Newb Question Early kit stabilization

[BaM]

Hi all! So, my girlfriend and I took the plunge and started our first batch of wine, WineExpert's California Moscato (not my choice if you know what I mean), and everything has gone well to date. We racked off the gross lees from the primary on day 6 and the SG was below instruction. We are on day 11 now and fermentation appears to have halted, or at least slowed to the point where we are not seeing any signs. We have not taken a sample to check where the SG is, but I plan to over the weekend.

The reason I'm on here, is that per the kit instructions, we should leave in the carboy under airlock for 10 days, then add the k-meta, sorbate, f-pack and clarifying agent if the SG is at or below .996 at that time. Problem is, we both work full time, and both need to be on the road overnight when day 10 hits. I in Montana and her in Kansas. If the SG is at or below .996 before day 10, is there any reason to wait? If we do wait, and it is day 12 in the secondary before we can stabilize and start clearing, is that going to cause any issues?

I would like to pre-emtively thank all of your for your help. Someday, hopefully I can contribute with answers!

 

[sour_grapes]

You certainly will be okay if you wait until Day 12 to do the next step. That is what I recommend.

You *might* be okay to do it a bit early, but you would want to be sure it is really done fermenting. Unfortunately, the standard advice for that is to wait until you get the same SG reading for three days in a row. (And please understand, that is only an approximation.) At this point, you probably will be nearing your road trip anyway, so I'd just leave it be.

 

[heatherd]

I'd wait until day twelve and not stress out about it. It's tough to be patient, but extra time is nearly always better for wine kits.
Heather

 

[bkisel]

Welcome to the forum!

So after having had a number of girlfriends and having been now married to the same women for decades I've no idea of what you mean by "not my choice ...". Would you please explain and show your explaination to your girlfriend before submitting?

 

[richmke]

By now, you should have done the first racking to get off the lion's share of lees. At this point, the 10 days is to allow enough time for the clarifying agents to work and settle out. More time at this stage is not a problem. The important thing is to keep it under airlock. If you have the carboy topped off, then a lot longer is fine. If you have room at the top of your carboy, then don't wait too long (2 days is ok), and after this racking, make sure you are topped off.

 

[BaM]

Thanks everyone! I was certainly leaning towards leaving the extra time, so the reinforcement of that is greatly appreciated.

This is something that I've wanted to get into for a few years, and the engineer in me has researched the process at length, but always good to hear from the experts! It was actually a suggestion from the girlfriend that we make wine, without any subliminal suggestion from me.

This kit has a 1.5 liter f-pack, so there is some room left in the carboy, but according to instruction. Certainly don't want early oxidation, but was getting enough fermentation action early after the first racking that I think there is a good carbon dioxide layer in there.

Bkisel, she is fully aware this would not have been my first choice! But this was her idea and I want positive reinforcement, so we did something that she likes first. There its always time to fill some yet to be purchased extra carboys with the likes of cab sav, barolo, old vine zinfandel and super Tuscans The kind she doesn't like "because her tongue sticks to the roof of her mouth and they are chewy". Basically her response when she tries a glass of what I am drinking she has a sweet tooth that I don't, but I'm sweet on her so whatever she wants.

I have plans to do an early drinkable red next, followed by possibly a dragoon blood (or some other country wine) then get into the ageable reds. Need to get a pipeline going for future, and the store bought stuff I have won't last me two years for the Eclipse Barolo I'm dying to make! Oh, and that engineer side has already started drawings for wine racks that I can take out to the woodshop during the long Wyoming winter!

 

[richmke]

she has a sweet tooth that I don't

The great thing about making your own wine, you can make it the way you like it. Get yourself a 3 gallon carboy. When it is time to bottle, bottle 1/2 of it dry (like you like it), and back sweeten half in the 3 gallon carboy. Wait a few weeks, and then bottle the Sweeter wine.

FYI: The f-packs are way too sweet for my liking. Sample as you sweeten, and stop short of her optimal. The wine will pick up a little more sweetness with age.

Moscato in the store is a fizzy wine. So, I suggest NOT to degass, and bottle with the fizz. Use #9 corks and a floor corker. #8 corks are more likely to get pushed out by the fizz.

 

[francois_du_nord]

Welcome BaM!

Sounds like you've got a game plan. Now it's time to execute. I'm with you on the Moscato as a first batch. Your cellar will be SO much easier to fill if your gal sees the benefit of a joint obsession.

The WE folks seem a bit obsessive with their directions, but they are trying to keep the dolts from totally blowing it, and then raising Cain with their local distributor.

I've sorta fallen for this hard, and have a bunch of kits in process, specifically to get my long aging cellar started. Now I need to make some quick drinkers.

Best, Fran

 

[bkisel]

I made a few batches of reds where I would just add one cup of sugar just on the chance that it would turn out palatable for my wife, Well, now I've got my wife drinking the wines I make for her and when she fears hers are getting a little low will dive into my "just off dry" reds. I know it sounds selfish but I'm going back to making wines (whites and blushes back sweetened if not already) just for her (plus gifting) and dry reds for me (plus gifting).

