What are you making and what have you made ???

[Johnd]

Ok so I woke up this morning to a bit of fermentation started in my DB. Took my sg and I'm down from 1.095 to 1.085 and my temp is still 72. I will still pick up a ph kick and test tonight but I feel better. My cherry however still has not started but I will have faith.

Glad to hear that it's going!! EC1118 is quite prolific, and unless it's old and dead or you have really low temps or pH, it's very likely to ferment. Sometimes, yeasts just take a little time to produce a sufficient colony to start to metabolize sugar. It's always good to know your pH, so when you get a slow start, you know that your variables (pH, Brix/SG, Temps) are in line, and can wait a little while with confidence.

 

[sgx2]

Ok, need some help here. I am trying to make a batch of Dragon Blood, following the recipe EXACTLY (except I only used 1 bottle of Real Lemon). I am using EC-1118 yeast (never failed me yet) and I'm on my second day of NO fermentation. I have always followed the instructions on the yeast to the letter and like I said I've never had a failure until now. The must is a consistent 72 degrees, the yeast is new from the store (picked it up Friday) and was going like nicely before I added it to my must. Then, nothing. Color is perfect, smell is awesome, SG is 1.095. Help

Dragon Blood = so good. You'll be happy you did this one

Glad to hear it may be on it's way to goodness. As others have said, the acid level in this will be a factor, so if it stalls out here's my suggestion -- make an acclimated yeast starter:

1. 
   Grab (another) pouch of EC-1118 (I agree, super reliable)
2. Sanitize and rinse (and rinse again) a large glass container, like a 4-cup measuring cup or a glass bowl and fill it 1/3 with warm water, then sprinkle in 1 tsp of yeast nutrient and 1 tsp of yeast energizer and stir until dissolved; add three or four tsps sugar and stir until dissolved
3. Add the yeast and stir gently for a few seconds, then let stand for 15 minutes -- this will rehydrate the yeast, and hopefully get it ready for the next step; you'll probably notice that it expands and it may already be foaming a bit, if it's not foaming you may want to wait until it does (if it doesn't, add a bit more sugar)
4. Now, put a half-cup of your must into the glass container and stir; wait 30 minutes and see if it affects the yeast action -- it shouldn't, but if it does there is definitely something "up" with your must, and you should double check your acid and pH readings
5. Put another half-cup of your must into the glass container and stir; wait another 30 minutes and check the yeast -- you want healthy looking and smelling yeast reproduction here (and a bit of fermentation)
6. Repeat this process two to three more times, as this should acclimate your yeast population to your high-acid must
7. When you've got your active, healthy yeast going strong, pour this into your DB must and ignore it for a day
8. Marvel at your fermenting miracle

If your cherry has not started by now, you may want to try this process with it as well.

Funny note: I just did this with a wine I was making from IKEA's elderflower syrup that wasn't taking off. I had to do it twice! Interestingly, I initially added a fresh-from-the-box EC-1118 yeast pouch, and I used another fresh EC-1118 yeast pouch in my first starter addition (it was looking good when I added it, but nothing came of it), but when I made my second starter batch I accidentally used an expired pouch of 1118 (why did I even have it kicking around?), which I only noticed when I cleaned up the next day after adding the starter to the batch -- but that was the one that worked!

 

[sg1strgt]

Agreed. Never had a problem with that yeast ever in all the time that I've been making wine. I'm always around 72° and if I'm low I wrap it with the belt to raise the temp. On another note the cherry batch that I making I used the Vintnor wine base and instead of adding 5 gallons of water I only added 4 because I want a stronger tasting wine . I plan on fortifying that with Brandy to make a port . I asked the guy at the store when I bought my pH kit today about that and his comment was because I used only 4 gallons and not 5 my acidity was too high for the yeast to start . My question to all of you is is this correct is my acidity too high ? I can lower it and see if that picks up if that's the case

 

[sg1strgt]

I get home around 11pm from work and we will see if anything has happened with my cherry then. If not sgx2 I will take your advise and try your suggestion. I should have just done fresh/frozen cherries instead but thought this would be quicker. The smell and the taste of this Vintnor Cherry wine base is amazing. I REALLY want/need this to work.

