Mosti Mondiale Stuck and Sour

[MikeHudson]

Hey All ~ not sure if this is the correct section to post this, but I'm at a point where I could use your expertise. I think I may have made 6 gallons of vinegar. The primary seemed to go well, SGwent from 1.086 to1.02 after 3 days and I racked to the carboy. I'm now at day 10 and the wine is a cloudy pink and theSG has been steady the last 2 days at 1.00 and no more bubbles at the air lock. The winehas a cloudy pink color and a tiny sip of it was sour and acidic.


I may be at the point of dumping it and starting over but I thought I would run it by more experienced thoughts.My instructionssay to rack to a second carboy at .996 or lower, but I don't seem to be getting there and not sure if this batchcan be saved ?? ....

 

[grapeman]

Do not dump it. it is fine, just not finished yet and is very young. I can comment a bit more later, but just wanted to say not to dump.

 

[v1rotate]

What specific kit are you making, Mike? I have only made 4 Mosti kits, but I don't remember the instructions saying you should transfer to a carboy after 3 days. I know sometimes the fermentation goes faster than others, especially when the weather warms up. But I believe it is a mistake to move on to the next step before the number of days called for has elapsed. My apologies if that isn't the case.

Now you are on day 10 and evidently thinking about stabilizing. What I would do is give the batch a good stirring and wait another week. Then check the SG and see if it hasn't inched down a little. If nothing else, this will allow some of the CO2 to escape.

 

[grapeman]

Your wine is nowhere near done at this point at 10 days out. If it has cleared at all at this point it would be by coincidence. Definitely keep it where it is about 70-75 degrees and it will likely move further down. It will need degassing and eventually stabilizing. Don't rush it. We need to practice our patience at all times and move in slow motion. I find it easier to do after you have a few hundred bottles on the shelf than when you first start and are full of enthusiasm and expectation.

 

[MikeHudson]

Thank you both so much .... I won't dump it and will keep it going.

Jim, specifically it's the Vinifera Noble Caberlot and I was hoping the SG would tell me when to move to the next step.

This is what happened - At the end of my day 3, the SG was 1.026 and I racked it to the glass
carboy the next morning. At day 6, it was 1.000, at day 8 - SG = 0.998,
day 10 - SG = 1.000. And this morning, day 11- SG = 1.000.

Here are a few steps from the Wine Kit instructions and why I racked to the carboy after 3 days:

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(Exerpt from PHASE I)

"During the first 3-5 days of your fermentation, thoroughly mix the must with a clean spoon once a day in order to re-suspend the yeast.

Once the specific gravity reaches 1.040 - 1.050, (approx Day 3-5) the grape must is ready for the first racking.

Mix the grape must with the Primary Fermenter thoroughly in order to resuspend the sediment currently found at the bottom of your Primary fermenter."
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(then at the beginning of PHASE II):

"(Day 9-14 approx.) Before continuing, it is very important to verify that the specific gravity of the wine is currently at 0.996 or less."
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The instructions under Phase II continue on with steps to rack to a second carboy, allowing the wine to splash in; then stirring to degass, adding the Kmeta, Siligel and Liquigel. Then this:

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"Verify that your carboy is full within 2 inches from the top. Should you require to top-up your carboy, it is preferable to add finished wine."
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(I imagine that because I am making Caberlot, I would add either Cabernet or Merlot to top it off.)

Then this: PHASE III
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"After 7-10 days, (Day 16-24) your wine should be clear. If not completely clear, leave it alone for a few extra days. Do not bottle cloudy wine. If the wine is clear, proceed by following these steps: Rack the wine in a clean and sanitized carboy, leaving behind the clarification sediment found at the bottom."
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The instructions then continue with steps for adding Potassium Sorbate and for bottling.

Please excuse the long reply, just hoping it will indicate more clearly where I am with this. I greatly appreciate your taking the time to offer your guidance.

 

[MikeHudson]

Thanks Appleman ~ I do indeed suffer from enthusiasm and obsess over cleaning and sanitizing everything, ultraviolet rays in the sunlight shining through the window onto the carboy (I have it covered with a black plastic bag) etc, etc. I also admit that I need to practice patience. My wife is a much better fisherman than I am. I love to fish - as long as they're biting... She'll sit there all afternoon waiting for that one great strike, and of course she always outfishes me Win, Lose or Draw - I'm having a great time with this and it's great to have the forum to touch base with. I'll try my best not to be a pest.

