Wine making from juice

[cherubrock74]

Hi guys just wanted to know a few basic info to follow to get me started.
Got two buckets of juice one is Luvabella e the other one Santa Clara. I believe from reading on your forum that Lunabella already includes yeast? Do you know if the other one does too?
They are in 6 gallons buckets with lids right now...room temperature.
Should I wait for them to start fermenting in the bucket and then add them to the glass carboys or can I siphon the juice directly in the glass containers now and cap them with the fermentation caps?
Does the room needs to be a certain temperature?
On Luvabella bucket it says 76 degrees then wait for gravity to reach 0.990 then place the juice in carboy with airlock cap at 55-60 degrees?
No instructions on Santa Clara bucket...must be the same?
As you see I just need some directions to get it started the right way please let me know your suggestions
thank you!

 

[Jovimaple]

Welcome to WMT!

I don't have an answer about whether yeast is included. You can always add your own yeast to be sure. Or wait a day or two to see if fermentation has started. If you measure the specific gravity every day, you should be able to see if fermentation has started by the sg numbers dropping, even if there isn't much bubbling (some yeasts don't produce a lot of visible activity).

For your second question, while you CAN siphon directly to a carboy and use that as your primary fermenter, yeast need oxygen at the beginning of the process to build up the colony to do the work of turning the sugars into alcohol.

Many of us ferment in a food grade bucket with a towel over it. This also allows for easy access to punch down the cap or to stir a couple times each day during active fermentation. If you ferment under airlock, the fermentation process is much slower since the yeast colony will grow a lot slower due to less oxygen being present.

I typically ferment to dry (specific gravity below .995 and stable for 2 or 3 days) before I rack to a carboy and add an airlock. Others will rack anytime below 1.020 or 1.010 and let the fermentation complete in the carboy.

If you don't already have a hydrometer and a testing jar to measure the specific gravity, I highly recommend ordering 2 of each right now. The second is for when you inevitably break the first one at an inconvenient time. (Yes, that's personal experience. )

 

[NorCal]

I would be surprised if yeast was added, as so much CO2 is produced, it could make one big mess if not properly controlled. I ferment my reds open and ambient air, I try to slow things down on the whites and ferment as cold as I can and still have the yeast function. I’ll also ferment whites under airlock, but stir daily to make sure it has the oxygen it needs in the beginning stages.

 

[sour_grapes]

Welcome!

 

[cherubrock74]

Thank you for all your replies
The Santa Clara bucket almost exploded this evening glad I saw it the lid was bubbled up for the pressure building I guess the vent hole on top of the lid clogged up or something...anyway I opened the lid that was still sealed and relieved the pressure build up...I guess at Santa Clara they do add yeast...
So for what I understand I can open the lids and cover the buckets with a towel and let them ferment like that...then measure the gravity and when stable (0.990 or 0.995) siphon in the carboys
Is this correct?
I do have an hydrometer

 

[Jovimaple]

So for what I understand I can open the lids and cover the buckets with a towel and let them ferment like that...then measure the gravity and when stable (0.990 or 0.995) siphon in the carboys
Is this correct?
I do have an hydrometer

Yes, that is correct.

 

[cherubrock74]

Sorry for what may sound like noob questions
In the meantime can the bucket lid remain crack open as I left it to prevent it from exploding?
Or should I remove both the lids (one bucket is still sealed but the valve seem to be working fine as it is not building up pressure) and place cloths on top of them?

 

[hawkwing]

This fall I helped the local wine store who imports these Regina juice buckets. He brought in 700 buckets and some barrels of concentrate. We had to load into customers cars and wipe the lids as they leaked especially as they warmed up. The wasps were attracted. I got a free pail for helping. I picked Nebbiolo.

They must have natural yeast. He was telling everyone to put it somewhere warm as in room temperature take out the plug and put a glass upside down over the vent hole to keep the flies out for the first week. Then put the plug in for a month. He used to have people bring the lid in to get punched for a bung and airlock but he stopped doing that.

I heard one guy say the wasps must’ve contaminated a previous years batch and he got vinegar. Who knows. I chose to add k-meta and add Avante yeast.

 

[winemaker81]

Sorry for what may sound like noob questions

You're a beginner, right? You're supposed to ask beginner questions!

Seriously, don't be afraid to ask questions. This group is beginner friendly.

I suggest you skim the MoreWine! manuals for red and white wines (link is in my sig). Don't try to read them intently, as you'll be buried in detail. Skim the white manual, then skim it again to get a handle on the flow. Ask questions about things that don't make sense to you.

Most of us put a towel over the fermenter -- it keep stuff out while letting air flow.

I heard one guy say the wasps must’ve contaminated a previous years batch and he got vinegar.

It was probably fruit flies.

 

[cherubrock74]

Updates: please see pics for gravity readings...the Santa Clara that almost exploded continued to ferment and shows 4 lines below 0.990 while the other bucket that was still sealed shows 42 on the scale...I think cause it never really started the fermentation yet...now I opened the lid and it should start....
Is the first bucket ready to be siphoned into the carboy?

Santa Clara



Luvabella

 

[Jim Welch]

I’d get the one at an apparent 0.994 SG into an air locked Carboy now.
Personally, I like to xfer to an air locked vessel once my must gets below 1.010 and let it finish there but that is mostly because of my work.
Btw, have you calibrated your hydrometer in distilled water? Many are off by a small amount and once you know you can account for any discrepancy.

 

[Ajmassa]

Updates: please see pics for gravity readings...the Santa Clara that almost exploded continued to ferment and shows 4 lines below 0.990 while the other bucket that was still sealed shows 42 on the scale...I think cause it never really started the fermentation yet...now I opened the lid and it should start....
Is the first bucket ready to be siphoned into the carboy?

Santa Clara

View attachment 94019

Luvabella

View attachment 94020

First off- love the username

Ok the bucket showing “42”—oh it definitely started. These juice pails starting SG is usually around 1.090. So you are about halfway through.
(also the first two digits are assumed. hydrometers aren’t the easiest tool to learn to read correctly lol. That reading is actually 1.042)
You can stir it up, cover with loose lid or towel, and check SG daily to make sure everything’s gradually dropping as it should.

the other ones at 0.098 ish- I agree with @Jim Welch to get that one into a carboy. might be a few ticks left to drop but that’s essentially dry at this point.

 

[Jim Welch]

After looking at the second pic again I agree with @Ajmassa that one in the first pic is at or about 0.998, was thinking of my low range hydrometer with a resolution of 0.001 when I interpreted the reading.

 

[cherubrock74]

Never used the hydrometer before but your replies gives it more sense lol...I also have to watch the video you suggested...
thank you for all your help I will surely update you about the progress
@Ajmassa rock on!