Baron von BeeGee
Beer Bully
Maybe I should mention that little magnetic paperweight looking gizmo they've got that they claim ages wine the equivalent of months in just a few days...Imperial Walker said:
I think I want to give wine a shot...
- Thread starter Walker
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
OP
OP
Baron von BeeGee said:
The instructions are actually pretty good, to be honest. I was pleased about that. I only had two complaints:
(1) they tell you when to add the contents of the various packets of additives that come with the kit, but they don't tell you WHY you are adding them. I had to look that up on the web. I guess the "WHY" isn't as important for the instructions as the "HOW" and "WHEN", but I like to know the reasons behind doing things.
(2) they stress the importance of taking gravity readings to know when to rack and add things to the wine, but the INITIAL gravity reading has a lot of variation on it. The instructions are general instructions for all of this manufacturer's kits, and they say "The gravity should be between 1.080 and 1.100, depending on the style of your wine". That's a pretty wide range there, if you ask me!
All in all, I found the process last night to be very unsatisfying; Mix this with that, add some water, check temp and gravity, pitch yeast. I felt like I was cheating compared to making beer.
Granted, I brew beer with extract and not all grain, but I do at least get to select my grain(s), hops, and yeast and then cook it all up. I guess I felt like I had no real input on the wine at all.
But... I will try to at least come away with this with some basic knowledge of wine-making and the additives and steps needed to do it. The only thing more I could do would be to press fruit juice (the AG equivalent of vinting?) or select&mix fruit juices together (kind of where I am with my brewing).
-walker
Baron von BeeGee
Beer Bully
That was kind of what it seemed like to me, as well, reading about the process, though I'm sure there are ways to get just as involved as brewing beer. I'm not a big wine drinker, however, so I don't think I'll get sucked into this one which would no doubt lead to me planting grapevines in the back yard.Imperial Walker said:
OP
OP
Baron von BeeGee said:
No problem! I'll plant the grapes right next to the hops!
-walker
Calm and collected.... nice approach....Imperial Walker said:FOR CHRIST'S SAKE.... I AM RELAXED, MAN! F*CKING-A!
Perfect start! Grape varieties for general juice and wine making are not too far apart - the difference is a big subject though! As far as the SWMBO is concerned she sounds great. Mrs.Walker - I salute you!Imperial Walker said:
Get a 'special ale' she loves on Primary NOW too - Just keep her hands off drinking the wine kit until August!
OP
OP
Caplan said:Get a 'special ale' she loves on Primary NOW too - Just keep her hands off drinking the wine kit until August!
My IPA is brewed specifically for SWMBO. I drink my fair share of it, but that recipe is tailored for her tastes. I racked a new batch of it into the secondary two nights ago.
-walker
OP
OP
the merlot is bubbling. It's sharing the brew-fridge with my IPA, so I have adjusted the temp up from 65°F to about 69°F (higher end of the range for my ale, but middle range for the wine).
I originally had not adjusted the temp, but the wine was having a tough time getting started. I upped it when I got home yesterday and it seems to have accelerated things a bit.
SWMBO has checked in on the fermenter no less than 12 times since pitching yeast on Monday night. That's good, because I can have her deliver reports about the clarity of the IPA and save myself the daily trip to the garage to peek in the fridge.
-walker
I originally had not adjusted the temp, but the wine was having a tough time getting started. I upped it when I got home yesterday and it seems to have accelerated things a bit.
SWMBO has checked in on the fermenter no less than 12 times since pitching yeast on Monday night. That's good, because I can have her deliver reports about the clarity of the IPA and save myself the daily trip to the garage to peek in the fridge.
-walker
Lounge Lizard
Well-Known Member
Walker,
How is the wine doing in the 6.5 gallon carboy? Is the inside of your fridge the color purple?
Yeah, I suppose making kit wine can be a little less fulfilling. You might feel differently after you taste yours. Or you can think of it like following a gourmet recipe, and producing something really special to put on your dinner table.
Anyway, there is a guy over at Winepress in the Kit section, just raving about his Stag's Leap Merlot. It has only been in the bottle something like two weeks, IIRC....
How is the wine doing in the 6.5 gallon carboy? Is the inside of your fridge the color purple?
Yeah, I suppose making kit wine can be a little less fulfilling. You might feel differently after you taste yours. Or you can think of it like following a gourmet recipe, and producing something really special to put on your dinner table.
