My first wine ever!

[mennyg19]

So, I got onto this forum a couple of weeks ago, and I feel like I've read enough to go ahead and jump in.
So I live in Israel. No Amazon.com and no wine supply stores around me. So I placed an order today with the one wine supply store I found online. He's a nice guy and speaks English fluently. Makes it easier to communicate, even though I do speak a bit of Hebrew.
My first wine will be DangerDave's DragonBlood. So here's my order list. He delivers to Jerusalem twice a week and the next time is on Monday:
2 25 liter carboys
1 25 liter fermenting bucket
1 packet of yeast (gotta be kosher, so that's what I got)
Pectic Enzyme
Airlock with bung (or whatever that sealing thing is called)
Siphon tubing
Hydrometer
Potassium metabisulfite
Potassium sorbate

The recipe calls for clearing agents, yeast nutrients and yeast energizer. He doesn't have any of those that are kosher, and said they shouldn't ruin the wine that much, it just may take longer for the wine to clear. He said to use egg whites as a clearing agent, and said Google would have instructions on how to use it.

The recipe also calls for 6 pounds of mixed berries. A neighbor of mins sells frozen mixed berry bags that are a kilogram each, which is about 2.2 pounds, so 3 of those should be good. Would adding the last .6 of a pound adversely affect the wine or will it just have a stronger flavor to it?

Also, if anyone has any tips on how to make this wine amazing and easier, I would appreciate it! And if I left anything out of the order let me know please so I can order it and get it on Monday.

Thanks,
MennyG

 

[DoctorCAD]

The more fruit, the better!

 

[Johnd]

So, I got onto this forum a couple of weeks ago, and I feel like I've read enough to go ahead and jump in.
So I live in Israel. No Amazon.com and no wine supply stores around me. So I placed an order today with the one wine supply store I found online. He's a nice guy and speaks English fluently. Makes it easier to communicate, even though I do speak a bit of Hebrew.
My first wine will be DangerDave's DragonBlood. So here's my order list. He delivers to Jerusalem twice a week and the next time is on Monday:
2 25 liter carboys
1 25 liter fermenting bucket
1 packet of yeast (gotta be kosher, so that's what I got)
Pectic Enzyme
Airlock with bung (or whatever that sealing thing is called)
Siphon tubing
Hydrometer
Potassium metabisulfite
Potassium sorbate

The recipe calls for clearing agents, yeast nutrients and yeast energizer. He doesn't have any of those that are kosher, and said they shouldn't ruin the wine that much, it just may take longer for the wine to clear. He said to use egg whites as a clearing agent, and said Google would have instructions on how to use it.

The recipe also calls for 6 pounds of mixed berries. A neighbor of mins sells frozen mixed berry bags that are a kilogram each, which is about 2.2 pounds, so 3 of those should be good. Would adding the last .6 of a pound adversely affect the wine or will it just have a stronger flavor to it?

Also, if anyone has any tips on how to make this wine amazing and easier, I would appreciate it! And if I left anything out of the order let me know please so I can order it and get it on Monday.

Thanks,
MennyG

You might be little tight in that size fermenter, with 6 gallons of liquid plus the fruit. A strainer bag for the fruit will make separating it from the wine easier when the time comes. A long food grade spoon to stir with is handy. Egg whites will work as a fining agent, I think its less than the white of one egg for 6 gallons, that should be pretty easy to find in Israel.

As for the recipe, use all of the fruit. When I do this type of wine, I use eight pounds of each of the fruits (blackberry, blueberry, raspberry) for a total of 24 pounds of fruit.

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[Spikedlemon]

Not being fully versed on my Kosher requirements: I cannot see Bentonite crossing a line (as it is clay) as a clarifier. It should speed you along.

You're absolutely right, however, that time will clear a wine.

I know people have talked about alternate yeast nutrients/energizers so I'll leave that to those that have tried it.

 

[mennyg19]

You might be little tight in that size fermenter, with 6 gallons of liquid plus the fruit.

25 liters is 6.6 gallons. I saw someone posted on Daves thread that he put in less water and it came out better. Wont be putting in that much less water, but that's the biggest size he has (unless I buy one of those huge plastic barrels)

A strainer bag for the fruit will make separating it from the wine easier when the time comes.

Forgot to mention that this is on my list also. I ordered this.

A long food grade spoon to stir with is handy.

Good idea, can't use anything that's in my kitchen?

Egg whites will work as a fining agent, I think its less than the white of one egg for 6 gallons, that should be pretty easy to find in Israel.

As for the recipe, use all of the fruit. When I do this type of wine, I use eight pounds of each of the fruits (blackberry, blueberry, raspberry) for a total of 24 pounds of fruit.

Got it, I was thinking a good strong fruit taste would be best.

A Good luck and keep us posted!

Thanks John! Will do!
PS, I'll need a place to store all this wine, so I'm offering you again to come build me a wine cellar

 

[Arne]

25 liters is 6.6 gallons. I saw someone posted on Daves thread that he put in less water and it came out better. Wont be putting in that much less water, but that's the biggest size he has (unless I buy one of those huge plastic barrels)





Get a couple of buckets that are food grade. Do \your primary ferment in them and when you go to rack to secondary take the fruit bags out (easier to get the fruit out if you ferment in a bag otherwise you have to dip/strain the fruit out). Usually rack around 1.010 or so. If you use a bucket you can split the batch in two if you need more room (two buckets). Put a towel over them, maybe even the lid to help the towel stay on. Now you just lift the lid/towel and you can give it a stir as the ferment goes on. Just another idea, good luck with it. Arne.

