WineXpert question about my ice wine style kit

[quiltertoo]

I am now at step 3. Stabilising and clearing. The wine has been in the secondary for 10 days. The instructions say: After 10 days check your sf against the chart. If it is higher than listed wait 2 days. The chart says <1.060. My sf is at 1.032. At this point to add the metabisulfate and sorbate to the wine and stir vigourously for 2 min. My question is my wine is still fermenting. Is the addition of kmeta and sorbate supposed to stop fermentation?
Once i have added the kmeta and sorbate it says to add the flavor packet.
Won't the wine keep on fermenting the flavor packet. The ending sf is supposed to be 1.060. The instructions are for several different wine kits and I'm afraid
I'm not reading them right. Has anyone made this wine kit? Can you give me any advice. Thank You.

Mary Lou

 

[wineforfun]

I would not be adding either one of those, personally, until it has finished fermenting and then only the kmeta.
Myself, I only add sorbate after I have cleared the wine.

With that said, I am not familiar with this kit so they may have you doing some "out of the norm" things.

 

[sour_grapes]

Are these the instructions for your kit?: http://www.winexpert.com/pdfs/Speciale%20Inst%20Jul_2015%2011x17_PRESS.pdf

I think the idea is that at this point, the ABV is too high for the yeast to survive any longer. Thus, there will be no further fermentation.

May I ask what your original SG was? (There is no chaptalization step for this wine, right?)

 

[quiltertoo]

Yes. Those are the instructions that came with the kit. My starting sg was1.160. It came with 2
packets of yeast. no chapitalization step.
It is still fermenting .

Mary Lou

 

[ibglowin]

Wow,

I have been thinking about doing the CC Showcase Washington Reserve Riesling Ice Wine and wondered what the instructions were for Ice Wine. Usually commercial Ice Wine is around 10% ABV and IIRC they arrest fermentation by sterile filtering at that point. I am very interested as well as what the starting SG was and whether or not they can stop fermentation (reliably) using this method.

1.160 ---------> 1.060 is ~ 13.3% ABV The addition of the f-pack would then dilute the ABV downward into a lower more traditional range.

 

[sour_grapes]

I think the idea is that at this point, the ABV is too high for the yeast to survive any longer. Thus, there will be no further fermentation.

Yeah, I was wrong about that. As Mike points out, this type of wine does NOT have uber-high ABV. Sorry 'bout that.

Right now, you are at about 16.8% ABV. I am not sure what to tell you. I guess if it were mine, I would follow the directions!

 

[ibglowin]

+1 on that. Sounds as if the OP should add both KMETA and Sorbate at the same time as directed so you can stun the heck out of the yeast in hopes of shutting it down quickly. Very interested to see how this one plays out.

I guess if it were mine, I would follow the directions!

 

[cpfan]

I am now at step 3. Stabilising and clearing. The wine has been in the secondary for 10 days. The instructions say: After 10 days check your sf against the chart. If it is higher than listed wait 2 days. The chart says <1.060. My sf is at 1.032. At this point to add the metabisulfate and sorbate to the wine and stir vigourously for 2 min. My question is my wine is still fermenting. Is the addition of kmeta and sorbate supposed to stop fermentation?
Once i have added the kmeta and sorbate it says to add the flavor packet.
Won't the wine keep on fermenting the flavor packet. The ending sf is supposed to be 1.060. The instructions are for several different wine kits and I'm afraid
I'm not reading them right. Has anyone made this wine kit? Can you give me any advice. Thank You.

Mary Lou

Don't do anything until you are CERTAIN that fermentation has stopped. Take an sg reading every day until the sg is constant for 2-3 days before continuing.

Steve

 

[Tnuscan]

Yes. Those are the instructions that came with the kit. My starting sg was1.160. It came with 2
packets of yeast. no chapitalization step.
It is still fermenting .

Mary Lou

Which one are you making Style (type)?

 

[ibglowin]

This just doesn't make sense (to me). If it starts at 1.15 and goes till the yeast poop out your going to have Ice Port, not Ice Wine.

Don't do anything until you are CERTAIN that fermentation has stopped. Take an sg reading every day until the sg is constant for 2-3 days before continuing.

Steve

 

[Tnuscan]

This just doesn't make sense (to me). If it starts at 1.15 and goes till the yeast poop out your going to have Ice Port, not Ice Wine.

That's a long haul for sure. Maybe that's where the ice part comes in. "More ice please". At .032 it should be about over, gone, kaput, finished.

 

[quiltertoo]

I just finished following the directions for step 3, stabilising and clearing. After adding the f pack I took a reading and the s.g. is 1.046. I will take a reading tomorrow and see if it falls. If so I will know if it is continuing to ferment. I tasted the wine and it does have a high alcohol taste. You were right about the ice cubes. I threw a few in the glass and it definitely softened the taste. At this point all I can do is wait and see. I will keep you all up to date with what is happening. Thanks for everyone's input.

Mary Lou

 

[quiltertoo]

UPDATE
It has been 4 days since stabilizing and adding the fpack.The s.g. is still at 1.046 so no more fermentation. It is clearing slowing so for now we just wait.

Mary Lou