New Kit Arriving Tomorrow

[Arlo]

Howdy folks well I should be getting my new kit tomorrow bought a Orchard Breezin Blueberry Shiraz kit from George at Fine Vine Wines hopefully it will be a good one.. Has anyone done this one?

 

[cpfan]

I haven't. (BTW, it's an Orchard Breezin' kit. Not an important point on this particular kit, but if you say RJ Spagnols Shiraz, we won't have a clue which of a dozen you're making.)

Do you know that this makes a sweet wine? If that's what you want...great...it'll probably be good. Have you read the tweaks that people apply to these Mist wines?

Steve

 

[Arlo]

Yeah I know it's gonna be sweet, I got this kit actually for the lil woman. I have seen a few tweaks like adding sugar to get SG up to 1.090 or so but that is about all I have seen..

 

[Arlo]

New batrch is going I bumped the SG up to 1.075 the kit had it right at 1.050 so off we go hope it turns out good..

 

[robie]

I have made two O.B. kits and will make some more next Summer. These mist-style, summer wine kits go well poured over a full glass of ice. Just my own personal opinion they are not the quality of wine to drink straight.

They are really nice at parties. Last summer, any time one of my friends was having a party (and if I was invited- ha!), they would always ask if I was going to bring my summer wines. (Hm-m-m-m, wonder if they were inviting me or my summer wines... )

 

[Dugger]

These are also ideal wines to put in a bag dispenser for use at parties. The last couple I've made ( OB Pomelo, Green Apple) I put some ( about 1/3) in Wine-on-Tap bags and they are very convenient; also saves on some bottling.

 

[NSwiner]

If your wife likes these type of kits they have Orchard Breezin Cranapple chardonnay thats out for the Christmas season and it's fanastatic I made 2 kits last year and going to make 3 for sure this year . It's not Christmasy tasting it great all year long I love to marinade my pork in it and cook it it's so good . Thre's a new plum one that just came out recently that sounds good for the winter it has mulled spices in it .

 

[robie]

These are also ideal wines to put in a bag dispenser for use at parties. The last couple I've made ( OB Pomelo, Green Apple) I put some ( about 1/3) in Wine-on-Tap bags and they are very convenient; also saves on some bottling.

This is exactly what I did with mine. It takes 3 bags to hold the six gallons from a standard kit. At parties, they just don't last long enough to have to open all those bottles! (It beats having to clean, sanitize, and fill ALL THOSE BOTTLES.) Wine only lasts about six months in the bag, but, hey, these wines likely won't last that long, anyway. George at finevinewines sales the Wine-On-Tap system.

 

[Arlo]

Question about this kit and fermentation... I started it on 22 Sept. with a SG 1.075 was going like gang buster until yesterday and now has slowed down to almost nothing. The directions state to sit for the first 14 days then check and add then rack, should I check the SG see if it's below 1.020 then rack if it is?

Thanks

 

[closetwine]

I see your in MO. With this warm weather my wines are going FAST! But I don't want to give you bad advice so I'll let someone else answer you.

 

[Dugger]

This kit is intended ( if you follow the directions) to be fully fermented in the bucket. Not sure what you've been doing, but if you have it in a bucket under a loose lid, measure the SG and if it's at or below 1.010, put it under a tight lid on your bucket with an airlock. You can then let it sit for the remainder of the 14 days, check the SG and if it's in the right ballpark( and it should be), check it for a couple of days to see if the SG is the same, and if it is, rack it off the sediment to your carboy and stabilize/add Fpack/degas as per instructions.

 

[Arlo]

It has been in a bucket with a closed lid and airlock since I started, I'll check it tomorrow and see where I am at on SG. I believe that the directions say to siphon and use the stabilizer and the other packets then rack it and then let it sit for another few weeks. It comes with an F-Pack for finishing.
Thanks

 

[Dugger]

When the fermentation has stopped, you can siphon ( rack) your wine either to another bucket or to a carboy.
If you go to a carboy, when you're siphoning, siphon about 2 litres of wine into a separate container, with the rest going into your carboy; then do your stabilizing, adding Fpack, degassing & clearing agents; then add from your 2 litre reserve to fill up your carboy.
If you rack to another bucket, just siphon everything (except sediment) into it, do your stabilizing, adding Fpack, degassing & clearing agent; then siphon back to your rinsed carboy. Whatever is leftover can then be saved in a bottle, under airlock, and either drunk or used in your bottling ( after everything has cleared).
I usually go to another bucket for ease of degassing & no waste of any of the 2 litre reserve.

 

[robie]

It has been in a bucket with a closed lid and airlock since I started, I'll check it tomorrow and see where I am at on SG. I believe that the directions say to siphon and use the stabilizer and the other packets then rack it and then let it sit for another few weeks. It comes with an F-Pack for finishing.
Thanks

Like Dugger wrote, make sure the SG has stopped going down before you rack to stabilize.

With these thin-type wines, you can get by with closing the lid and adding an air lock at the beginning of fermentation. However, the yeast need some air until the SG gets to about 1.010 to 1.020. Next time you do an O.B., I'd recommend that until the SG is 1.010, opening the lid once a day and stirring in some oxygen with your spoon. This will insure you get a good fermentation and don't get the rotten egg smell.

 

[Arlo]

Thanks for the replys, so if I open the lid tonight and the SG is still above 1.020 should I stir and recover tightly? Won't that disturb the sediment?

 

[robie]

Thanks for the replys, so if I open the lid tonight and the SG is still above 1.020 should I stir and recover tightly? Won't that disturb the sediment?

Yes, I would stir it. Stirring it also brings yeast up from the bottom. It also brings dead yeast up from the bottom so live yeast can feed off the dead yeast.

The sediment is not an issue yet. It will settle right back down.

At this stage, many of us just rest the lid in place on top of the bucket and place a towel over the air lock opening in the lid. The wine only needs to be sealed from oxygen once the SG is below about 1.010 to 1.020.

About the lid - put the lid on well enough that no critters can get into your wine. If you are not sure, throw a towel over the top of the fermentor.

 

[Arlo]

Got it thanks hope I didn't screw it up by putting the lid on right after mixing everything togeather!!

 

[Arlo]

Just got home and checked the SG it's .996 what should I do?

 

[robie]

Just got home and checked the SG it's .996 what should I do?

Check it again tomorrow evening to see if it has dropped anymore.
If the SG has not changed, you are ready for stabilization and the F-pack.

Your instructions should tell you to rack to a different container, add kmeta (potassium meta-bisulfate), add sorbate, and add the F-pack. The order in which you add the F-pack is important, so go by your instructions.

You will be drinking your own wine before you know it!!!

 

[Arlo]

Well I went ahead and racked it before checking back here) Now here is my "new" problem, aparently I don't know how to measure 6 gallons because after adding all the secondary packets and racking it to a 6 gal. carboy I found myself almost 2 gallons short, so I figured I would back fill, did and added 3 bottles of store wine (Blackberry Merlot) but I am still close to a gal. short of being within 2" of the bung. Can I T/O with water and be good or is there something ele i should do.