wine not fermenting in 4 days!!!!!

[wineforever]

Before your next batch it might be helpful to read through these free winemaking manuals.
https://morewinemaking.com/content/winemanuals

I will definitely read though that Manuel. I think I got it down now but I’m always interested in knowing more.

Next year I want to get into ph and acid levels and see where that takes me.


I have one more question, how do I cold stabilize a 150l tank? If I try and put it into the fridge it might break the floor and I don’t feel like spending hundreds on a fridge. Do they have some kind of a cooling blanket to wrap the tank?

 

[stickman]

There's all sorts of chilling equipment if you want to spend the money. If it gets cold during the winter in your area, it may be an option to use an area where the heat can be lowered.

 

[wineforever]

It’s in the coldest spot right now but that’s still in my house.

Do you have a link or can you point me in the right direction for cooking a tank of this size?

I’m willing to spend money on this but I’m just afraid of getting a fridge and breaking the bottom. 150 liters weights a lot.

 

[stickman]

You would benefit by slowing down and doing some research, decide if cold stabilizing is really needed, the Morewine site can get you started https://morewinemaking.com/category/temperature-control-1.html

If you search "wine tank cooling jacket", countless other sites are willing to sell you various cooling products, jacketed vessels, clamp on jackets, coils, and chillers etc., only limited by your pocketbook. Some people don't specifically chillproof as a significant part of the tartrates will drop out during normal bulk aging in a cool 55F cellar, while others, if deemed needed, would put the wine into smaller vessels and use a refrigerator or a chest freezer with external temperature controller.

 

[wineforever]

Thank you very much for this. The only reason I would like to chill my wine is because at the end of it I have yeast crystals at the bottom of the bottle and with cold stabilization that would get rid of it.

I filter it and store it in my unfinished basement but it can never get that cold down there 55f. I’m thinking about building a wine cellar but we’ll see.

I hate the crystals that form after a while when the wine cools down

 

[wineforever]

How does everyone in here get rid of the crystals that show up in their wine after storage?

And where does everyone get their bottles from? I’m looking for a 1l clear bottle. Anything bigger then 750ml pretty much.

I plan on making a lot of wine and aging it for a few years.

 

[wineforever]

Nobody has any advice on how to get rid of the crystals or where to buy cheap bottles?

 

[Johnd]

Nobody has any advice on how to get rid of the crystals or where to buy cheap bottles?

As far as bottles, there are numerous resources on line, I buy mine from my local LHBS, which is more cost effective due to shipping.

At room temps, your wine is tartrate stable, but at lower temperatures, the solubility of the wine decreases, causing the precipitation known as wine diamonds. To prevent wine diamonds, bulk age your wine in carboys for a couple months at a temperature that is the same as, or lower than you will store it once bottled. This will allow the diamonds to form in the carboy prior to bottling, this process is called cold stabilizing or cold crashing. Some folks like to do it quick and will put their wine in an adapted refrigerator for a few weeks at 34 F, others simply set their wines in a cold garage during the winter, just don't let it freeze.

My wines sit in barrels in my 55F wine room for a year or two before bottling, and there are typically wine diamonds in the barrels when the wine is racked out. Once bottled and stored back in the wine room at 55F, no additional precipitation occurs.

There's also an additive that you can mix into your wine to prevent wine diamonds, called metatartaric acid. I've not ever used this product, but it is available.

 

[cmason1957]

Nobody has any advice on how to get rid of the crystals or where to buy cheap bottles?

John gave you the best advice on the wine diamonds. Cold drops them out. As for the cheap bottles, one you are out of the normal size of bottles 375 and 750 ml, you are going to have a really hard time finding them at a reasonable price. There's a reason I only use bottles I pick up at wineries empty. They are free and I have found ones where there is very little work in removing the labels.

 

[wineforever]

Ya I’m going to leave the wine In my ss tank for a few months on the floor and see what that does. The floor will be colder then the rack.

I have a way to get really cheap 750ml bottle but that will take up a lot of room so I’m trying to decide if I should but 1l or just stick to my cheap 750

 

[wineforever]

Might be a stupid question but I’ve noticed all my plants having a lot more mold around the dirt while both of my tanks were in primary fermentation.

I’ve read that mold gives off carbon dioxide and I know wine fermenting does also. Do you guys know if fermenting wine makes the dirt in plants mold more? Or helps mold form around damp areas.

 

[wineforever]

What oh tester do you guys use and which one would you recommend? They have nice ones on amazon for $20 so I’m thinking about buying one. I think I can also check the acid levels of the wine with the ph tester.

 

[bstnh1]

What oh tester do you guys use and which one would you recommend? They have nice ones on amazon for $20 so I’m thinking about buying one. I think I can also check the acid levels of the wine with the ph tester.

OH?

 

[Chuck E]

OH?

I think he means pH...

I use a Milwaukee 102

 

[wineforever]

Do you figure out the acid levels with that one also? Or should I buy a separate acid reader?

 

[Chuck E]

Do you figure out the acid levels with that one also? Or should I buy a separate acid reader?

You can figure out the acid level by titrating and using the pH meter to determine when the NaOH has reduced the acid to zero.

 

[wineforever]

i just bought some ph strips and im waiting for them to come in, it might take 1-2 weeks. im going to rack my wine for the second time and this time i would like to store it in the garage and let it cold stabilize for 2 weeks. ive never cold stabilized before and was wondering am i running any kind of risk by doing this? the wine goes in the fridge after its bottled so i guess no matter what its going to get cold stabilized but i just want to make sure im not hurting it. im only doing this to get rid of the crystals that form from putting it in the fridge. i plan to keep it in thee for 2 week and then filter and bottle.

 

[Chuck E]

i just bought some ph strips and im waiting for them to come in, it might take 1-2 weeks. im going to rack my wine for the second time and this time i would like to store it in the garage and let it cold stabilize for 2 weeks. ive never cold stabilized before and was wondering am i running any kind of risk by doing this? the wine goes in the fridge after its bottled so i guess no matter what its going to get cold stabilized but i just want to make sure im not hurting it. im only doing this to get rid of the crystals that form from putting it in the fridge. i plan to keep it in thee for 2 week and then filter and bottle.

Did you take a final SG reading? What type of tank are you racking into? At this point, you need to keep oxygen away from your wine (this is important). Most of us use glass carboys to fill to the top. Letting the wine settle will clear it, and if cold enough it will precipitate the "diamonds."

 

[wineforever]

I have two 150l stainless steel tanks. I’m going to pour the wine into a plastic food grade container and back into the ss tank which will be in the garage after cleaning it. I’ll do the same with both wines, I haven’t checked the final sg rating but I can check that tomorrow. What should I be looking for? I usually only check the sg right in the beginning to know when to rack it.

 

[Chuck E]

I have two 150l stainless steel tanks. I’m going to pour the wine into a plastic food grade container and back into the ss tank which will be in the garage after cleaning it. I’ll do the same with both wines, I haven’t checked the final sg rating but I can check that tomorrow. What should I be looking for? I usually only check the sg right in the beginning to know when to rack it.

I saw the pictures of your tanks. If you don't have a lid or some way to seal the tops of the tanks, you're going to have problems with oxidation. You need to eliminate the surface contact with air. You should be siphoning the wine out of the tanks to leave behind the sediment. The final SG should be less than 1.0