Questions re: first "real" batch of wine

[AlphaGrayWolf]

Hi, and thanks for having a place to ask dumb questions!

Anyway -
I just started my first batch of wine using my new Homebrew Ohio 1 gallon kit and Grape Juice. I am going exactly by their instructions, although it seems as though some steps are not 100% clear, and they also contradict some of the instructions I have seen elsewhere, although I would expect there to be different methods to achieve the same results.

Here is what I did, per the instructions.

1) Sterilize all equipment using Easy Clean sanitizing agent
2) To the primary fermentation vessel (2-gallon plastic bucket) added 3 pints grape juice and 5 pints water; 3 1/4 cups water; 2 tsp Acid Blend; 1/2 tsp Pectic Enzyme; 1 tsp Nutrient; and 1 crushed Campden tablet.
3) Stirred until all were dissolved and well mixed
4) took S.G. reading, added sugar (to a final amount of 4 cups) to achieve S.G. of 1.100, which according to the paper that came with the hydrometer should yield 13% ABV
5) 24 hours later added package of Red Star Premier Classique yeast, stirred to distribute the yeast, placed cover back on bucket but not tightly
6) 24 hours later stirred and took S.G. reading, was 1.116 - huh? (Yes, I took multiple readings, just as when I took the original reading)

I had the apparently normal foam on top of the must and when I stirred it, the must audibly fizzed for a very short while - so I was kind of shocked that the S.G. had gone up. According to the instructions, within 5-6 days I should get a reading of 1.030 at which time I need to rack the must into a gallon carboy and attach an airlock.

What would cause the S.G. to go up? Am I still on the right track?
Side question - what is the formula to use to figure actual ABV at the end of the fermentation?

Thanks

 

[Scooter68]

Sounds like you didn't fully dissolve the sugar before you took that first reading. ALWAYS allow a batch to sit overnight if your adding sugar directly into the juice - Then take that 'initial reading' again just before you pitch the yeast. If you pre-dissolve (Using that 3 1/4 cups of water you added) it that problem won't be as likely to happen unless you are dealing with fruit that breaks down and releases more sugar. Your actual starting SG was closer to the 1.116.

As to formula - I just use this site: https://www.brewersfriend.com/abv-calculator/

I always assume an ending SG of .990.

 

[Julie]

like Scooter68 said you didn't have all the sugar dissolved before you took a reading. Normally what I do is take a small amount of juice, add the sugar to that and warm it up until the sugar has melted, then add that back to the primary. And don't add the amount of sugar that the recipe calls for, add enough to bring your SG to where you want it. Normally one cup of sugar will raise sg .018 Also, fruit wines taste better if ABV is no higher than 12%. And I would wait until SG is down around 1.010 before racking to a carboy or you can just snap the lid down and add an airlock to the primary and let it finish before racking.

 

[AlphaGrayWolf]

Ok, so my initial error was in letting it sit the 24 hours but then not taking another S.G. reading just prior to adding the yeast then. Got it. If I had planned on backsweetening anyway, as I like a bit of sweetness in my wines, Could I somehow stop the fermentation when the S.G. gets to 1.025? Using the above calculator that would give me a ABV of 11.94%. Or do I let it go down to 1.000 and then backsweeten to 1.025? Or would it be best to just let it go per instructions just for the experience and adjust next batch accordingly?

Thanks

 

[salcoco]

stopping a fermentation is difficult if not almost impossible. the best is to let the fermentation be complete . let the wine clear and become stable. then do bench trials using samples of wine and sugar syrup to achieve taste level desired. measurements are great for starting a wine but art is required to achieve the best wine at the end. in this case the art is our own taste buds.

 

[Scooter68]

At 1.025 you would have a VERY sweet wine! Let it ferment dry and then you can gradually back-sweeten to the point you like. Actually stopping a bit short of that 'perfect' point is recommended as wines lose that edge over time and taste sweeter a year or two down the road. Personally I don't back sweeten until a week or two before bottling and I try to wait at lwat 10-12 months before bottling or starting the prep to bottle (Stablize, back-sweeten and wait a week)

As salcoco stated - stopping a ferment in process is very difficult and once stopped - very tough/impossible to re-start if you stop it too soon.

 

[1d10t]

1) Sterilize all equipment using Easy Clean sanitizing agent

Well, to pick a nit right off the bat. Sterilize ≠ Sanitize You are right to question when they get the simple stuff wrong.

 

[AlphaGrayWolf]

Well, to pick a nit right off the bat. Sterilize ≠ Sanitize You are right to question when they get the simple stuff wrong.

Sorry, I meant to say Clean and sanitize, that was the actual verbage in the instructions.