Anyway, there is a guy over at Winepress in the Kit section, just raving about his Stag's Leap Merlot. It has only been in the bottle something like two weeks, IIRC....
OP
OP
she's coming along. it took about 30 hours for the fermentation to kick in. I got paranoid that I might have done something wrong, but then I remembered to have a homebrew, and it was all good.
It only developed a VERY thin 'kraeusen' (is it called this with wine? It was so insignificant, it might not even have a name in vinting), and that broke down pretty quickly. So, the 6.5 gallon carboy is PLENTY big enough for it.
When I open the door to the garage (where my brewfridge is), I can smell a hint of wine, which is likely due to SWMBO checking on it a lot and opening the fridge door.
When I open the door to the FRIDGE, I am bowled over by the aroma of wine. It smells fantastic, to be honest. I'm jazzed about drinking it eventually. SWMBO acts like a kid when she's looking at it.
-walker
It only developed a VERY thin 'kraeusen' (is it called this with wine? It was so insignificant, it might not even have a name in vinting), and that broke down pretty quickly. So, the 6.5 gallon carboy is PLENTY big enough for it.
When I open the door to the garage (where my brewfridge is), I can smell a hint of wine, which is likely due to SWMBO checking on it a lot and opening the fridge door.
When I open the door to the FRIDGE, I am bowled over by the aroma of wine. It smells fantastic, to be honest. I'm jazzed about drinking it eventually. SWMBO acts like a kid when she's looking at it.
-walker
Lounge Lizard
Well-Known Member
Where's that crazy Brit Caplan at when you need him?? Probably off bowing to the Queen or something.... lol
The reason I ask, is because I have no idea what the foam is called. Caplan??
My batch took 24 hours or so to start fermenting. Yours is fine.
I'm past my initial ten day secondary period, where you are supposed to check the gravity and start degassing, etc. I guess it can hold until Sunday when I'm off from work. I read where you really want to do a good job on the degassing. There is not even a consensus among kit winemakers whether something called "kit taste" even exists, but some say that not degassing well enough can cause a grapey (fruity) nose to kit wines. Something about the juice being pasteurized.
I'm not going to lose much sleep worrying about some phantom bugaboo, but I do want to get rid of as much of the gas as possible. I've read one of the easiest, most effective and less physical methods, is to use an orange carboy cap and vacuum device, that is designed to make open bottles of wine last longer. Oh, yeah, a Vacuvin or something. I bet all big liquor stores sell them...
Caplan??
The reason I ask, is because I have no idea what the foam is called. Caplan??
My batch took 24 hours or so to start fermenting. Yours is fine.
I'm past my initial ten day secondary period, where you are supposed to check the gravity and start degassing, etc. I guess it can hold until Sunday when I'm off from work. I read where you really want to do a good job on the degassing. There is not even a consensus among kit winemakers whether something called "kit taste" even exists, but some say that not degassing well enough can cause a grapey (fruity) nose to kit wines. Something about the juice being pasteurized.
I'm not going to lose much sleep worrying about some phantom bugaboo, but I do want to get rid of as much of the gas as possible. I've read one of the easiest, most effective and less physical methods, is to use an orange carboy cap and vacuum device, that is designed to make open bottles of wine last longer. Oh, yeah, a Vacuvin or something. I bet all big liquor stores sell them...
Caplan??
OP
OP
Did yours make an audible hissssssss? That part is cool. Since there is no foam to catch escaping bubbles, it just hisses out, and I can hear it when I open the fridge door. Sweeeeeet.Lounge Lizard + said:
Lounge Lizard + said:
We've got a couple of those (assuming I understand what you are talking about). I can't readily see how I'd use it, so maybe we are not thinking of the same thing.
Got a link?
Lounge Lizard
Well-Known Member
From here:
http://www.winepress.us/forums/index.php?showtopic=1011&st=30
"Degassing comes next. There are several ways to do this. One is with a drill powered attachment called a Fizz-ex. Be gentle with this device to start. It will cause substantial foaming. (Sorry, no pic) Another way is to use the vaccu-vin wine saver. By capping the carboy and using the rubber cork, a vaccuum can be drawn in the carboy. The reduction of pressure is a gentler way to degas the wine.
If you warm the wine to room temperature or higher, the wine will give off CO2 more easily."
