Why pectinase? Why sulfite? Proportions?

[Wade E]

Geeeze. I get busy with work and then very sick and finally log onto just to see this!!! Cmon everyone, lets play nicely here!!!!! It does blow when people come here with questions without doing much if any research at all but if you dont have anything nice to say dont say anything at all from now on please. I can say from being on this forum and running it that most people here came here with tons of questions also. Hamsterflu, I apologize for some of the replies here and this is not how we run here but there are some replies here that are just people asking for more info on your post cause believe it or notwe do need more info to do diagnostice some times. Its kind of like bringing your cr to the mechanic and saying its making a noise and asking if we can fix it right now but the noise isnt present at the moment for the mechanic to hear. There is a lot of posts here so Im going back to the beginning to read it all and will do my best to answer your questions. Please do some research also also though cause from a few very quick things Ive read some of them really arent the best methods for winemaking and this is what some people are trying to relay to you.

 

[Leanne]

Thank you. I'd hate to see this site change.

 

[Wade E]

Okay Hamster flu, I have read over what has been written here and will try to answer what I can but please do try and keep it on one thread from now on cause starting many threads with the same questions makes it very hard to answer your questions and quite honestly just makes a mess of this site but all is good as ill clean up and merge it all a little later today when I hopefully feel a little better. Pectinase is used to hel extract color and flavor from the fruit or herbs that you use in wine making by breaking down the cellular structure of these ingredients and is added 12 hours after initially adding your sulfites used at the very beginning to ward off any wild yeasts so that the wine making yeast of your choice can take hold and produce the alc. metabisulfite is a good sanitizer for use in wine making but has to used in the amounts recommended. Adding too much of this can get you sick just as using too much bleach can or just about any sanitizer, remember that sanitizer is made to either kill off of keep in check many harmful things and some of these things are actually active helpful things inside your body! Using too much pectinase isnt anything to worry about as it settles out but possibly if you really ignored the dosage and dumped in 100x what should have been in there might give your wine an off taste.
Sulfite additions are as follows:
3 tablespoons per 1 gallon for is the recommended dosage for sanitizing
1/4 teaspoon per 6 gallons is the recommended dosage for adding to your wine at the very beginning to ward off wild yeasts and after fermentation to protect your wine from oxidation and to keep harmful microbes in check.
When starting a new batch of wine depending on the yeast used, the ingredients in your wine such as nutrients and yeast energizer, temps, and the procedure you use to get your yeast started can greatly influence in how fast your yeast can take off bu you have to be more patient as sometimes it can take up to 72 hours for signs of fermentation. The first sign is usually sound which sounds just like a soda pop fizzing.

 

[xanxer82]

I think a lot of the folks here thought the op was a spammer with all of the vaugery. Perhaps an introduction thread would have broken the ice. The people here are really great, just a little wary when a half dozen new threads emerge with vauge questions and little to no introduction on the new users part.

 

[Leanne]

It doesn't matter if they format badly. They are newbies and are asking for help aren't they? Isn't that why we are here?

 

[Runningwolf]

It doesn't matter if they format badly. They are newbies and are asking for help aren't they? Isn't that why we are here?

Leanne, I am guilty as charged. You are absolutely right about this forum being the best and friendliest. Most spammers and fakes are usually gone by now. We'll see where this goes and hopefully the hamster is on the up and up and we can steer him right. I am still skeptical but hope I am wrong. I asked silly questions and will continue to so. I also enjoy drinking what I make but not nearly as much as I enjoy it when my friends enjoy what I make and I can send a bottle home with them. No more bashing from me unless if their name is Wade, Tom or Troy...LOL

 

[Wade E]

Good, now everyone make some damn wine!

 

[St Allie]

Good grief guys..

I haven't even unpacked my suitcase yet.. Rushed in to catch up with you all and find this happening.

New people are not always forum savvy.. he'll get the hang of it eventually

Welcome to our forum Hamsterflu, as a general rule we are much nicer than some of the comments on this thread would suggest.

Allie

 

[Hamsterflu]

I already started a new thread last night about what I started a few days ago, with ingredients and all that. Somehow I think that is going to make people mad but I don't know why it would. Just that everything I say or do here seems to make someone want to kill me.
The last wine I made was toxic for whatever reason. Its not in my carboy any more.
I am fermenting something new.
Its all in that thread.

 

[Wade E]

Bset thing to do is start a new thread for every wine you start so that it makes it easier for us to help you along with it so you did just what we wanted to. The othetr day the other posts just confused us a little as they were all about the same thing and Im going to clean them upm right now.

 

[Luc]

Just that everything I say or do here seems to make someone want to kill me.

The reason for that is the one sentence in your post:

I started a new batch a few days ago. Here are the ingredients as I remember them. It was from a recipe the lady at the winemaking shop gave me, so its written down, I just don't have it with me right now. I might edit it tomorrow if I find out I did something differently.

If you are even not willing to accurately write things down how on earth do you suppose people are going to help you.

Luc

 

[rawlus]

the best way to get a good start in home winemaking is to have a sound understanding of the basic fundamentals prior to starting. reading, researching, the books and blogs available here and elsewhere gives you enough basic knowledge to know the right questions to ask to fine tune your technique.