Virgin Vintner's Post

[Virgin Vintner]

48 hours passed and no action. Everything is warmed up now and I'm planning on taking some readings after stirring up both (to get rid of any excess CO2) tonight and will post the results.

 

[Virgin Vintner]

Well, things are going better...

Merlot has decreased from 1.014 to 1.012 and tastes a little better - more like 50/50 wine to juice (of course that could be due to the addition of 2 750ml of wine top off) - but still sweet (but not THAT sweet). less soury than before. Less fizzy too, still present, but less fizz. A little yeasty, but of course that's to be expected as I added a package of yeast 2 days ago...

Mixed black has decreased from 1.000 to .998 and actually tastes pretty good. smells and tastes less soury than before and less fizzy too. Still the presence of fizz and sourness but much less than before.

I guess I'll check again in 2 days and re-stir and remeasure. I have doubts about racking the merlot to the MB within a week as I don't think the sediment will settle. May have to wait an additional week.

What does everyone think? And thanks again for all your help, it's working!!

 

[upper]

Virgin,I only know what I learned on this forum,and some on Jack Kellers blog.That being said,I think you put the kibash on your wine by adding the sulfited Merlo.You need to get a starter going from the MB lees or something other than the stuck.Once you do this bring the SG up in the stuck to 1.04 or a little more and add some to the starter.Do this till you have a vigorus fermintation,I am talking one gallon,then put it in and hope for a Boy....Dig-it...... Upper

 

[Wade E]

I donth thin the commercial wine hurt any at all, just thos cold temps. Make sure you stir up the Merlot and not the black. Get as much of those black lees as possible if thing s dont keep going down. Another week wont hurt any so dont worry about that, just get those temps up to around 75 and you may not even need to put the Merlot on the black lees but we'll see. Cooler temps during fermentation is not a great idea when you are working on a wine that yiu really want to fifnish dry and ones that you are not looking for fruity flavors in either. I cold ferment my whites and fruit wines in my wine cellar. Even with these I always bring the temp back up at the end so that they finish fermenting.

 

[Virgin Vintner]

The temps for both carboys are at 70 degrees and the sg for merlot is unchanged at 1.010 and MB is also unchanged .998. They actually tasted better 2 days ago than today. What's up with that?

 

[Wade E]

You will perceive diffrent tastes every time you drink some wine. OK, its time to rack the Black off and the Merlot onto the Black Lees!

 

[Virgin Vintner]

Well, it's done. I just racked the merlot into the MB lees. Temps are around 68 degrees. Merlot @ 1.010 and MB @ .998

Things tasted a little soury, sweet and vinegary, but no longer any fizz.
I hate to think it but with the slight vinegar taste, did I just make 10 gallons of crap vinegar? Or is that just a little of the process. During the syphoning phase of the racking, I swallowed so much juice/wine mixture that I can't stop farting. But that's my problem...and the potential 10 gallons of bad vinegar.

 

[Green Mountains]

I swallowed so much juice/wine mixture that I can't stop farting. But that's my problem....

That was funny.

 

[Beta_Grumm]

You're going to get a lot of flavors in your wine, especially before it's clear. And even after it's clear it's still going to taste young. My strawberry, that has been bottled about 3 weeks (?) now, maybe more, anyways, it tastes much better now then it did after it cleared and before I bottled it. It tasted even worse before it cleared.

My point is, stabilize it and let it clear and then see what it tastes like. It most likely will get better. Oh and don't taste it right after adding stabilizers. (it's kinda gross)

 

[Midwest Vintner]

My point is, stabilize it and let it clear and then see what it tastes like. It most likely will get better. Oh and don't taste it right after adding stabilizers. (it's kinda gross)

very true. another one is this, as you make more batches, you can start to "taste-paste" the process and get a good idea on where the wine is headed. you need to taste for the fruit flavor and realize what the others are. each wine will be different, but the past wines will let you know how well it's doing. get my drift?

 

[Virgin Vintner]

I hear you. I'm actually thinking of buying a kit and trying that as well. From what I've read, the instructions are easy to follow and basically I can't screw it up, so that'll be the best taste comparison to use.

On a side note, I've added the red star champagne yeast along with some sugar (both were seperately added and I correctly hydrated the yeast and sugar). The merlot is actually fermenting, assuming the minimal, small tiny bubbles (I sound like Don Ho) in the carboy are an indication of fermentation. Hopefully.

Also, the merlot has been consistently 75 degrees.

 

[arcticsid]

A perfect name for an imperfect wine.."Black Cloud Merlot" Imagine your own label, I was just thinking of a name. LOL.
Troy

 

[Virgin Vintner]

It may end up being 'Black Cloud Vinegar' with some kid's crying, sour face on it.

 

[Wade E]

Vinegar is only made whe a bac teria is introduced by either "Mother of Vinegar" or fruit flies in concentration and lots of 02 exposure. Check to see if its fermenting by using a hydrometer!

 

[Virgin Vintner]

I think I originally had too much space between the juice and cork in the 5 gallon carbot. Maybe like 3 inches or so for about 2 months before I topped it off with wine. I think that might have done it.

 

[Virgin Vintner]

Well, I just learned a very valuable lesson...
After taking the sg of the MB - still at 1.010...I decided that maybe there wasn't enough sugar to feed the yeast, so I poured a 1/2 cup, mixed it with warm water and poured it into the carboy. By my cals, the water/sugar mixture should be enough to top it off, but after I poured it in, it fizzed up so much that it was like a volcano all over my basement floor. I was truly amazed and am still keeping my title as Virgin Vintner. After it cooled down, my gravity thing (bubbler?) is fartin away. How nice...

 

[Wade E]

Been there!

 

[Virgin Vintner]

So basically, it's the yeast devouring the sugar, converting it to alcohol, right? So I'm assuming the MB lees didn't have enough power to start off the stuck fermentation of the merlot and the sugar gave it a great jump start. The airlock is still bubbling away, although at a slower pace than last night.

 

[Wade E]

The volcano was due to the C02 trapped in suspension from the last fermentation and then adding the sugar gave it a surface for the C02 to disperse. Im betting you just poured the sugar in without dissolving it first huh?

 

[Virgin Vintner]

No, I mixed it with warm water, it was not completely disolved, but definately very watery. there were still some granuals stuck to the measuring cup when I poured it in. Whether I mixed it with water or not, the reactions still should have been the same, although I should have poured in a little at a time - the reaction to the sugar was delayed for about 10-15 seconds.