started wild cherry wine

[poet]

why do we need to have a hydrometer?

 

[Tom]

It is the most important tool in wine making. Without it you will never know what you will get or how much alcohol is in it.
making wine is more than adding sugar and yeast. You need to write everything down (gravity) so if you like it you can do it again.
it also tells you what the potential alcohol and when its "dry or stuck

 

[poet]

i take your point but we're not too bothered about how much alcohol is in the wine etc, we're not bothered about being that precise.

I'm thinking half the fun will be finding out what it's like when it's ready

maybe we'll use one eventually....

 

[Mud]

A hydrometer will also tell you if the must is fermenting, stuck, or finished. Without it you're guessing at times.

 

[BobF]

i take your point but we're not too bothered about how much alcohol is in the wine etc, we're not bothered about being that precise.

I'm thinking half the fun will be finding out what it's like when it's ready

maybe we'll use one eventually....

Poet - I understand your sentiment exactly. Consider it though. Hydrometers are cheap and easy to use - no added stress, I promise.

For me, it's about being able to repeat making that Great Wine. It would be more stressful for me to make 7 or 8 batches trying to get what I got the first time - and failing all 7 or 8 times.

Beyond consistency, a hydrometer is the only way to tell for sure if a wine has completed fermenting, or stopped prematurely.

Good luck however you choose to do it!

 

[poet]

I just put all that to the hubbie (who is the one in charge of the wine making) and he said... if it's bubbling then as far as he's concerned then it's fermenting and if it's not bubbling then it's not.

I think he's a Luddite but there you go!

So, at the end of it all, all I will be able to tell you is if it looks and tastes nice!

 

[poet]

the recipe said to strain off the must after a week, hubs has left it for almost a month! I think it smells slightly vinegary, he reckons it doesn't.

He's just strained it off into another sterilised ferment bucket to sit for 3-4 days (as per the recipe).

should the unfinished wine smell a bit vinegary?

 

[BobF]

the recipe said to strain off the must after a week, hubs has left it for almost a month! I think it smells slightly vinegary, he reckons it doesn't.

He's just strained it off into another sterilised ferment bucket to sit for 3-4 days (as per the recipe).

should the unfinished wine smell a bit vinegary?

No, it shouldn't. But it might still be good for sprinkling on your "Fish & Chips"! ;-)

 

[poet]

is it because he left it too long?

thanks for having a joke at our expense by the way, it is actually upsetting for a first time wine maker to know they've wasted their time!

 

[BobF]

is it because he left it too long?

Probably. You didn't say what it was covered with, if at all. More than likely, the campden was exhausted, allowing bacteria to do their thing.

Also, it may not have fermented well enough to get the alcohol high enough to protect the wine.

thanks for having a joke at our expense by the way, it is actually upsetting for a first time wine maker to know they've wasted their time!

Sorry. Your response to several strong suggestions on proper technique led me to believe that a failure wouldn't be that big of a deal.

There a several things that can go wrong during the process. The good news is that with a few inexpensive tools and proper technique, the problems are avoidable 99.9% of the time.

 

[poet]

it is/was in a fermentation bucket with a lid.



My husband is doing the wine making and thinks he knows it all! We've started some plum wine today and I've told him he MUST follow the recipe, i.e. strain it after a week this time!

He's insisting the cherry wine is fine and carrying on with it.

Whenever I try to give him advice he gives me a mouthful of verbal. This time I'll make sure he sticks to the recipe!

If the cherry wine does turn out to be ruined I'm going to make him drink the whole lot!!!!

 

[Julie]

Poet,

I understand what you are going through sometimes men just won't listen to us women but like a lot of people stated here you need to get the right equipment. You need a hydrometer and you can not finish your wine in a bucket. You need to have a carboy. Leaving a wine in a bucket once it has fermented dry is exposing it to oxygen.

If your husband does not want to follow the proper procedure to make a good wine, kick him out of the wine room and take over you can do, I know you can

 

[Runningwolf]

Poet,

I understand what you are going through sometimes men just won't listen to us women. If your husband does not want to follow the proper procedure to make a good wine, kick him out of the wine room and take over you can do, I know you can

GO JULIE!

 

[countrygirl]

go poet! tell hubby you've got the inside track
doing the hydrometer readings are even pretty fun. my 11 yr. old neice says it's like being in a science fair, lol...i always did love science.
i've never done a plum and i'm still pretty new, but remember the pectin enzyme, beginning s.g. should be 1.080. only add enough sugar to get it to that point. even if the recipe calls for more, stop when at 1.080...that's my 2Cents