 

[richmke]

I made a few batches of reds where I would just add one cup of sugar just on the chance that it would turn out palatable for my wife, ... she fears hers are getting a little low will dive into my "just off dry" reds.

Can you pop open a bottle, add some sugar (k-meta, sorbate if not already), re-cork, wait a month?

Maybe do it with 5 bottles in a gallon jug.

 

[BaM]

Just a quick update.... We were able to find time Sunday evening to check SG before we both headed out Monday. 0.992, so pretty certain we are dry. We both tasted and she thought there was some yeast taste but I didn't get that. Just tasted like a not so great dry white to me. Guess that is why you never see a dry Moscato!

Anyway, I'll be able to measure SG again tomorrow, assuming it is the same, we'll stabilize and start clearing on Thursday. Don't have enough room in the carboy for the full f pack, so may try clearing some of the wine we remove in a smaller container just to see what happens. I have issues with throwing alcohol out

 

[Enologo]

Just a quick update.... We were able to find time Sunday evening to check SG before we both headed out Monday. 0.992, so pretty certain we are dry. We both tasted and she thought there was some yeast taste but I didn't get that. Just tasted like a not so great dry white to me. Guess that is why you never see a dry Moscato!

Anyway, I'll be able to measure SG again tomorrow, assuming it is the same, we'll stabilize and start clearing on Thursday. Don't have enough room in the carboy for the full f pack, so may try clearing some of the wine we remove in a smaller container just to see what happens. I have issues with throwing alcohol out

Throw it out! Heaven forbid. The taste is no where near it will be once it hs completed and aged a bit. If it were me I would pull out a suitable amount of wine to allow fo the addition of the full FPac leaving enouh room in case of any new fermentation and save it in a seperate smaller container (gallon jug or some bottles etc. depending on what you have) you could add this back later using it to top off when you do additional rackings after the clearing stage. Just my 2 cents.

 

[BaM]

We both finally got home and had some time last night, and following 3 measurements over 5 days and no change in SG, we moved on. Added k-meta, sorbate, the f-pack, isinglass and topped up with that which was pulled out to make room for the f-pack. Stirred the everliving bejesus out of it with a drill mounted wand, so hope it got enough. The temp was a little lower than I would have liked, so I put a belt heater on to bring up to about 74F. Will see tonight if much has started, and might just stir again for the heck of it. I've read that this kit has issues clearing without excessive de-gassing, so I have some concerns.

On another note, we had just over 750ml of wine left after topping up following the f-pack addition, so that is in a spare bottle with an airlock, to settle and finish dry. I am going for the his/her's on this one as suggested, but rather than 50:50 more like 30:1 I have about 5 cases of commercial reds to last me until the next batch (haven't decided on what yet) is ready to drink.

I also put my vacuum wine cork (foodsaver) in this morning and kept pulling on the dry bottle until I was no longer getting bubbles as well, then back under airlock. I have the canning jar sealers for this as well, so could probably get that to work on the carboy to see how much gas we got out, but being a plastic carboy it probably isn't a very good idea, so I doubt that I will try.

Now we wait....... good thing there are some commercial bottles ready for us!

I'm thinking of doing the WE Chilean Carmenere next, anyone out there done this one that could give me some tasting/tweaking notes?

 

[BaM]

So, the Moscato is definately clearing now, almost into the additional week before bottling according to the kit instructions. My question, is there a way to "see" if the wine is clear while in the carboy without pulling a sample into a glass or test jar? I know it is kind of lazy, but I don't really want to sanitize a bunch of stuff if there is an easier way to know it isn't clear yet. can see clean through the wine in the carboy, but being my first batch, I don't know how "clear" it will look.

Also started a Chilean Malbec last week, and have it moved into secondary now. Planning to bulk age for a while to determine if I want additional oak added, as I am guessing that I will. The other half of the BaM team wants to do a Dragon Blood next, so another carboy is in order!

Thanks in advance.

 

[richmke]

You should be able to see through the Moscato, and see a layer of sediment at the bottom of the carboy.

In any case, the longer you let it sit in the carboy, the better.

 

[sour_grapes]

We often use the description "Can read a newspaper through the carboy." Says it all right there!

 

[BaM]

Awesome, thanks. Can see through, don't know about reading a newspaper through it right now! No big hurry, just need another carboy if it isn't ready in a week our so!

 

[heatherd]

An extra week or two in the carboy will help you be more sure of clarity.

Here is my standard advice: you can always get another carboy!!

Heather


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Makin

 

[BaM]

That sound like great advice Heather! We have bottles washed and ready to go, will likely pull a sample tonight and move ahead if ready, looks to me like it its, but want a smaller size sample to make sure.

 

[Buehler91]

still looks a little cloudy to me