One of the 1 gallon jugs exploded...!!!

[robie]

I checked the SG placing the hydrometer into a 1gal jug (the best I could keep it in the middle) and it seems like it is around ~0.996

Before I back sweeten it was at 0.994 and after it came up at ~1.000, so now at ~0.996 could be a good sign?

Also, I tasted the wine in this jug and it is not bad at all, not like that single bottle that tasted like gas....

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That is good news! Of course there is no guaranty it is not going through mlf at the same time, but in your case, it is not likely, so let's go with it having restarted alcohol fermentation.

As was mentioned above, it is fermenting very slowly, so it should be in a sealed carboy or group of jugs with an air lock installed. I would leave it this way for a week, then check the SG. Let it set 3 more days, then check it again. If the SG has not changed over those 3 days, it is likely finished fermenting, again.

Buy some fresh sorbate before you back sweeten again. I am wondering why you back sweeten a Merlot?

 

[geek]

Not sure, but wanted to give the wife a little sweet red wine.

Thanks for all the feedback.

I will report on this thread in about a week.

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[geek]

BTW- I bought this online, so not sure but I guess I can ask the vendor and inquire but most likely they will say it was fresh, not sure if there's a way to prove them wrong other than the facts....

 

[robie]

No problem with your sweetening the wine, just wondering.

I think I would order some more sorbate from someplace else, just in case. You can wait to sweeten the wine until the new batch comes. May not be a thing wrong with it, but just in case. You might contact the place from which you bought it. Tell them what happened; they may replace it. No offense intended toward the place where you bought it.

 

[geek]

Robie et all,

After around 11 days sitting with air locks in jugs, I just check the 3 jugs and the SG has remained just around the same ~.0996.

But the wine seems carbonated or there's LOTS of CO2.
When racking all 3 into a pail one of the jugs was making a lot of bubbles in the pail to the point that the small hose I used literally clogged with the so many bubbles coming through it.

In the pail I stirred with stirrer mounted on drill and OH MAN SO MUCH FOAM..!! VOLCANO time..!!

This picture shows wine coming into the pail when that particular jug was making lots of bubbles. Even when I placed hydrometer into jug meditatively the bubbles were coming up but no bubbles were seeing while jugs were sitting steady.

Thoughts??

 

[geek]

here's wine sitting in pail a few minutes after stirring .

I went back and stirred again and now no more bubbles or foam getting formed, on top just some left over foam from previous stir.

Tasted the wine and is not really bad, just tastes like young wine but no bad flavors.
Good sign????
..

 

[geek]

Just racked back into 1gal jugs, there's no foam at all now..!!

Air locks on each one, will let them sit in dark cool temp in a room in the basement.