 

[robie]

Thanks Appleman ~ I do indeed suffer from enthusiasm and obsess over cleaning and sanitizing everything, ultraviolet rays in the sunlight shining through the window onto the carboy (I have it covered with a black plastic bag) etc, etc. I also admit that I need to practice patience. My wife is a much better fisherman than I am. I love to fish - as long as they're biting... She'll sit there all afternoon waiting for that one great strike, and of course she always outfishes me Win, Lose or Draw - I'm having a great time with this and it's great to have the forum to touch base with. I'll try my best not to be a pest.

You will do fine, but maybe you need to get the wife involved in your wine making. She can encourage your patients.

As appleman said, young wine can be really tart and not very tasty at all. Especially before it is degassed.

That's the beauty of wine. It starts off pretty nasty, seemingly worthless, but with some time and patience, it can turn into a thing of real beauty and delight. I say "beauty", because I feel a crystal clear glass of wine is a truly gorgeous site - the purple of a nice cab/sav; the amber tone of a nice pinot noir. I could go on but...

 

[v1rotate]

Well, Mike, I see why you transferred on day 3. That is certainly in accordance with the instructions. What is the temperature of the must now? You might try to get that up to 75' to provide the best environment for the yeast to finish if it is cooler than that. I'd give it a good stir and let it sit for another week and a half or so and see what happens to the SG.

Don't worry about being a pest. Folks hang out here to either ask or answer questions.

 

[v1rotate]

As far as time frames go, here is an article from WineMaker magazine that may give you some insight:

<a href="http://www.winemakermag.com/blogs/Making-Your-Kit-Wine-Shine-Redeaux.html" target="_blank">Making Your Kit Wine Shine, Redeaux</a><div ="entry-title"><h3>
</h3>

 

[ArdenS]

Along the same track as the WineMaker article is the following from Jack Keller which I have used.

http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/extended.asp

 

[MikeHudson]

Jim, Arden ~ Appreciate the articles very much - good reads and I'm beginning to get it... just slow down and trust the process. I suppose this is the number one mistake a lot of beginners like me make.

I'll try to get my 68' wine up to 75' and check it again in a week. Cheers

 

[Wade E]

Please never dump a wine until at least giving it about 1 year. I had one batch that after 1 1/2 months was just nasty! I didnt try anymore until about 8 months later and when I did I was amazed at how it came around and now its one of my best wines on my shelf. This may not be the case for you but I can almost guaranty it will get much better!

 

[MikeHudson]

Wade, that is amazing .... I would never have imagined such a wine could turn around after that amount of elapsed time! So glad I signed up with this Forum ... everyone here has reinforced that patience is every bit as important as cleanliness and attention to detail. Thanks so much for your comments.

 

[Wade E]

Hehehe, I also have one batch that is just as nasty after about 1 year as it was when it finished though. That was a scratch wine that I veered from though to so take it as it is.

 

[Dean]

Yep, when a wine is young (6 months or newer), I usually like to say "Anything even remotely resembling wine at this time is purely coincidence".

Certainly taste as you go along so you get to know what it's like at each stage, but don't count a wine out ever. Some take 2 to 3 years to come around, while others are perfectly fine at 1 year. Some kit whites are even quicker at about 6 months. The "Mist" kits are usually fine at 8 weeks.

 

[Wade E]

The only wine that will taste good this young is a Mist style kit.

 

[MikeHudson]

I'm learning a lot in here .... sure is fun to be this 'Young' at something again !

Perhaps making a Mist style kit would be the place to start for someone who needs to learn patience .... especially when I hear you guys talk about Years instead of months before a wine is ready. Now I really do wish I had found this hobby years ago. Just think of all the great wine I could be drinking now !

 

[Wade E]

The mist kits are very early drinkers. Basically ready to drink as soon as they are clear. They are typically sweeter wines as you add a flavor pack that also is a sweetening pack but with our help we can help you adjust it to your sweetness level by adding some of that f-pack up front or by you just adding it to your taste when its ready to add it.

 

[ArdenS]

I don't know about you, but at my age I'm not projecting too many years out. But I'm having fun.

 

[MikeHudson]

Thanks Wade ~ I'm gonna take you up on that offer .... With Summer
coming, the mist kit should be nice, especially with some of my choir
friends. And Arden, I hear ya ! These days, I'm not even buying green bananas