WineXpert New wine maker with a question

[ScubaDon]

yes I do. I learned this back in my beer making days. Lucky that the kit I got for Christmas came this way. I will be using it to bottle in about 10 days. check out my first picture that I posted on page 2 of this post.

 

[Wade E]

Great, one less thing to buy now!

 

[ScubaDon]

I broke my racking cane today trying to get the tubing off. Lastnight after rackingI cleaned it and hung it up to dry. Today when putting up my equipment I tried to remove the tubing and the cane broke. Guess I have to replace it with an auto siphon.

 

[Wade E]

My advice to you is to have an extra racking cane on hand as long as an
extra hydrometer. These two items are very fragile and always seem to
beak right before you need it!

 

[ScubaDon]

great handy tips Wade.

 

[ScubaDon]

Another question for the crew.


Monday night I completed step 3 of my kit Which involved stirring like crazy to degass and adding several chemicals as well as adding the isinglass. This was all per the instructions. Now the only thing I have to base this on is the 1st racking. after the first racking 24 hours later it had cleared so much that I took a picture (page 3 this post) showing the difference. after adding the isinglass I really expected to see a huge change in 24 hours. But no, it looks the same today as it did Monday night. Does it take a long time for the clearing to take place or is the wine suffering from some type of shock from all the stirring which added oxygen to it.


#2 How can you tell when all the gas is off? I have read about folks degassing and making statements about how quick they got the gass off. Noted I don't have any of the micro bubbles anymore but not surehow to tell if all the gas is off. I ask this because the center of my 2 part airlock has rasied back up to the cap.Edited by: ScubaDon

 

[PolishWineP]

Patience, grasshopper. It will take a while to see the sediment forming after you add the clearing chemical.
When you were stirring your wine, if you don't get obvious bubbling, then you've probably done fine. We've stirred so much that I think we're just mixing in air after a while. If you don't seemovment in your airlock, you're probably fine.
How long are you supposed to wait after this step before you do your next step?

 

[Wade E]

Some clarifiers take longer than others as do wines.Give it its recommended time.

 

[ScubaDon]

The kit insturctions said to wait 7 days and then rock the carboy to remove the isinglass from the sides and bottle on day 28. It will already be past day 28 when I do this so I will let it sit a few more days before bottling maybe day 31.

 

[Wade E]

And it is not clear huh?

 

[ScubaDon]

I just expected to see the same changes that I saw in the first 24 hours after first racking. Didn't know why it was not changing at all

 

[docbee]

I did step 3 on the 14th and today the top half of the carboy is already remarkably clear. Even 24 hours after step 3 it was equal to the end of step 2 waiting period.

 

[ScubaDon]

mine had already really cleared a lot before I did step 3. Maybe that is the reason that there have not been a lot of changes. I made sure that I did not pick up any of the lees. I did put the lees in a jug and man that has really cleared up and looks likea bottle of wine on top of it.

 

[docbee]

mine had already really cleared a lot before I did step 3. Maybe that is the reason that there have not been a lot of changes. I made sure that I did not pick up any of the lees. I did put the lees in a jug and man that has really cleared up and looks likea bottle of wine on top of it.

Explain "did not pick up any lees". Are you talking about step 2 after the primary fermentation or did you rack again at step 3 prior to the crazy stirring and chemical additions?? Step 3 requires the lees/sediment at the end of step 2 for clearing properly.

 

[ScubaDon]

Hi doc,
I racked it the first time from the primary to the carboy. This was my first ever wine racking and I didn't do a good job. I picked up and moved a lot of the lees. (see pictures page 2 and 3)Then after 10 days (step 3)I racked it again moving the wine from the carboy back into theprimary to add the chemicals and isinglass. after stirring until my arms fell off I moved it back into the carboy. This Time, as per the instruction with my kit, when I racked it from the carboy to the primary I didn't pick up any of the lees. Did a really good job. The wine was really clear before Istarted step 3. Today when I got home the wine looks clearer to me. Maybe the isinglass is working and process is just slow. I don't see anything in the bottom of the carboy but it is looking better. As before I dumped the lees into a jug and attached a ballon. the ballon has not filled at allbut the wine has seperated from the lees and man is it clear. Iam going to take a small tube and pull it off the lees this weekend and drink it! Why Not!!

I have read that a lot of folks keep the lees with the wine until bottling. My kit instructions stated. Do not transfer the lees from the carboy during step 3 or at least that is the way I read the instructions.Edited by: ScubaDon

 

[docbee]

I am not familiar with the instructions for the RJS kits just the WE, so there is obviuosly different instructions at step three. But the wine should clear well in time anyway.


You may want to save the wine in the jug for topping off the next time you rack the wine in the carboy.

 

[Dean]

Isinglass is a very gentle fining agent. It takes a while. On a 28 day kit, they design it so that the isinglass has at least 15 days to work. It is slow, but it does work.

 

[ScubaDon]

Big set back today. Not the wine but with work. The wine is clearing, I cansee it even more today. My plan was to rock the carboy (to remove the isinglass from the sides, per the instructions) on Sunday and then let it set until the following weekend and then bottle it. The set back is I was told today thatThursday I need to go to Dubai for 12 days. This will post pone the bottling for a couple of weeks. I love going to Dubai but worried about my wine. I guess it will be OK sitting in the carboy for an extra couple of weeks. I have read about folks aging their wine for months in theicarboy but was that what their instructions called for? Mine said bottle on day 28 and I was already running over this day by about a week. Should it be Ok left in the carboy with the airlock in place? Edited by: ScubaDon

 

[grapeman]

It will be fine to leave it for the little extra time. The instructions mean you may bottle on day 28. The extra time will be good for it.

 

[ScubaDon]

Thanks appleman, I was almost starting to think that I should bottle it before I leave but I will wait unit until I get back.