Wine making newbie question

nucmed24 · 10-08-2007, 10:59 PM

I'm a first time wine maker... and decided to try the "easy" one. The Welch's Concord grape concentrate wine. I used the recipe found on this forum, and followed the recipe precisely. My question is this.... I waited the 5 days and have now air-locked the wine (yesterday). Should I see any blurping in the air-lock?? 'Cause I'm not! =) I do have about 1/4 an inch of foam at the top of the wine... but just wondering if all is well.

**Yooper** · 10-08-2007, 11:31 PM

Sounds ok to me! Do you have a lot of headspace, or is the wine near the top of the jug? Once it slows down, you can top it up to just a couple of inches from the top (but not while it's still foaming!)

Check the level of water in the airlock just to make sure you have enough in it, and make sure the bung is tight on the top. Maybe air is otherwise escaping.

nucmed24 · 10-09-2007, 03:12 AM

Its in a one gallon jug, and I have about 5 inches of head space. I have plenty of of liquid (I used Vodka instead of water) in the air-lock and it seems tight. Maybe I'm expecting more action like I get when I brew beer. This is just my first batch of wine and I'm uncertain of what to expect. Will I see any action from this at all?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

**Yooper** · 10-09-2007, 12:35 PM

You can top up with water to decrease the head space. It sounds fine! You shouldn't see any action if it's done. You can check the sg to be sure. It should be around .992-.996.

nucmed24 · 10-09-2007, 02:40 PM

I will top it off today. Thanks a bunch for the advice. I'm off to the Brew Store for supplies for my next venture.... Root Beer!!

yaeyama · 10-09-2007, 02:58 PM

What kind of yeast are you using? I used EC-1118 which literally caused a typhoon in a carboy. But, my 2nd batch was Cote des Blancs, and there was only a slight bubbling going on. Almost unnoticeable. But when I racked last night, the smell was heavenly wine, so it is definitely fermenting.

nucmed24 · 10-09-2007, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yaeyama

What kind of yeast are you using? I used EC-1118 which literally caused a typhoon in a carboy. But, my 2nd batch was Cote des Blancs, and there was only a slight bubbling going on. Almost unnoticeable. But when I racked last night, the smell was heavenly wine, so it is definitely fermenting.

Yeah that's the yeast I'm using. I just topped it off, and definately getting a wine smell so I think I'm ok, but I didn't check the SG. But I have nooooo typhoon going on. Just a small amount of foam at the top.