Newbie questions???

[matsgone]

Good day.

Ok few more questions for knowledgeable people...

1-Is there a benefit in keeping wine longer in primary? I made a RJS EN PRIMEUR CARMENERE. It came with crushed grape skins and wood chips. Instruction says to xfer to secondary once reached below 1.020, in 6-8 days. Would I get more from the grape skins/wood chip if I kept it for longer, say 10-12 days?

2-Anyone has tried no using the net bag when using crushed grape skins? Would it all settle nicely to the bottom or cause a mess?

Thanks a lot!!

 

[winemaker81]

If you have skin packs (crushed grape skins), longer is better. FWK recommends sealing the primary when the SG drops below 1.020 and leave for up to 2 weeks.

FWK also includes bags. Please believe that bagging the skins is a hassle saver!

 

[heatherd]

Good day, thanks a lot for the replies, all of you, much appreciated. Im frigging lost right now haha.

My 2 first kits were

Fontana premium - Gamay (bottled a week ago - taste very young, not very good at bottling...)

Fontana premium - sauvignon blanc (still in primary) -

Picking up today

RJS EN PRIMEUR- Carmenere (I worked lots in Chile and was hooked on that grape variety)

RJS EN PRIMEUR - trio white

RJS cru international Meritage

Currently on tap in house, A nice Bitter 3.7%, a Munich Helles 5.2% and a Kolsch 5%!!!

Is there a difference between white and red wine, such as length of fermentation, aging, time from bottle to enjoying, etc?

What are your favorite brands for kits???

Thanks again!!

I really like Finer Wine Kits from Label Peelers: Finer Wine Kits | Label Peelers, Inc.

 

[matsgone]

I really like Finer Wine Kits from Label Peelers: Finer Wine Kits | Label Peelers, Inc.

Ya I have yet to find if they distribute in Canadastan..

 

[KYBEER]

I tried to use my Food Saver with a carboy airlock cap to ge-gas my wine. I did the wine whip then the vacuum for about 4 hours until the bubbles stoped. So far it looks good but time will tell.
Has anyone else tried this?

 

[KYBEER]

Corks!!!
I came from the beer homebrews and always put my bottle caps in Star San solution for sanitation. The last two years I started to make wine. I carried over many of my practices rom brewing over to making wine.
What is with the K-meta sterilizing solution and holding over the solution? I've been putting my corks in a Star San solution, pulling the wet corks out and pressing them in the bottle with my floor stand.
If this is wrong I need to drink all that wine as soon as I can so it doesn't go bad. (like I need another reason!)

 

[BigDaveK]

I tried to use my Food Saver with a carboy airlock cap to ge-gas my wine. I did the wine whip then the vacuum for about 4 hours until the bubbles stoped. So far it looks good but time will tell.
Has anyone else tried this?View attachment 86734

OMG, that's hilarious! I was going to do the same thing but haven't gotten around to it.

From my research Foodsaver pulls around 18 in merc. Seems it should be enough to do something! I gotta try.

 

[BigDaveK]

Corks!!!
I came from the beer homebrews and always put my bottle caps in Star San solution for sanitation. The last two years I started to make wine. I carried over many of my practices rom brewing over to making wine.
What is with the K-meta sterilizing solution and holding over the solution? I've been putting my corks in a Star San solution, pulling the wet corks out and pressing them in the bottle with my floor stand.
If this is wrong I need to drink all that wine as soon as I can so it doesn't go bad. (like I need another reason!)

I think most of us go the Star San route at bottling. You're fine.

Don't let that stop you from drinking the wine, though! You're going to need the bottles and storage space!!

 

[Rocky]

A lot will depend on the type of cork you are using, natural, agglomerated, synthetic or a hybrid. Some solutions react with the binders in the agglomerated and hybrid corks and could cause them to fail. The benefit of a K-meta solution (3 T or K-meta to 1 G of water) is that it does not require contact with the cork and the cork is sanitized by the gas. That is why many people use a "cork-a-rator" which is a means of suspending the corks over the liquid and letting the gas do the work. Personally, I have an old 3-piece salad spinner and I put the solution in the bowl, the corks in the basket and cover it with the top. I try to have the corks over the gas for about a half hour.

 

[KYBEER]

OMG, that's hilarious! I was going to do the same thing but haven't gotten around to it.

From my research Foodsaver pulls around 18 in merc. Seems it should be enough to do something! I gotta try.

If you do the food saver route, try this:
Get the carboy cap with four post and cut the top from the post with the small hole.
(Amazon?) Fermentology Carboy Caps – 4 Pk Silicone Caps for Fermenting in 3/5/6 Gallon Glass Jugs
The Food Saver accessory will be a tight fit but works great.
After a whip (de-gas) the wine I place a sanatized cap on the carboy and pump down.
Let the vacuum set for a few hours and pump down again with out removing the cap.

I let it set under the vacuum until the bubbles stop. ~4 hours.

My local homebrew store suggested a brake vacuum pump but I'm a bit on the cheep side and try to use what I have on hand. This time it worked.

 

[BigDaveK]

If you do the food saver route, try this:
Get the carboy cap with four post and cut the top from the post with the small hole.
(Amazon?) Fermentology Carboy Caps – 4 Pk Silicone Caps for Fermenting in 3/5/6 Gallon Glass Jugs
The Food Saver accessory will be a tight fit but works great.
After a whip (de-gas) the wine I place a sanatized cap on the carboy and pump down.
Let the vacuum set for a few hours and pump down again with out removing the cap.

I let it set under the vacuum until the bubbles stop. ~4 hours.

My local homebrew store suggested a brake vacuum pump but I'm a bit on the cheep side and try to use what I have on hand. This time it worked.

Thanks for the tip. I have a bunch in bulk right now so it will be a little while for my test.

Cheap? I'm with you, pal! I would easily be a finalist in any cheap competition.

 

[Ohio Bob]

This thread seems to have gone way off the rails. If you’re looking for cheap why not just splash rack?

 

[Rice_Guy]

a small plastic vacuum pump is not intended for running for weeks straight. ,, I basically have done what you did since I have 12V DC pumps. Our volume is small, so it will work.

chances are good you degassed more than I do. My definition of ”good enough is it can hold a 5 inch Hg vacuum for 30 minutes. ,, I vacuum cork so if I let too much gas in it could foam and pull into the corking pump. ,,, lots of wine has some residual CO2

I tried to use my Food Saver with a carboy airlock cap to ge-gas my wine. I did the wine whip then the vacuum for about 4 hours until the bubbles stoped. So far it looks good but time will tell. Has anyone else tried this?