Need some help....New WineMaker!!

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

tc08096

Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2010
Messages
8
Reaction score
0
Location
NJ
Hi Everyone....This is my first post, lets see what kind of help I can get. I am brand new to winemaking, I just bought a wine kit so on and so forth...I am making a Cabernet from concentrate....The place where I bought it told me to add 5.5 lbs. of sugar, I did that and some. My hydrometer reading on the first night was 1.007 with an alcohol content of 9%, my understanding is that it should be higher, 24 hours later, right now, my wine is fermenting well with a bunch of foam on the top and air bubbles are starting to escape from my water lock and my reading is 1.006 starting to lower which means my process has begun....My question is, should I add more sugar to raise my levels to where most books say 11-12% alcohol or should I trust what the guy said and go with it...I dont want just Grape Juice.....Please advise ASAP! Thanks!
 
At 1.007, I'm certain your reading was wrong. It's fermenting now, so I'd suggest waiting a bit.

The hydrometers you get usually go from .990 to 1.120 or so. Maybe the reading was really 1.070? Or 1.107? The decimal points are tricky, but you'll get better with practice! (I'm nearly certain that your OG was 1.070). The potential alcohol scale (the 9% you mentioned) really isn't all that useful, but can give you an idea of the potential alcohol that you may have. I like to glance at it to ensure enough alcohol to preserve the wine, but that's about all it's good for. Use the SG scale that gave you the 1.070 reading.

Wait about 5 days, and you should be in the 1.010 to 1.020 range. That's a good time to rack to secondary.
 
Thanks for the help...It is fermenting but I just dont want it to be Grape Juice when all is said and done...My hydrometer reads from .990 to 1.170 so I guess my reading is at 1.060 and I am just a little concerned that the level is low...If you think I am OK than I will leave it alone for 5 days and give another test...Can I add more sugar at that point or is it too late??
 
Thanks for the help...It is fermenting but I just dont want it to be Grape Juice when all is said and done...My hydrometer reads from .990 to 1.170 so I guess my reading is at 1.060 and I am just a little concerned that the level is low...If you think I am OK than I will leave it alone for 5 days and give another test...Can I add more sugar at that point or is it too late??

Well, you can do whatever you'd like- it's your wine. But keep in mind that you want a drinkable product that won't take years to mellow. If you boost the ABV with more sugar, you could be making rocket fuel. You'd like it to taste good, I'm sure.

What have you already added, and what is the batch size?
 
It might be a little weak, but I doubt it will taste like grape juice. Follow the instructions, because if you fiddle with it too much, you could ruin it. Since it is your first wine, I would also follow the instructions because they are written in a way that hopefully ensures the wine turns out fine, and to deviate from that could make it worse. Like jet fuel.
 
It might be my wine but I am certainly an amateur...I am making a Cabernet Savaugion (sp??) from a concentrate that I bought online. The owner of the shop I bought it from directed me to add 5.5 lbs of sugar, I probably have added 6 and I stopped there. My process is only 24 hrs old as well, I started last night. Rocket Fuel might not be good :) I am making the common 5 gallons of wine!
 
It might be my wine but I am certainly an amateur...I am making a Cabernet Savaugion (sp??) from a concentrate that I bought online. The owner of the shop I bought it from directed me to add 5.5 lbs of sugar, I probably have added 6 and I stopped there. My process is only 24 hrs old as well, I started last night. Rocket Fuel might not be good :) I am making the common 5 gallons of wine!

Do you have a link to the kit?
 
Oh, good. Thanks for the link. I've never seen that kit before, but it seems fine.

I think you're fine where you are with the sugar, but you could add up to 2 pounds more if you wanted a higher ABV wine. I'd be inclined to leave it alone, and try it in a month and see how it tastes.

You can add sugar later on, if you want to. As long as you do it before you add sorbate, you're fine.

You can also sweeten the wine later, if it's too dry. That would be at the end, before bottling.

So, at this point I think I'd let it go and finish fermenting. I think it'll be better than having a sugar-boosted rocket fuel. You want the wine to taste like wine, after all.
 