 

[Stressbaby]

Ok, so my initial error was in letting it sit the 24 hours but then not taking another S.G. reading just prior to adding the yeast then. Got it. If I had planned on backsweetening anyway, as I like a bit of sweetness in my wines, Could I somehow stop the fermentation when the S.G. gets to 1.025? Using the above calculator that would give me a ABV of 11.94%. Or do I let it go down to 1.000 and then backsweeten to 1.025? Or would it be best to just let it go per instructions just for the experience and adjust next batch accordingly?

Thanks

It is not necessary to ALWAYS wait overnight before taking another SG reading. The requirement is getting the sugar dissolved, and any way you do that is fine.

 

[AlphaGrayWolf]

Update: S.G. @ 1.090 last night, and wine looks quite light in color - on the pinkish side.

Another question: If I do not use gallon jugs, what kind of 750 ml bottles are suggested for red/pink wines?

 

[AlphaGrayWolf]

S.G. tonight 1.052 - Possibly will be racking to secondary tomorrow night as instructions say to rack @ S.G. 1.030.

 

[Scooter68]

Update: S.G. @ 1.090 last night, and wine looks quite light in color - on the pinkish side.

Another question: If I do not use gallon jugs, what kind of 750 ml bottles are suggested for red/pink wines?

Usually for Rose and Red wines a Green or Brown glass Bottle. I don't buy bottles though - Plenty available at the recycling center for free. For a 1 gallon batch - Find 5 all the same (Sorry that's the OCD coming out), remove the labels, sanitize and get your corks. ( I don't use screw top wine bottles ) IF you ever find a demi or half-bottle (375ml) in the recycling grab them - they are more expensive than standard (750ml) bottles and not often found in the recycling bins. Nice to have for that odd sized batch or if you want to be able to gift someone something other than full bottle of your most precious wine.

If you start early it's easy - I like to start looking for bottles for a batch when I start that batch - that way I have time to be picky and get them all set to go. After a while you learn what brands of wine have easy to remove labels and which ones aren't worth the trouble. Right now I have probably 60-80 bottles cleaned and organized. Of course I sanitize them again just before filling.

 

[Henry_Sailo]

How can I preserve the taste and fresh flavour for long time. ?

 

[winemaker81]

You can stop a fermentation -- chill the wine to just above freezing and keep it chilled for a week. Add sorbate and sulfite before bringing it back up to ambient temperature. Let it set at ambient temperature for at least a few weeks (or months) to ensure that the fermentation is stopped. This works if you have sufficient refrigeration to handle your container, or if you live in a colder climate and get the right outdoor temperature at exactly the right time.

You can also sterile filter the wine, but that will probably have a negative effect upon smell, taste, and color.

If you have access to a centrifuge, you can also use that to eliminate yeast from the wine. A local brewery does that ... although most people are not going to have access to a sufficiently large centrifuge. ;-)

I recommend going with the previous advice of fermenting dry, stabilizing, and sweetening to taste. This method is easier to do (for most folks) and produces a result more likely to be what you want.

 

[Scooter68]

How can I preserve the taste and fresh flavour for long time. ?

Of what?
Please start another Thread with your question and information on what it is you are wanting to preserve.

 

[AlphaGrayWolf]

Ok, my wine has reached S.G. of 0.990, but is still bubbling visibly. Do I wait for it to stop completely or rack it to a 3rd fermentation carboy to get it off of the yeast on the bottom? Can anyone explain why it is still bubbling?
I did the calculation on the brewersfriend.com site, and my ABV comes out as a minimum of 16.54% (since obviously I failed to get an S.G. reading just prior to the addition of yeast, and the S.G. reading had gone up from the time I took the initial reading and 24 hrs. after the addition of the yeast, I cannot know the true ABV)... I am wondering if I should just write this batch off and start a new one since I have no real numbers to fall back on to reproduce it accurately if in fact I do enjoy it.

Thank you

 

[AlphaGrayWolf]

Also, here is a photo of the bottom of my carboy - it appears there is an overabundance of yeast settled on the bottom for 1 gallon, how much should I really use? (Sorry photo is upside-down, it isn't on my computer)

 

[cmason1957]

The amount of less seems about normal to me. I wouldn't worry. In your previous post, you said something about not knowing exactly what you did, so maybe this it. I wouldn't, use it as a learning experience, if nothing else. It's all good.

 

[G259]

I would use the higher SG reading as the starting SG. The bubbling is the wine degassing the CO2 that is suspended in the wine, it's normal. You have WINE, don't wright it off!

 

[AlphaGrayWolf]

I would use the higher SG reading as the starting SG. The bubbling is the wine degassing the CO2 that is suspended in the wine, it's normal. You have WINE, don't wright it off!

Apparently there is also yeast still suspended in the wine - when racking I ended up spilling about a pint - need to get a proper automatic racking cane (not the old suck-on-the-tube style) with a longer hose - and did not have wine to add to top it off, so added a pint of 1/2 grape juice and 1/2 water, and it restarted fermentation on the juice's sugars. I will have something to drink when it is all said and done, but I just won't have any useful data as far as my learning curve goes.