What R you doing today?

[bigabyte]

Oh, I should mention the starting SG on that Zin which I decided to rack. It started at 1.15. That's my wife's request (honest). She picked out the can of concentrate, she really wanted a pink Zin. As I started making it, she asked me to make it real strong. I asked how strong, she said as storng as I can make it. I told her I could probably get 17 to 18%. I was shooting for a starting SG of 1.13 and using 1116 yeast, but I calculated something wrong and wound up at 1.15. So this stuff is currently at 9.4% ABV when it got stuck.

Also, while it seemed like a great idea last night (around 1am or so) to rack it and clear it and drink soon as a sweet wine, now that I finally got some sleep I'm thinking, wow, that is gonna be some sweet stuff. I mean...dang, that is like a full on sweet grape juice with 9% alcohol in it. Gonna be interesting to say the least.

 

[Tom]

Well you have a potiential of 20+% .. 1116 will die before 18% so you will wind up with a sweet wine.
In the future you can use WineCalc to figure amt of sugar needed to make any%.
http://www.sweeting.org/jack/winecalc.php

 

[Wade E]

So are you leaving it as is? Cause racking it onto another yeast slurry might get t going, otherwise you can fortify it using brandy or Grain alc. and have a somewhat Port. When all the girls leave from my daughters huge birthday sleep over party Im going to go down in the cellar and most likely bottle up last years Blackberry which has been sitting on a small amount of oak for about a month. I may also bottle some of last years grapes wines like the Cab/Merlot and the Sang/Zin to start making room for this years harvest. I have enough reds in stock so going to do primarily whites this year.

 

[bigabyte]

Well, I added a Campden tablet, and a tablespoon of Bentonite to speed the clearing to get to it faster. So to be honest, I really don't know if I can start this sucker up now or not with the Bentonite and all. Any advice? I suppose at this strength, I might even be able to start it up in a primary container, but not sure if I would risk oxidation troubles doing that. Doing it in the secondary at this level of sweetness makes me worry about it foaming over the airlock. Here is how this batch progressed to date.

5/17 - Reconsitituted concentrate and added sugar to 1.15 SG, added nutrient, acid blend, etc as instructed on the can.

5/18 - Added Pectic Enzyme and K1V-1116 starter.

5/23 - Transferred to secondary with airlock...I see no record of me recording SG at that time though, although I'm surprised I did not, maybe I just didn't write it down.

Last night no positive pressure and racked with 1 campden tablet and a tbsp of Bentonite. This is a 1-gallon batch. The can would have made a 2.5 gallon batch, and I just halved it to make two 1 gallon batches with extra concentrate than would otherwise be used per instructions on the can.

 

[bigabyte]

After looking up info on making port...I am really thinking I have accidentally wound up with a great candidate for turning into port. Thanks for the idea. Now I just need to get some grain alcohol...seems I don't have any...don't really drink it ya know!

 

[Wade E]

Youd probablybe better off at this point fortifying it. What is the sg now?

 

[Mud]

Picked raspberries today and found a bunch of new plants. Have also located 4 wild blueberry bushes. Each is only about 1' tall and has a handful of berries. Missus Mud wants to domesticate them. I say we appreciate them from afar so I don't have to water them.

 

[Wade E]

Thats funny Mud, Id grab it myself as Blueberries are expensive and then just make something like a flowering bush disappear! If you cant get anything from it then it must be replaced with something you can! Thats my modo!

 

[bigabyte]

Youd probablybe better off at this point fortifying it. What is the sg now?

1.09, maybe from the bentonite?

 

[Wade E]

Good lord, if you havent added sorbate then Id probably dilute that and try and ferment it using a slurry method as thats very very sweet!

 

[bigabyte]

I haven't added any sorbate, just Campden and Bentonite. Should I start up another starter now and pitch, or should I wait for the bentonite to settle before starting fermentation back up?

 

[Wade E]

Bentonite is fine and actually many people add it in the primary to help drop out more solids and also to make sure they dont get a protein haze. If you are going to use a starter on this dont just get it going and then dump the starter in as it most likely wont stand a chance. Instead make the starter and then at least triple it by gradually adding little by little a little of the wine to get the yeast acclimated to the already fermented alc. Make this a really god starter before adding anything to it or it will shock it.

 

[ffemt128]

Take the ride this afternoon Doug, you are right it is going to be a beautiful day and you know it seems to want to be nice during the week and rainy on the weekends.

My oldest son and I did just that, we left at 12:15 and headed north on Rt 19 until we got to Grove City then we jumped on I79 and headed back home. 119 miles on 2.1 gallons of fuel and an enjoyable 2 hours and 45 minutes. Rt 19 is loaded with elderberry bushes up past Zelie. I find myself noticing them everywhere now.

 

[xanxer82]

Worked today. Had a client get violent and had to run out of the unit fast and lock the door. Wouldn't have been so scary if the client wasn't an exposure risk.

 

[Leanne]

Worked today. Had a client get violent and had to run out of the unit fast and lock the door. Wouldn't have been so scary if the client wasn't an exposure risk.

Exposure to what? Goodness, how awful for you.

 

[arcticsid]

Geez Dan, that does sound pretty freaky?

 

[jtstar]

New Cuttings and Vineyard

Here are the new cutting that I rooted this spring and the vineyard I started last year worked on them all day now enjoying some wine and a steak supper

 

[arcticsid]

WOW! Jack that is looking wonderful man!! I hope the grpe Gods bless you on that one. Looking good. How long before you can harvest the grapes? Dos it take a few yers?

 

[Wade E]

Looking very nice! I like the vines with the pond right in the back. Going to hook a pump up for irrigation if need be?

 

[jeepingchick]

Here's what i made today...its chocolate mint soap...wasnt sposed to look like this, but my first try all the layers separated and when to hell in a hand basket...so i cubed it up and did an over pour with some clear...