OK that sounds good. Why are the directions I am following seem to be so much easier or different than others with primary/secondary fermentation...I am done and letting my wine sit for 6 weeks and then add the sorbate and then the kleer and then I bottle...Does it make a difference that all of this is going on in my galss carboy ascompared to a pail and that my wine is water locked but some recomend leaving it open for air???
 
OK that sounds good. Why are the directions I am following seem to be so much easier or different than others with primary/secondary fermentation...I am done and letting my wine sit for 6 weeks and then add the sorbate and then the kleer and then I bottle...Does it make a difference that all of this is going on in my galss carboy ascompared to a pail and that my wine is water locked but some recomend leaving it open for air???

Those directions have you rack out of the carboy, clean it and resanitize, then rack back in, so it's not really any easier than regular kits or regular directions.

That kit is apparently designed for simplicity, and airlocking is fine. I only keep my primary covered with a towel, for about 5 days, then the wine is under airlock the rest of the time.

Other kits have other directions. I'm not sure what "wine concentrate" is exactly, but the kit is designed to work with the ingredients and techniques listed. If you want to get into more wines, each kit has specific instructions.

I have several easy wine recipes listed, if you want to make a one gallon batch of your "own" wine. The technique is pretty easy, no matter what kind of wine you're making.
 
Don't want to hijack your thread but I will anyway.

Yoop. I am on my first wine kit, about ready to rack to secondary. For the primary, my instructions never said anything about using an airlock at all. Didn't even mention covering it up even. I just naturally assumed the worst would happen if I didn't do something, so I put an airlock on it right away. You mentioned you just put a towel over it for the first few days. Is there a difference, or is that just the way you do it?

Next - degassing. When is it supposed to be done? And what would you recommend as a method to doing so? I'm using a carboy so stirring with a spoon is fairly implausible. I've seen the three pronged device that will fit in a carboy, but I want to see if I like the wine first before I start investing in more equipment.

Thanks
 
Help yourself to the thread...I dont mind! How do you know that you are ready to rack to secondary and what does the top of your wine look like at this point because I am about 3 days in, the "moldy looking stuff" that was on the top of my wine after 24 hrs is no longer there...I just have some foam/suds but my water lock is pumping away with bubbles??? I guess that means I am producing alcohol...Here are my directions jmendez29, maybe they will help you because it tells me I should not secondary rack for 6-8 weeks.... http://www.homewinery.com/concentrate.pdf thats my link for directions...
 
My instructions tell me that after about 10 days, I should be at 1.010 for SG, that's when I rack to secondary. Today is my 10 day mark and I'll be taking a gravity sample to see if that's where I'm at. As for what it looks like, it started out with some foam on top but that went away after about a day. Then it was clear on top, but I could see bubbles rising as if it were carbonated. And last night, it looked like it had a thin layer of foam/bubbles covering about 80% of the surface. The whole time, the airlock was popping away

Your instructions look a whole lot different than mine. I don't recall adding sugar, but when I made it, it was on a day that I bottled one beer, transferred two to secondary, and brewed a new beer. After all that, I decided I didn't have enough abuse and made my wine kit that was sitting there, mocking me, for the past month. I'll have to check that when I get home, my memory isn't so great from that day.

I'm sure that after I get a couple wines done, I'll understand the process a whole lot more, just like the first few times I've made beer, but for now, I have a lot of questions and am just as nervous about screwing this up as I was with my first brew.
 
I had to add the sugar because I bought just the concentrate from a wine supply store, it was much much cheaper than buying the concentrate with the grape juice...I saved about $60 and then bought $5 worth of sugar, whether it turns out or not will be a diff story....I dont really care if I screw it up, its just a matter of not knowing if you screwed it up until 6-8 weeks later!
 
Don't want to hijack your thread but I will anyway.

Yoop. I am on my first wine kit, about ready to rack to secondary. For the primary, my instructions never said anything about using an airlock at all. Didn't even mention covering it up even. I just naturally assumed the worst would happen if I didn't do something, so I put an airlock on it right away. You mentioned you just put a towel over it for the first few days. Is there a difference, or is that just the way you do it?

Next - degassing. When is it supposed to be done? And what would you recommend as a method to doing so? I'm using a carboy so stirring with a spoon is fairly implausible. I've seen the three pronged device that will fit in a carboy, but I want to see if I like the wine first before I start investing in more equipment.

