Noob just looking for some starter tips on chemicals and anything else i can absorb!

[thywinemaker]

hello im a noob to winemaking and was wondering if i could get a few starter tips here.
i made some killer salmon berry wine and blackberry wine last year with some awsome results but i used no perseritives or chemicals of any kinda and was hoping to get into that this year
i use a a yeast called red star daddy is a Distillers Active Dry yeast(Red Star DADY Yeast 1 lb.)
i bought some potassium metabisulfite , sodium metabisulfite, and potassium sorbate so far but i was told i should look into getting some water ph stuff that brings it to 5.2
also looking at getting some star san sanitation for cleaning. just wondering if there any small tips or items i should be looking at getting will also be getting a hydrometer.
i started pretty jailhouse style but have been improving ever since.

thank you for your time.

 

[sour_grapes]

Welcome to WMT!

Potassium metabisulfite (known on this forum as "k-meta") is the most important. The sorbate is used if you want to sweeten your wine after fermentation (known on this forum as "backsweetening").

I am not sure what the your reference was speaking of about the pH and 5.2 in particular. Probably they were speaking of either "acid blend" or "tartaric acid."

I like StarSan a lot. Very easy to use. DEFINITELY get yourself a hydrometer. Actually, get two. If you buy one, you will break it. If you buy two, you will not break either one!

 

[salcoco]

The Winemaking Home Page lot of instruction here

 

[Rice_Guy]

You are on the right track
basic wine— A recipe book or a kit and measuring pitcher or scale and fermentation primary and carboy, plus away to measure gallons

next level winemaker
*Hydrometer, tells you if your alcohol will be high enough to control spoilage about 1.09 +/-, and a cylinder to measure with
*pH meter, tells how flavorful and how well it resists spoilage, combine with acid blend, pH buffers, you could start with pH paper but it’s bad with colorful wine
*more sizes of carboys
*a way to measure small quantities, some use 1/4 teaspoon but I favor a scale with .01gram accuracy
*a log setup to keep carboys organized/ where in process recorded
*a cheap corking setup and corks
*bottles and a cleaning setup, brushes, straight A etc, star san, a drain rack (old dishwasher tray or the real one if the wife lets it go)
*a way to siphon (vinyl or PEX or I use a lot of PE water line and heat set my elbows siphons etc), spring loaded bottle Filler, racking cane
*a small assortment of corks and air locks
*access to kitchen sink and counters, someway to stage height for gravity siphons

Avid winemaker
*SO2 meter
*individual tartaric, citric and malic acid
*a set up to run Titratable acidity (TA)
*a floor corker, when you do 100 plus in a batch
*more tubing, a transfer means (lots of us use all in one), more sizes of corks
*clarification as bentonite plus, some of us have filtration (ex BonVino)
*private vintage labels for bottles
*wine storage, temperature control
*variable capacity tankage
*a fruit press, grapes require crushing/ destemmer
*freezer space for fruit and juice
*wash down grade counters, floor drain

All in all, none of us jump all at once, we see something missing and get it, reading old posts you will find some favor grape growing, others the vinting others toys. ...and welcome to WMT

 

[Val-the-Brew-Gal]

My best purchase ever has been the All in One pump. Makes the whole process of racking, degassing and bottling a breeze. I love Star San too because it's easy and effective...and because I have a horrible reaction to k-meta in sanitizing strength. Finally, because I make lots of quick drinking country wines, I always have SuperKleer (Dualfine) on hand to clear my wines up fast. Oh, one more thing, I've found out the hard way that you should always have extra yeast on hand

 

[hounddawg]

My best purchase ever has been the All in One pump. Makes the whole process of racking, degassing and bottling a breeze. I love Star San too because it's easy and effective...and because I have a horrible reaction to k-meta in sanitizing strength. Finally, because I make lots of quick drinking country wines, I always have SuperKleer (Dualfine) on hand to clear my wines up fast. Oh, one more thing, I've found out the hard way that you should always have extra yeast on hand

my nephew says that when i sanitize with k-meta that it burns his skin,

 

[Val-the-Brew-Gal]

my nephew says that when i sanitize with k-meta that it burns his skin,

It actually effects my lungs so horribly that I feel like I'm having a bad asthma attack. Even the amount in the lemon juice I use for SP or DB is enough to set me off, so I usually hold my breath until it's all poured into my primary bucket and I can walk away until it's dissipated a bit. The 1/4 tsp used to kill off wild yeast before fermentation and to kill off any potential leftover yeast at the end isn't a problem though.

