Wine base concentrate troubles

[csypulski]

So this is my first time trying out a concentrated wine base. I got to the point where it tells me to add a campden tablet and the potassium sorbate and wait for it to clear. It suggested about 1 week for it to clear but 5 weeks later it still looks like when I first started it.

Should I continue to wait for it to clear or did I mess up somewhere?

 

[BigDaveK]

Considerable headspace.
And the color is, um, unusual for a pear-apple-peach base.
How does it smell and taste?

 

[winemaker81]

What is the SG?

Did you add a fining agent? If not, wine will not clear in 1 week.

Please post your notes, including OG, yeast used, dates, etc. That will help, greatly.

 

[ratflinger]

The instructions do not say anything about a fining agent, but it does say it should clear in a week, which I find dubious. Headspace shouldn't be an issue during fermentation or degassing - bulk aging would be a different story. Agree that color seems odd, but might be local lighting. I'd throw some Super-Kleer at it.

 

[Ericphotoart]

Is this the expiration date? 2021?

 

[FlamingoEmporium]

Something’s is definitely wrong about the color. how long did it ferment ? What was the color when you started it? How long has it been in secondary now ?

walk us through e erything you did

 

[csypulski]

It’s smells wonderfully! The taste is a little tart.

This is it when I took some out of the 5 gallon carboy

 

[winemaker81]

Trust your nose. If there was a problem, it would not smell good. Congrats!

 

[csypulski]

Trust your nose. If there was a problem, it would not smell good. Congrats

Trust your nose. If there was a problem, it would not smell good. Congrats!

is it ready for sweetening & bottling?

 

[winemaker81]

is it ready for sweetening & bottling?

Nope. I suggest not bottling before 4 months, because:

The wine looks clear, but it's not. It may continue to drop sediment for months, and you want that in the carboy, not the bottle.

Wines goes through a lot of chemical changes in the first 4 to 12 months, and you'll get a more consistent wine if you let it go through those changes as a single unit.

Patience, Grasshopper!

 

[jmcmanna]

I used some of the Vintner’s best Sauv Blanc base. It is super dark. It has been in a carboy for a couple of weeks now with no improvement in the color. This seems to be the norm for this brand.