Vineco My Second Batch of Vino

[NorthernWolfman]

hi guys, its been a while since i've been here and i hope everyone is doing good and enjoying all there wine.

My first kit wine was a very cheap kit of Cabernet Sauvignon and we are enjoying it very much and so is the rest of the family but now i have picked up my second kit which is a Kenridge Showcase Pinot Grigio and it was started 10 days ago and the starting S.G was 1.084 and today i went to check it and it was .994. What did i do wrong here? Its got no alcohol content now.

 

[PurpleToes]

Based on the starting and current S.G. figures you shared, I am not sure why you believe there is no alcohol content... Mathematically, you have a 12.23% alcohol on your hands!

The only thing I can guess is that you've taken a sip or two and believe the Pinot Grigio isn't "strong" enough based on taste alone. Remember, Pinot Grigio is a lighter style wine compared to a big red like Cab Sauvignon, so perhaps the lack of body is lending to your perception of no alcohol?

Try doing a tasting of the Pinot Grigio with a reverse whistle and you should be able to detect plenty of alcohol, regardless of body or mouth feel.

Hope that helps!

 

[cpfan]

Purple Toes:
Actually this is a question that comes up occasionally because people do not understand the scales on the hydrometer, specifically the difference between Potential Alcohol (which is marked on most hydrometers), and Realized Alcohol (which is not).

NorthernWolfman:

Here is a thread from a recent newcomer on this topic.
http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9394

Specifically the following entry may assist you:

A lot of beginning wine makers have problems reading a hydrometer, and understanding specific gravity.

When it comes to specific gravity, remember the old adage "what goes up, must come down".

Specific gravity is a measure of the sugars in the must. Specific Gravity is NOT a measure of the actual alcohol. As you add fruit and sugars to your mix, the specific gravity will go up, representing an increase in the sugars present. Since the sugars will convert to alcohol during fermentation, the POTENTIAL alcohol also increases.

Before the yeast is pitched, the sg and the potential alcohol will be at their highest. While the actual alcohol will be at ZERO.

As fermentation starts, the sg will start to drop and the realized alcohol will increase. When fermentation is complete, the alcohol level will be at it's highest, and the sg will be at it's lowest. The potential alcohol will also be at it's lowest (there's no more sugars to convert into alcohol) and will be zero, or even negative.

Here's an example...

Start...sg 1.100, potential alcohol 13.3%, actual alcohol 0%.
Midway...sg 1.050, potential alcohol 6.65%, actual alcohol 6.65%
End...sg 1.000, potential alc 0%, actual alcohol 13.3%

Actually fermentation will probably continue...
sg 0.994, potential -0.8%, actual alcohol 14.1%

Hope this helps, Steve

 

[NorthernWolfman]

oh CPFAN thanks for clearing that up for me... whew i checked the S.G on the tenth day like the instructions said and it was supposed to be around the 1.020 mark and when i saw that it was way below that i panicked and glanced over at the alcohol scale on the hydrometer and it said 0% alcohol.. man i hope everything is still okay

is it okay not to rack to the carboy for a couple of days? meanin i can't do it when the instructions tells me to??