Attached thumbnail(s)
It's just a pump kinda vacuum gizmo. I'm gonna see if I can find one. You don't want much air space in the carboy when you do this. I have heard that a lot of vacuum in one with a lot of space can shatter the glass. That's probably with using a stronger pump, though...
And a thread about degassing:
http://www.winepress.us/forums/index.php?showtopic=10933
I suppose it wouldn't be a bad idea to stir the must a good bit, use the VacuVin.... and repeat until it is where it needs to be. From reading the above thread, some people do it over the course of a few days.
Is yours in the secondary yet?
PS: I didn't hear any hissing, but it was in a plastic pail with a lid and air lock. Maybe that's why not...
http://www.winepress.us/forums/index.php?showtopic=1011&st=30
"Degassing comes next. There are several ways to do this. One is with a drill powered attachment called a Fizz-ex. Be gentle with this device to start. It will cause substantial foaming. (Sorry, no pic) Another way is to use the vaccu-vin wine saver. By capping the carboy and using the rubber cork, a vaccuum can be drawn in the carboy. The reduction of pressure is a gentler way to degas the wine.
If you warm the wine to room temperature or higher, the wine will give off CO2 more easily."
Attached thumbnail(s)
It's just a pump kinda vacuum gizmo. I'm gonna see if I can find one. You don't want much air space in the carboy when you do this. I have heard that a lot of vacuum in one with a lot of space can shatter the glass. That's probably with using a stronger pump, though...
And a thread about degassing:
http://www.winepress.us/forums/index.php?showtopic=10933
I suppose it wouldn't be a bad idea to stir the must a good bit, use the VacuVin.... and repeat until it is where it needs to be. From reading the above thread, some people do it over the course of a few days.
Is yours in the secondary yet?
PS: I didn't hear any hissing, but it was in a plastic pail with a lid and air lock. Maybe that's why not...
Sorry - I've been busy!Lounge Lizard + said:
By the way Condoleezza Rice has been in the UK this last few days - Lancashire and Merseyside. She didn't look me up for a few glasses of vin on her trip. I guess she knows i never rated the Beatles......
It doesn't have a name as such in English that fully describes it that I know. The closest is a 'Cap' i guess - the skins, stalks, flesh etc that get pushed to the top of the fermenter in a full grape primary - but that doesn't explain the 'foam' that pushed it there. There must be a French term for it but my gallic vocab is 'merde'!
Lounge Lizard
Well-Known Member
Caplan... there you are!
Thought maybe Condi Rice and Jack Straw, took you along with them as a chaperoneon on their surprise visit to Baghdad ... lol
I didn't think I had seen a name for the foam when fermenting wine. Thanks for the info.
I do have another question for you. How important is this degassing business? I think a person could spend a lifetime trying to degas one of these kits. I bought wine whip for my drill. Used it for a while, being careful not to create a vortex that would suck oxygen in. And I have been using a wine saver vacuum tool connected to an orange carboy cap ever since, and I don't think I will ever get all of the CO2 out.
I read somewhere to take a sample and fill a beer bottle about half way full, and then to shake it. Supposedly, if you don't here a pop when you remove your thumb, and you have less than a half inch of foam, you are good to go.
What say ye o keeper of the virginity?
Thought maybe Condi Rice and Jack Straw, took you along with them as a chaperoneon on their surprise visit to Baghdad ... lol
I didn't think I had seen a name for the foam when fermenting wine. Thanks for the info.
I do have another question for you. How important is this degassing business? I think a person could spend a lifetime trying to degas one of these kits. I bought wine whip for my drill. Used it for a while, being careful not to create a vortex that would suck oxygen in. And I have been using a wine saver vacuum tool connected to an orange carboy cap ever since, and I don't think I will ever get all of the CO2 out.
I read somewhere to take a sample and fill a beer bottle about half way full, and then to shake it. Supposedly, if you don't here a pop when you remove your thumb, and you have less than a half inch of foam, you are good to go.
What say ye o keeper of the virginity?
OP
OP
Lounge Lizard + said:
Cool. Mine look a little different, but same general principle. They came with a vacuum 'tupperware' set I bought several years ago. IN fact, I think the wine stoppers are the only things LEFT from that tupperware set.
Lounge Lizard + said:
Not yet. It's still bubbling away like crazy. Active fermentation has only been going on for about 5 days at this point, so I figure it has another 3 to 5 days left.