 

[Johnd]

Agreed. Never had a problem with that yeast ever in all the time that I've been making wine. I'm always around 72° and if I'm low I wrap it with the belt to raise the temp. On another note the cherry batch that I making I used the Vintnor wine base and instead of adding 5 gallons of water I only added 4 because I want a stronger tasting wine . I plan on fortifying that with Brandy to make a port . I asked the guy at the store when I bought my pH kit today about that and his comment was because I used only 4 gallons and not 5 my acidity was too high for the yeast to start . My question to all of you is is this correct is my acidity too high ? I can lower it and see if that picks up if that's the case

Is it possible? Yes. Your pH meter will tell you whether or not that is the case, no one can tell if it's too low until you know what it is. Check it when you get home, and we'll go from there.....

 

[sg1strgt]

Johnd, you've been around a while and I'm sure have made some interesting batches of wine in your time so I have a question for you. Once I figure out what's happening with my cherry batch (4 gallons) and get it going, I would like to split some off (possibly 2 gallons) to make a port wine. Any suggestions what I do to it (like adding vanilla or oak, etc besides fortifying it with Brandy) to give it a bit of uniqueness? I plan on aging this but not sure how long. I want the final product to leave me speechless and drop me to my knees (lol). Any suggestions, thoughts?

 

[Johnd]

Johnd, you've been around a while and I'm sure have made some interesting batches of wine in your time so I have a question for you. Once I figure out what's happening with my cherry batch (4 gallons) and get it going, I would like to split some off (possibly 2 gallons) to make a port wine. Any suggestions what I do to it (like adding vanilla or oak, etc besides fortifying it with Brandy) to give it a bit of uniqueness? I plan on aging this but not sure how long. I want the final product to leave me speechless and drop me to my knees (lol). Any suggestions, thoughts?

Other than a few departures from the norm (DB, satsuma, and blackberry), I've really not done much "other than grape" wines, and not a cherry. All of the port style wines I've done have been from kits. if I had some experience to share, I'd be happy to, but I just don't. Lots of our members do port style kits, and hopefully a few of them will jump in here to help guide you.

 

[sg1strgt]

My first attempt at a port style wine came from a recipe on Jack Kellers site (http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/request193.asp) which I tripled to make 3 gallons and got about 12% abv. Which by the way was awesome. I took 1 gallon from that and found this online, (http://winemakersacademy.com/blending-wine-pearsons-square/). A Pearson Square to blend wines and if you look at it, I just substituted Wine B for Paul Masson Brandy (40% abv). I have about a gallon aging for 4 months now. I'm holding out for the 1 year mark and then we shall see. But in the meantime. I'm experimenting lol. I was thinking maybe some vanilla bean or an oak with the cherry.

 

[sg1strgt]

Ok so get this. I picked up my PH test kit yesterday before work, worry about my wine all day, get home, lift the covers and WOW! massive activity, going like gangbusters!. My original SG for the DB was 1.095 and last night it was at 1.06, my Cherry wine base from Vintnors original SG was 1.085 and also is at 1.06. I did test my PH just for the heck of it on the cherry and it was 3.4. I feel like I'm looking at a shark tank with all the froth! So relieved!

 

[sg1strgt]

I've decided I'm gonna split my cherry batch and make 2 gallons wine and 2 gallons port> Sock it away for maybe 6 months (for Christmas ???) with 2 vanilla beans in the carboy.

 

[sg1strgt]

Update... DB finished at .995. Cleared with Super Kleer (my fav) and bottled this past Friday. Had some friends over this weekend and have only 12 bottles left out of 5 gallons! HUGE hit! Will be starting another back this coming weekend. Cherry is clearing now should be ready this weekend also.

