Watermelon wine help

[gushatman]

I purchased a wine making kit, and started a batch of wine per the directions in the recipe book. After going through all the steps according to plan, today was the day I should be bottling this batch. The problem comes is that when I opened the carboy, it smells like yeast in a BIG way, with 0% alcohol (based on the hydrometer). Can I rectify this batch somehow, or would it be best to start it over?

 

[jamesngalveston]

what wine making kit...
did you add sugar
are you sure you have a hydrometer, if so..its broken
becuase even with no sugar and in plain water it will read 1.000

 

[jamesngalveston]

sorry...i didnt see brix at o

 

[Arne]

We need a little more information. Like what was your starting specific gravity or brix. If you have a triple scale hydrometer, it will give you specific gravity(s.g.) brix, and potential alcohol. Look around the hydrometer where your starting brix was, and that should show you how much alcohol is in the wine at this time, since you fermented to zero. The wine is yeasty, you have to wait til the wine clears some and the yeast smell and taste will go away. When it is fermented out, you need to get the co2 out of the wine, then it should clear either with time or finings. If you taste the wine it will be pretty dry. You mite need to add a little bit of sugar to it to help bring the flavor out. Anyway, right now you are down to one of the hard things for new winemakers, have patience. I'll have to say, you are fortunate if your watermelon is coming out good. An awful lot of us have had problems with it. Good luck with it, Arne.

 

[wineon4]

Is the SG reading at dry or by no alcohol do you mean it is still at the starting SG, maybe the ferment did not happen. As Arne said we need more. What where your readings as you went through the steps. I find it hard to believe that a wine even with just the sugar content of the juice would ferment to no alcohol. Most kits do not require the addition of sugar, they usually have a SG to make the desired wine. Yeah Arne I won't make watermelon I think it tastes ##^%^

 

[Arne]

[ Yeah Arne I won't make watermelon I think it tastes ##^%^[/QUOTE]

I know it is hard to believe, but I didn't even taste mine. It smelled so bad I couldn't begin to bring any of it to my lips. Arne.

 

[SouthernChemist]

By 'wine making kit' do you mean 'wine making equipment kit'? I have heard Watermelon wine can be pretty difficult.