-walker
Sasquatch
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jun 15, 2005
- Messages
- 539
- Reaction score
- 1
My local wine guru said to leave wine in secondary for a full month before you kill/stabilize and clear it. I have no results yet, but he's won a bunch of homemade wine competitions, so I tend to listen to him.
Wine is so much easier than beer... it is basically self-sanitizing, and the more you beat it up, the better it seems to come out.
Wine is so much easier than beer... it is basically self-sanitizing, and the more you beat it up, the better it seems to come out.
No thanks! It wasn't the actual road trip that put me off - just was the company!Lounge Lizard + said:
Degassing is very important. It depends on your processes of trying to extract the CO2 i guess. Drill attachments seem extreme to me! I'm in agreement with Sasquatch's Guru (his Dad!) - Don't try and 'rush' the primary ferment and secondary racking - let a wine ferment out in primary, when it slows down then rack it off the lees into secondary under airlock with campden added to clear for a few more weeks or so - it will throw more sediment as the yeast dies with the higher alcohol levels and campden. i rack again, degas and add more campden and finings - again under airlock to allow CO2 escape. At this point it usually pretty clear to be racked again with campden and aged in a carboy for a few months. My point is with using airlocks and allowing the CO2 out in the secondary and tertiary it helps to clear a wine without the need to 'over worry' about it
OP
OP
I sampled my wine last night. It's at about 11% abv right now, but it still has to drop another 16 points before it's done fermenting (for a final abv of 13%), so it was still a little sweet. It's definately tasking like wine now.
woohoo!
woohoo!
Someone is using a hydrometer.Imperial Walker said:
OP
OP
RichBrewer said:Someone is using a hydrometer.
yes, and it makes me feel very VERY icky, but to protect my $120 wine kit investment, it was necessary (the kit is guaranteed, provided you follow the instructions exactly, and those instructions require racking at certain gravities.)
It pissed me off to have to buy the hydrometer. BUT... I consider this and the special 6 gallon carboy the beginnings of my wife's vinting gear, and not mpart of my brewing gear. I taught her how to take a sample and read the hydrometer last night, and I plan to never touch the thing again.
-walker
OP
OP
Caplan said:Good news that it's tasting like wine! 16 points til done? For someone who doesn't like hydrometers you've sure been examining the meniscus of that test jar!
EVERYBODY ALL TOGETHER: give walker **** for using a hydrometer.
All of you combined will not equal the internal lashing I have been giving myself since the day I bought the damn thing.
Sometimes in life you have to do the things you hate.
I hate visiting with my mother-in-law, but every once in a while I do it.
I hate mowing the lawn, but I have to do it.
I hate cleaning out the rain gutters, but I have to do it.
I hate paying taxes, but I have to do it.
I hate using a hydrometer, but I have to do it (to retain my 'warranty' basically for this wine kit)
I stand firm in my position that hydrometers are evil devices!
-walker
sudsmonkey
Well-Known Member
Imperial Walker said:EVERYBODY ALL TOGETHER: give walker **** for using a hydrometer.
All of you combined will not equal the internal lashing I have been giving myself since the day I bought the damn thing.
Sometimes in life you have to do the things you hate.
I hate visiting with my mother-in-law, but every once in a while I do it.
I hate mowing the lawn, but I have to do it.
I hate cleaning out the rain gutters, but I have to do it.
I hate paying taxes, but I have to do it.
I hate using a hydrometer, but I have to do it (to retain my 'warranty' basically for this wine kit)
WTF ? Why is a hydrometer bad ? Is a screwdriver bad ? A torque wrench ?
Don't get your bloomers bunched up over a simple tool. Not when there's so many poor, sober people living in Muslim countries who'd give their right arm to use your hydrometer to measure alcohol content in their wine kit. Maybe even in their homebrew ?
Remember to relax. Keeping it loose is where it's at.
Lounge Lizard
Well-Known Member
Caplan said:No thanks! It wasn't the actual road trip that put me off - just was the company!