 

[thywinemaker]

Thank you all for your replies i own about 20 carboys some small some big i have a corker with corks. FIVE STAR 5.2 pH STABILIZER was the ph solution i was told to get.i got a set of small messuring spoons but im not against getting a scale. i got a bottle cleaning station. to be honest the main thing that im not understaning is what level of ph should my wines be sitting at im reading that 3.1 .3.4 is ideal (i normally do red wine made with berries)and i will get two meters because that is the story of my life

 

[sour_grapes]

FIVE STAR 5.2 pH STABILIZER was the ph solution i was told to get.i

Ahhh, that is for beer brewing. You do NOT want that for making wine. Wine is much easier/more forgiving than beer because we work at pH values of 3.2-3.7, as you note.

BTW, 20 carboys!? That is great. Most beginners do not have that many carboys!

 

[hounddawg]

It actually effects my lungs so horribly that I feel like I'm having a bad asthma attack. Even the amount in the lemon juice I use for SP or DB is enough to set me off, so I usually hold my breath until it's all poured into my primary bucket and I can walk away until it's dissipated a bit. The 1/4 tsp used to kill off wild yeast before fermentation and to kill off any potential leftover yeast at the end isn't a problem though.

OH the dust, i have a tracheostomy tube in my throat, and when i get careless and that dust goes straight to my lungs , OMG, i know exactly how that feels, i was only thinking about getting hands in it for bottles and equipment, yes God i feel for you, if i get any dust in lungs, i'm hurt big time, at my wine room door is a rolling shelf with masks and exam gloves,
MGBY=may God bless you
Dawg

 

[thywinemaker]

been gathering the ones that people have been posting used. i have a large area to do it but cannot be there the whole time (will have people i can tell what to do)i use the wine as gifts i like to share it at certain times of the year with neighbors and such

 

[hounddawg]

been gathering the ones that people have been posting used. i have a large area to do it but cannot be there the whole time (will have people i can tell what to do)i use the wine as gifts mostly some people have forced me to take money but i like to share it at certain times of the year with neighbors and such

take notes on all your steps and measurements how much and so on , so others will have a reference when your not around to help them understanding better what you say and want them to do,,,
Dawg

 

[thywinemaker]

will do iv even tooke notes of things posted within the forum

 

[Rice_Guy]

Someplace in your reading you probably came across a table or graphic with how much free SO2 is available. This is derived from the ionization constant of meta into SO2 (KI from high school chemistry) From a flavor point of view we don’t care what the pH is (cola soda will be 2.5), but we do want as much free SO2 as possible therefore low pH is a target.
Red grape has antioxidants in the skin which suppliment the meta/SO2 reaction so red wine folks live with a higher pH target.
Yeast like pH less than 4.0 and have a hard life with pH less than 3.1 and get stuck at less than 2.8.

the main thing that im not understaning is what level of ph should my wines be sitting at im reading that 3.1 .3.4 is ideal (i normally do red wine made with berries)and i will get two meters because that is the story of my life

 

[KCCam]

and i will get two meters because that is the story of my life

Just so we're clear, that's 2 hydrometers (glass and very easy to break), not 2 pH meters.

i use the wine as gifts

Careful what you say here. That part is fine... the rest of the sentence I'm pretty sure is illegal, even if it's "forced on you."

 

[thywinemaker]

yeah 2 hydometers.and about balancing ph what chemicals would they be

 

[winemaker81]

It actually effects my lungs so horribly that I feel like I'm having a bad asthma attack.

Use a fan. I have a 18" fan I place about 20' away from my sink, and turn it on any time I open the K-meta jug. Weather permitting, I open the windows to help with ventilation.