Thanks

What kit are you doing? Usually, the "better" kits have very good instructions. I just cover the wine in primary, to keep fruitflies out. The fermentation produces some co2, and often with fruit wines you get a "cap" on the top that needs to be stirred down. That's not the case with wine kits, so you can just follow the kit instructions.

As far as degassing, you'll do that before the finings are added. I have a mix/stir that hooks up to my drill and it whips the gas out of the wine. If you want to do it manually, you just stir until your arm falls off. And then, do it some more! :D I did my first few kits that way, and it worked out ok. I'm enjoying the labor-saving stirrer, though, now!
 
I had to add the sugar because I bought just the concentrate from a wine supply store, it was much much cheaper than buying the concentrate with the grape juice...I saved about $60 and then bought $5 worth of sugar, whether it turns out or not will be a diff story....I dont really care if I screw it up, its just a matter of not knowing if you screwed it up until 6-8 weeks later!

Most wine kits are concentrated grape juice with skins (or without). The grape concentrate would be cheaper, so the sugar is added to boost the ABV. I'm anticipating that that wine won't be great in your case, but it should be drinkable.

With wine kits, you really do get what you pay for. There are $60 kits that are ok (notably Winexpert) that make a wine similar to a $3-$5 bottle of wine. Then there are the over $150 kits that make a wine similar to a $15-$25 of wine. A wine made out of sugar and grape concentrate would definitely be on the low end of kit quality.
 
http://www.northernbrewer.com/winem...net.html?SID=854c46276e4b27d8e96d37aa714e53ac

This is the kit that I made. I got this type because its supposed to be more like the Arbor Mist style of "wine". I'm no expert, but I know enough about wine to know that some $5 bottles taste better to me than some $40 bottles. So on that note, I was kind of hesitant to spend a significant amount of money on a wine that I may not like. So I figured this would be a good way to start out. Make a few kits, get some inventory going, then start experimenting with different stuff. Maybe learn a couple things along the way.
 
My friend makes those Island Mist kits all the time. While she hasn't made that one (that I know of), she's made the Mango citrus symphony several times, and the Kiwi Pear something. I think there was an Apple something, too.

They all came out great! They are not to my taste, but they are great for what they are. She has a pool, and many friends sit around the pool sipping these "wine coolers". I've tried all the ones she's made and I would say they are very good.

Those instructions aren't bad, so you can follow them and be assured of good results. Add the F-pack (or whatever it's called) at the end when they tell you to, and then you'll be all set.
 
OK...Here is an update on my Cabernet from a kit...My 1st wine making experience! I am just about 5 days in, there are some suds on the top of my wine in the 5 gallon carboy, my water lock is sending bubbles through about every 2-3 seconds, the room that my carboy is in is a little smelley :) I just took a hydrometer reading and its at about 1.050.....It started at 1.070. I tasted it and it had a strange taste, a little carbonated but didnt taste much like wine???? Obviously I am only 5 days in so it wont be much of wine but can anyone tell me if you think I am on my way or am I on my way to pickle juice......Tom
 
I wouldn't worry if I was you- the beginning of fermentation is quite different than the end product!:D At first it is stinky and a bit funky, but after it goes for about 3 more weeks it will be much better- more like wine but still "hot" tasting.. that is why most wines need to be aged.
I have only been making wine for about 4 months now but as a nooby I can totally understand your point of view!;) Just relax and forget it for a few weeks and you should be fine.
 
My friend makes those Island Mist kits all the time. While she hasn't made that one (that I know of), she's made the Mango citrus symphony several times, and the Kiwi Pear something. I think there was an Apple something, too.

They all came out great! They are not to my taste, but they are great for what they are. She has a pool, and many friends sit around the pool sipping these "wine coolers". I've tried all the ones she's made and I would say they are very good.

Those instructions aren't bad, so you can follow them and be assured of good results. Add the F-pack (or whatever it's called) at the end when they tell you to, and then you'll be all set.

Yeah. I know its a bit "girly" (cough cough) but at least its a fairly palateable cheap buzz. Just want to get the method down before I attempt a real wine. I'd hate to think that the wine sucks when the process is what's screwing up the flavor. Like I said, its a good start.
 
Back
Top