Degassing is very important. It depends on your processes of trying to extract the CO2 i guess. Drill attachments seem extreme to me! I'm in agreement with Sasquatch's Guru (his Dad!) - Don't try and 'rush' the primary ferment and secondary racking - let a wine ferment out in primary, when it slows down then rack it off the lees into secondary under airlock with campden added to clear for a few more weeks or so - it will throw more sediment as the yeast dies with the higher alcohol levels and campden. i rack again, degas and add more campden and finings - again under airlock to allow CO2 escape. At this point it usually pretty clear to be racked again with campden and aged in a carboy for a few months. My point is with using airlocks and allowing the CO2 out in the secondary and tertiary it helps to clear a wine without the need to 'over worry' about it
Thanks... Shortly after I made my post to you, I called it a day on the degassing. I'm not seeing any bubbles creeping to the top any more on their own. I'm sure I can get some more headed that way with the vacuvin device, but I'm going to wait until it is moved to the tertiary for that.
The Winexpert kits are designed to use the absolute minimum amount of finings to get the job done. That way the wine isn't stripped during the clarification process. I'm going to pretty much follow the instructions. Longer times in the secondary after stabilizing and in the tertiary withstanding.
------------
Walker,
I need to correct part of what I said way up above. After you initially degas and stabilize your wine with the sorbate and all, do not go back and stir the wine to degas it further. I read today where that voids the warranty. I had stated that some guys do some more stirring for two or three more days. Don't do it....
BrewStef
Well-Known Member
Interesting thread! 
I too am a homebrewer that wants to expand my horizons to include wine.
Is there an alternative to sulfites which works just as effectively?
Cheers!
Brewstef
I too am a homebrewer that wants to expand my horizons to include wine.
Is there an alternative to sulfites which works just as effectively?
Cheers!
Brewstef
PanzerOfDoom
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Nov 23, 2005
- Messages
- 95
- Reaction score
- 0
Not sure if anyone posted this link yet. If it 'aint here you don't need to know it.
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/winemake.asp
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/winemake.asp
Cap'n Jewbeard
Well-Known Member
Walker, congrats on it tasting like wine. Did you say you already bought a corker? 'Cuz if not, there's a Portuguese-style jobber for like 12 or 14 bucks, looks almost identical to the beer capper (but bigger). Worked fine for me.
Only thing you have to know, and I heard this from an exasperated LHBS staffer who had dealt with one too many calls about bottling complaints, is that when you get that cork in there, you have to do it fast. Like, fast. Like, get it in position, and jam the crap out of it. "Slow-corking" basically means it will get stuck half-way down. A quick, sharp corking will let some of the displaced air... uh... "fart" around the cork, and get out, and make a nice comfy seal.
My only concern was that, using the natural corks (number 9, I think? Or maybe 6? Is there a 6?) I ended up with a "dimple" in the top of each cork from where the corker pushed into it. Is that normal for you all?
Only thing you have to know, and I heard this from an exasperated LHBS staffer who had dealt with one too many calls about bottling complaints, is that when you get that cork in there, you have to do it fast. Like, fast. Like, get it in position, and jam the crap out of it. "Slow-corking" basically means it will get stuck half-way down. A quick, sharp corking will let some of the displaced air... uh... "fart" around the cork, and get out, and make a nice comfy seal.
My only concern was that, using the natural corks (number 9, I think? Or maybe 6? Is there a 6?) I ended up with a "dimple" in the top of each cork from where the corker pushed into it. Is that normal for you all?
Lounge Lizard
Well-Known Member
P Funky,
I remember reading that Walker bought a corker. It's probably the 12 or 14 dollar one you described. Never heard it called Portuguese, though. Those are usually floor models, I think.
I still need to get a corker. Glad you told us about the fast insertion trick. Thanks.
I remember reading that Walker bought a corker. It's probably the 12 or 14 dollar one you described. Never heard it called Portuguese, though. Those are usually floor models, I think.
I still need to get a corker. Glad you told us about the fast insertion trick. Thanks.
BrewStef
Well-Known Member
Caplan said:
SWMBO gets wicked headaches from sulfites, so finding an alternative would be great. Perhaps the campden tablets does not have a sufficient quantity to result in a bad headache - perhaps only if you add additional sulfites for long-term ageing, but I would rather not risk it if possible.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Stefan
OP
OP
LL and PFunk...
yeah, I got a corker. It looks kind of like the twin-lever bottle cappers and cost about $15.
This thread has been living on without me, but I'll add my update here:
added stabilizing and clarifying agents on Friday, beat the hell out of the wine with one of those gizmos that attach to a power drill (and realized during the process that this would work GREAT for aerating my beer wort, too.)
