Need some advice please

[Timme777]

Hello fellow winemakers!

I'm a newbie and need some help that I can't seem to find on the web...I'm sure there is someone in here that could quickly answer my query.

I'm in the second stage of fermentation of a wild Elderberry and Blackberry wine...following a recipe from off the net everything seems to be going well. To well in fact that the fermentation is so vigorous that I'm concerned that my wine will end up being to alcoholic and lose flavour... I am tempted to stop fermentation because I still want abit of sweetness left in there...is that the right thing to do or should I just let the wine naturally stop fermenting?
My must before adding yeast had a reading of 17% potential alcohol, primary fermentation over 4 days saw the reading at 7%... I am now 24 hours into secondary fermentation and my hydro is saying 3%,and is bubbling away at about 90 bubbles per minute through the airlock! Should I stop the fermentation process now and crush a campden tablet in to keep some of the fruity sweet flavours in the wine or just let it make its own mind up! Just don't want to lose out on the lovely oaky flavours of the wild fruit from the hedgerow! I'm more interested in flavour over alcohol content! I just don't know what to do! Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Tim
Cornwall, UK

 

[fivebk]

It is very hard to stop a fermentation when it is in process. You should just let it go ahead and ferment out to dry then add the proper chemicals ( potassium metabisilfite and sorbate ) and after everything is stable and the wine is clear, then backsweeten to whatever level suits you using a simple syrup (2 parts sugar 1 part water)

 

[Julie]

Like fivebk said, stopping an active fermentation is very tough. In the future use a recipe as a rule of thumb not to the letter. You should never add the amount of sugar that is stated, take a hydrometer reading and add enough sugar to bring your sg to your desired alcohol level. Normally a starting sg is 1.080 - 1.090.

 

[Timme777]

Thanks for the comments... I have learnt a great deal since wondering around picking elderberrys and thinking *I'm sure my grandad used to turn these into wine*, one week later and i have some sweetened rocket fuel by the sounds of it! But no love lost...im finding it very interesting and learning from my mistakes! Im looking forward to my next attempt and it's great to have stumbled across this site!
Thanks again!

 

[meadmaker1]

What yeast did u use.
You can always flavor use a flavor pac to put fuit flavor back.
Flavor pac will melow alcohol also.
and time. Let it sit.

 

[rustbucket]

What yeast did u use.
You can always flavor use a flavor pac to put fuit flavor back.
Flavor pac will melow alcohol also.
and time. Let it sit.

Keith is right, give it aging time; the fruit flavors will return and the alcohol taste should go away.

 

[bkisel]

Hold onto it while you make another batch with a lower % ABV and then blend the two batches?

 

[Timme777]

Hi, sorry for the no response, I didn't seem to have any notifications come through.
Keith, as for the yeast, I've attached a photo of what I used, and I made a yeast starter with it. After about a week of secondary fermentation, I noticed the bubbles had slowed and were staying at the same steady rate and wondered if it was just co2, hydro reading 990 so I have racked it, degassed, had a taste (tastes like an old boot) added campden tablet, added a jar of homemade raspberry jam, and put it in a cold dark place. I've probably done the wrong thing, but Im quite intrigued to know if the jam idea will work, has anyone else ever used jam? When should I re rack, as there is obviously a layer of seeds and residue forming on the bottom? And Bill I hadn't thought about blending, if I read that before having done the above, I would have just gone with that idea! Ah well not the end of the world! I'm enjoying the learning curve at least.
Thanks for your replies.