 

[skyfire322]

Just ordered a Cab Sauv/Malbec/Carmenere kit. Should be here in the next few days! I'm super excited.

This'll be my first venture in home winemaking, so it's going to be a terrifying yet super fun experiment.

 

[sg1strgt]

Just ordered a Cab Sauv/Malbec/Carmenere kit. Should be here in the next few days! I'm super excited.

This'll be my first venture in home winemaking, so it's going to be a terrifying yet super fun experiment.

Winemaking takes patience. But I can tell you you will not be sorry you started. Not only do you learn and create as you go, but the sense of accomplishment (I MADE THIS) is awesome. I have learned so much from just reading the different posts, picking up tips from everyone, every batch I make gets better and better and my confidence level increased with each batch as well. I love making, drinking, and sharing my wine with friends and family .

Oh and make sure you write every step you make down. This way you have a record of everything you've done day by day and if something goes wrong you can post it here on the site and get feedback and if something went right and it turned out to be awesome you got a record of what you're done she can do it over and over again

 

[skyfire322]

Winemaking takes patience. But I can tell you you will not be sorry you started. Not only do you learn and create as you go, but the sense of accomplishment (I MADE THIS) is awesome. I have learned so much from just reading the different posts, picking up tips from everyone, every batch I make gets better and better and my confidence level increased with each batch as well. I love making, drinking, and sharing my wine with friends and family .

Oh and make sure you write every step you make down. This way you have a record of everything you've done day by day and if something goes wrong you can post it here on the site and get feedback and if something went right and it turned out to be awesome you got a record of what you're done she can do it over and over again

Thank you for the kind words! Having a chemistry background, one of my favorite things is learning and experimenting! And of course, sharing something I'm proud of with family and friends makes all the difference.

As for the note taking, I've already purchased two notebooks. One for reds and one for whites! Everyone here has wonderful input, which definitely helps calm down any nerves I have.

 

[sg1strgt]

Besides the thrill of experimenting and tasting the fruits (pun intended) of our labor. I'm having fun!

 

[Smok1]

In primary:
-Winexpert LE16 Blanc de Noir
-Winexpert LE16 Cabernet Franc
-Rjs green apple delight mist wine

In the carboys:
- RJS Winemakers Trio red
-RJS pinot grigio
-RJS merlot

Just bottled:
-Rjs New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc
-Blackberry Blast
-Peach Chardonnay
-Raspberry Rose

Next up:
-Rhubarb wine
-Apricot wine
-Peach wine

Rhubarb is ready and waiting for a free bucket, apricots are still a few weeks from being ripe, peaches probly be another month or so.

 

[sg1strgt]

Ooooooh the -Blackberry Blast, Peach Chardonnay, and Raspberry Rose sound wonderful. Kits? Where from if you don't mind my asking? Have you tested/tasted them yet? Any good? I know they're still young but I'm curious. I might have to give them a try.

 

[Smok1]

There the RJS summer mist kits, they will have them at any wine kit store but i found them cheapest at save-on-foods, they always seem to be on sale there. There alright, i add 1.5kgs of sugar to the primary to boost the abv and i dont use all the f-packs, ussually 1/2-3/4 of the f-pack and the turn out quite nice.

 

[sg1strgt]

Awesome thanks for the info . I know I usually do the vintners wine base and add about 2 pounds of sugar to raise the ABV . I keep about a pint out in case I need to use it to back sweeten .

 

[Ron0126]

In Primary
Fontana Chardonnay (tweaked)
Fontana Cabernet Sauvignon (tweaked)

Upcoming
WinExpert Amarone (plan to age for at least 18 months)
Grand Cru Pinot Noir
Fontana Malbec (will tweak)
Fontana Sauvignon Blanc (will tweak)

In Carboys
Strawberry (hand picked)
Welch's White Grape
Apple Juice

Recently Bottled
Dragon's Blood
Apple Juice
Welch's White Grape Concentrate (drank it all)
Welch's Concord Grape (drank it all)