 

[Stressbaby]

I did use a multivitamin once in an emergency as a sub for nutrient and it worked fine.

 

[Julie]

I won't worry too much on using any type of clearing agent. I think you will be surprise on how fast it will clear on its own. You could also add a banana to the fermentation, this will add nutrient to the wine.

Good Luck and let us know how it comes out.

 

[mennyg19]

Got all my equipment today. Will hopefully buy the berries tonight and start wining!
I got kosher yeast (says DV10 on it, anybody have experience with it?)
Pectic enzyme
Sorbate
Sulfite
Hydrometer
Siphone tubing
Bung with airlock
Sack for fruit
Two demijohns (he sent me that instead of carboys, issue?)

 

[mennyg19]

Just read the instructions, DangerDave doesnt say to add k-meta to the primary, am i supposed to?

 

[wineforfun]

No, you add kmeta after it ferments dry and you rack to secondary. Follow the instructions as written the first time making it, and you will be very pleased. After you get a batch under your belt, then you can start "tweaking" the recipe if you see fit.

Back to your fruit poundage. While it is recommended in most fruit wines to use 4-5lbs. per gallon, it is not necessary with Dragon Blood. The original recipe of 1lb. per gallon makes a very good wine. Most of us that have made DB upped it to 1.5lbs. per gallon.
If I was you I would get one more bag from your friend for a total of 8.8lbs. and away you go.

 

[mennyg19]

So finished for tonight.

Here's what I have so far:
50 oz. of lemon juice
6.6 pounds of fruit (basically all berries you can think of, that's what sold in these bags here in one mix, so its strawberry, blueberry, cranberry, some currant-no blackberry or raspberry tho )
I have issues with sugar, so I used honey instead. Which officially terms my wine a melomel. So I used 4500 grams, which is about 13.5 cups, which is the equivalent of about 20 cups of sugar.
I cant use energizer, nutrient or pectic enzyme as they are not kosher (and need to be. I contacted a leading rabbi in the field). So for nutrient I threw in some banana (thanks Julie). I also read that lemon juice sometimes can work as an energizer, so hopefully that will work for me. For the pectic enzyme, I guess I'll really have to press the berries.
SG is around 1.070, I think I'll raise it tomorrow a bit with some more honey, but i ran out and it got late here.
Covered with a cloth and lid and tomorrow night is yeast time.

 

[corinth]

first time ever

keep us posted and be sure if you have any questions, these folks on this forum will give you really good advice.

sincerely,
Corinth

 

[mennyg19]

So I went to check up on my wine today. (Office is down the block from my apartment). Color is developing beautifully. I took a picture. Added honey and water. Have about 22 liters in there, which is about 6 gallons, including the fruit.
Predicted alcohol level according to the hydrometer is about 12%.

 

[mennyg19]

Few questions:
What's wrong with using dishwashing soap for my mixing spoon, hydrometer and other stuff?
How do i use k-meta to sterilize exactly?
How do i sterilize my hands?

 

[Johnd]

Few questions:
What's wrong with using dishwashing soap for my mixing spoon, hydrometer and other stuff?
How do i use k-meta to sterilize exactly?
How do i sterilize my hands?

Soap will leave residual chemicals and aromas on your equipment and hands, which may end up in your wine.

Mix KMS powder with water, 3 TBS per gallon. I keep it in a gallon jug, sealed, and also in a spray bottle that I mist my equipment with before each use. I store most of my equipment in a 5 gallon bucket with an airtight lid and about 2" of KMS solution in the bottom.

I also mist my hands or rinse them in the bucket if I'm going digging in the must..

 

[montanaWineGuy]

Most recipes over load with fruit. Less is fine. Just ferment a bit longer and stir or squeeze more.

 

[mennyg19]

So here's an update and let me know if i did anything wrong please. (And how to fix it)
Ok, so last night I pitched the yeast. I used a bit too much according to the supplier. He said the package he gave me is enough for 2-3 batches and I used the whole thing. I asked him if its a problem and he said no. After 15 mins in 100F water, it was a big foam.
Added it to the primary and mixed it in.
This morning I checked up on it and it overflowed. I opened it up, and i see that theres this big **** on the top of the primary (Im guessing thats the yeast) and stuck to the cloth cover. I scraped it off the cloth and stirred it back in. I watched for some movement and there was a bit, but not a lot of bubbles coming up.

 

[mennyg19]

Soap will leave residual chemicals and aromas on your equipment and hands, which may end up in your wine.

So how do I clean my equipment before sanitizing if its sticky or just plain dirty. Just rinse with plain water to get the garbage off and then rinse with k-meta solution?

 

[Johnd]

There are various cleaning agents for sale, but I know you have trouble getting stuff like that.
You could do a pretty good job with a cleaning brush just for your wine stuff, sanitize it, and clean your things with hot water and the brush to remove all of the debris. Store the brush and your equipment in a bucket of KMS. Keeping your stuff in a bucket with KMS means it's always ready to use, brush it down when you're done and put it back in the bucket.
Although I have several pounds of the cleaning powder, I pretty much follow the above protocol, rinse and brush everything in hot water immediately after use and store in KMS bucket.