Removing the Air Lock

[JAXJAG]

Hello all, newbie wine maker here. Got a question, if you remove the air lock 6 days after secondary fermentation begins do you have to add camden tablets (no racking done)? It was removed for approximately 5-10 minutes max.

On another note, I have only attempted to make wine one other time in my life at the advice of a friend and it turned out very good, was very simple, and could have been much better had I known about clarifying agents and such. Anyway, I am in the process of completing my first 6 gallon batch from a Vino Vida wine kit. According to the instructions I have 3-4 days before bottling, but I am considering racking a second time, although the wine looks very clear and had a reading of .98 at secondary fermentation racking, which according to the directions is good. Wine looks real good in the glass but all who tasted said it lacks body. It just tasted very dry to me. I have no idea what they mean by body with regards to taste. Any help would be appreciated on additives before bottling.
Cheers,
JAX

 

[TonyP]

Welcome. On the airlock, 5-10 minutes open to air is of no consequence. I would do nothing. Racking is another matter. Oxygen-wise, racking is probably equal to leaving the airlock off for days. You don't say why you want to rack and most wine makers don't do it unnecessarily because of potential oxidation.

In my opinion, Vino Vida wine kits are low end kits and there's a limit to the quality you can expect from them. Having said that, aging in the carboy for a month or two, followed by bottle aging for a month or two will improve the prospects.

 

[JAXJAG]

TonyP,
Thanks for the prompt response. The directions do not call for another racking but I thought it might help clear it up even more and would prevent getting the sediment taste in the wine that has formed on the bottom if letting it sit for another month in the carbouy. I purposely did not buy an expensive kit because I wanted to try my hand at it first and get a little confidence. If you think I should just go ahead and bottle then I might just do that. Thanks again!

 

[olusteebus]

I recommend just letting it bulk age in the carboy. I also started with a cheap kit to get some of the basics down and it paid off. I made a Chardonnay kit from a kit way cheaper than yours. I could not believe how bad it was. I just pushed it aside and forgot about it. I tasted it again in 6 months and found it to be "possibly drinkable". Bottled it, let it sit a few days and chilled one bottle and to my surprise, it was dang good.

Good luck Jaxjag and hopefully our Jaguars will improve. At least they can't get any worse! I think they will do great.

 

[TonyP]

TonyP,
Thanks for the prompt response. The directions do not call for another racking but I thought it might help clear it up even more and would prevent getting the sediment taste in the wine that has formed on the bottom if letting it sit for another month in the carbouy. I purposely did not buy an expensive kit because I wanted to try my hand at it first and get a little confidence. If you think I should just go ahead and bottle then I might just do that. Thanks again!

Beginning wine makers often feel the need to do something when nothing is usually the best course. Sediment is referred to as lees, classified as gross or fine lees. I won't go into all the lees issues here, except to say yours are fine lees which have minimal negative impact on wine in the short term. (In fact Burgundy-type wines, such as Chardonnay, often benefit from exposure to lees.) My suggestion is to let it sit for 2 months, then bottle, wait a month or more, and begin trying it. Make certain, however, that you've degassed properly and have the wine properly under airlock.