend78]

looks like you have a good batch of blackberry going, i would say the original recipe shot for around a 1.085 SG and after your 7 days it has fermented down to 0.995 leaving you with about 12% ABV.

so how does it smell? did you get a taste? any pictures

and WELCOME!!!

 

[southlake333]

With 3 pounds of sugar for 1 gallon, I'd say your starting SG was over 1.100. So you'd be looking at above 13% ABV (maybe 16%). If your SG is down to .995, it should be just about done fermenting. Test it again in a few days and if it hasn't dropped any lower, its done and time to clear.

What you have done is made wine.

 

[stevenstead]

Hi Dend78, thank you

I thought that reading was waaay too low, I guess not

The kitchen smells just like my local real ale pub, so I guess something is right!

I'm getting around 1 bubble per 60 seconds and bubbles are very visible in the wine, just that reading set me back a little and the lack of bubbles. Some sources suggest 20 to 60 bubbles per 60 second is a good estimate.

Cheers.

 

[stevenstead]

Hi southlake333,

I feel so much better now then. Didn't realise it could finish fermenting so soon when the recipe suggests much longer.

/congratulates myself

Much appreciated for your help and assurance!

 

[jswordy]

Hi southlake333,

I feel so much better now then. Didn't realise it could finish fermenting so soon when the recipe suggests much longer.

/congratulates myself

Much appreciated for your help and assurance!

Fermentation time depends a lot on temp, too. It may take 10 days to do the same thing in winter. Most every wine I have done is 5-10 days.

 

[loumik]

Hi Dend78, thank you

I thought that reading was waaay too low, I guess not

The kitchen smells just like my local real ale pub, so I guess something is right!

I'm getting around 1 bubble per 60 seconds and bubbles are very visible in the wine, just that reading set me back a little and the lack of bubbles. Some sources suggest 20 to 60 bubbles per 60 second is a good estimate.

Cheers.

Don't pay to much attention to the bubbles in the airlock. Specific Gravity will let you know when fermentation is complete. If the SG has not dropped/changed for 3 straight days then you can be reasonably sure fermentation is finished and you can rack to a clean/sanitized carboy, stabilize, degass and clarify. After it is clear then either bottle or bulkage.
Good Luck and welcome to the forum.

LOUMIK

 

[Albert Shephard]

Good morning folks I am new to the winemaking ,bought my first kit online brought it home. during the first fermentation I didn't have a hydrometer, I wasn't able to take specific gravity when I started my whole process.I read and reread the instructions for days 1 through 5, During the reading and rereading of the instructions somehow I over mist the part on the primary fermentation where it said that when your gravity drops between 1.040 + 1.050 add the yeast nutrient. So racking it into the second fermentation carboy I was looking through my materials for my Oak chips I came across the yeast nutrients and panic, quickly read all the instructions again and found that .so I ripped open the pack and dumped it in. Completely missing the part where it said mix in a half a cup of warm water to dissolve completely, did I ruin my wine. 7 days from the start it's at 0.995 should I wait a little bit, or should I start the stabilizing clearing in degassing stage, or did I just ruin my wine

 

[Chuck E]

Good morning folks I am new to the winemaking ,bought my first kit online brought it home. during the first fermentation I didn't have a hydrometer, I wasn't able to take specific gravity when I started my whole process.I read and reread the instructions for days 1 through 5, During the reading and rereading of the instructions somehow I over mist the part on the primary fermentation where it said that when your gravity drops between 1.040 + 1.050 add the yeast nutrient. So racking it into the second fermentation carboy I was looking through my materials for my Oak chips I came across the yeast nutrients and panic, quickly read all the instructions again and found that .so I ripped open the pack and dumped it in. Completely missing the part where it said mix in a half a cup of warm water to dissolve completely, did I ruin my wine. 7 days from the start it's at 0.995 should I wait a little bit, or should I start the stabilizing clearing in degassing stage, or did I just ruin my wine

No, you did not ruin the wine. At .995 your wine has probably completed fermentation. Any excess yeast nutrients will settle to the bottom of the carboy.

I would recommend that you take the instructions with a rather large grain of salt. They are written to speed through the process. If it were me, I would add the oak and wait 4-6 weeks before starting the stabilizing/clearing & degassing. If you let time work, the carboy will clear & degas on its own. Patience!

 

[Albert Shephard]

I'm not a big wine drinker ,so the kit I bought was a red Marlowe .decided to buy one at the liquor store, and didnt like it.it was dry and sour tasting. How do i sweeten it

 

[Rocky]

Albert, your kit probably contained two packets, one of Potassium Meta-bisulfite and one of Potassium Sorbate. These are added just prior to or in conjunction with de-gassing. The Sorbate will prevent refermentation if there is any added or residual sugar in the wine. In order to sweeten your wine, you will need to add sugar in the form of simple syrup, made by dissolving two parts sugar in one part water over low heat.

The amount you add will depend on your taste so do so carefully by "bench testing." Pour a measured amount of wine, say a cup into a bottle and add a measured amount of syrup, say a teaspoon and shake the bottle gently. Taste the wine and see if it is sweet enough or too sweet for you. If not sweet enough, repeat the process and add a greater amount of syrup, say 1.5 teaspoons. If too sweet, repeat the process and add less sugar, say 0.5 teaspoons. Once you have found the amount that works for you, you can sweeten the entire batch by "scaling up" the addition of syrup. That is, say you have 5 gallons of wine which is 640 oz. or 80 cups, and one teaspoon per cup was your preference. You would need to add 80 teaspoons or 13.33 ounces (1 2/3 cups) of syrup to the 5 gallons of wine. I would recommend doing this carefully too. Add one cup, stir and taste it. It will probably not be sweet enough. Add 1/3 cup and taste it. It may or may not seem sweet enough. If not, add the remaining 1/3 cup. If you did all the "bench testing" carefully, it should taste the same as the sample you made. Good luck.

 

[Albert Shephard]

That's awesome, thanks how long can I store it. Before it goes bad, does it have to be stored in the dark or can I use a rack on the floor in my kitchen. Urban living doesnt give me much room ,in my studio apt.

 

[Chuck E]

That's awesome, thanks how long can I store it. Before it goes bad, does it have to be stored in the dark or can I use a rack on the floor in my kitchen. Urban living doesnt give me much room ,in my studio apt.

Once it is in bottles, you can store it for quite a while. I think kits should be drunk before they reach their 5th birthday. Probably 2 years is the right spot.

 

[Rocky]

That's awesome, thanks how long can I store it. Before it goes bad, does it have to be stored in the dark or can I use a rack on the floor in my kitchen. Urban living doesnt give me much room ,in my studio apt.

Al, Chuck E is correct. You will be adding Potassium Metabisulfite to the wine and that offers some protection against spoilage. You can also help yourself by storing the bottles on their sides, keeping them away from UV light e.g. direct sunlight and away from any vibration. It would also help to store them in the coolest part of your kitchen away from excess humidity. If you can get an empty wine case or two with the tops in tact, put the bottles in and lay the cases on their sides, you will be in business.