I had lost a decent bit of wine when racking to the secondary (siphon issue with the oak chips), so after adding the stabilizers and clarifiers, I had to top off my carboy with 4 bottles of store-bought wine. Had I gotten a good siphon, I would have only needed 1 bottle of wine to top-off. Oh well.
This weekend, I'll rack to a tertiary fermenter and let it sit for a month before bottling.
The only thing that annoys me is that this is sucking up 50% of my brew-fridge capacity, so I can only brew beer every three weeks. Every two weeks is what matches my (and my friends') consumption, so we're going to be a little lean on homebrew until the wine is bottles and out of the way.
-walker
yeah, I got a corker. It looks kind of like the twin-lever bottle cappers and cost about $15.
This thread has been living on without me, but I'll add my update here:
added stabilizing and clarifying agents on Friday, beat the hell out of the wine with one of those gizmos that attach to a power drill (and realized during the process that this would work GREAT for aerating my beer wort, too.)
I had lost a decent bit of wine when racking to the secondary (siphon issue with the oak chips), so after adding the stabilizers and clarifiers, I had to top off my carboy with 4 bottles of store-bought wine. Had I gotten a good siphon, I would have only needed 1 bottle of wine to top-off. Oh well.
This weekend, I'll rack to a tertiary fermenter and let it sit for a month before bottling.
The only thing that annoys me is that this is sucking up 50% of my brew-fridge capacity, so I can only brew beer every three weeks. Every two weeks is what matches my (and my friends') consumption, so we're going to be a little lean on homebrew until the wine is bottles and out of the way.
-walker
Cap'n Jewbeard
Well-Known Member
OKay, gotta ask now or I'll never remember: what's SWMBO? Sounds like significant other? single white male with B.O.?
OP
OP
She Who Must Be Obeyed
The way i get round the air pressure that can force a (natural) cork back out is a piece of sterile string! Before corking put the end of the length of string into the bottle (just long enough for the cork length plus an extra half inch or so). Cork it. Then slowly pull the string back out. If you soak your corks (another thread ey?Lounge Lizard said:
) then you'll see and hear the bubbles/air pressure released. I've never used synthetic corks but i'd guess it would work there too!
OP
OP
I went to the tertiary last night with the Merlot. I tried to estimate how much sediment was in my 6 gallon carboy so that I could decide wich route to take:
(1) rack to a 5 gallon carboy so that no head-space existed.
(2) rack to another 6 gallon carboy and top off with more store-bought wine.
I didn't like option (2) because when I racked from the 6.5 to the 6 the first time, I lost some wine and had some sediment, so I had to top off the 6 gallon with a bunch of store-bought wine. If I did that again, I was fearful that my wine kit was slowly turning into the store bought wine I was topping the fermenters up with!
So, I chose option (1). Wouldn't you know it, I had 1/2 gallon of wine in the 6 gallon carboy that I could not fit into the 5 gallon carboy. So... I have a 1/2 gallon jug that I put the remainder in.
I prefer making beer.
-walker
(1) rack to a 5 gallon carboy so that no head-space existed.
(2) rack to another 6 gallon carboy and top off with more store-bought wine.
I didn't like option (2) because when I racked from the 6.5 to the 6 the first time, I lost some wine and had some sediment, so I had to top off the 6 gallon with a bunch of store-bought wine. If I did that again, I was fearful that my wine kit was slowly turning into the store bought wine I was topping the fermenters up with!
So, I chose option (1). Wouldn't you know it, I had 1/2 gallon of wine in the 6 gallon carboy that I could not fit into the 5 gallon carboy. So... I have a 1/2 gallon jug that I put the remainder in.
I prefer making beer.
-walker
Lounge Lizard
Well-Known Member
Did you add the extra 1/4 tsp of sulphite to the tertiary? I did, cuz I plan on saving some of these bottles for a few years. A few years may well turn out to more like ten for some of them.
I didn't have to top up with anything when racking into the secondary. I may have had a hair over six gallons in the primary. Moving some sediment shouldn't be too much of a concern. When you add the stabilizer and fining agents into the secondary, it is stated to be sure and swirl the sediment back into suspension. This helps the clarification process, due whatever is in packet number one (that was added at the beginning) helping with the clearing. The instructions want you to move to a secondary when they say, because some people don't use an air lock on their primary. And it is also probably a good idea to get the wine off of the oak chips. Our kits came with a 120 grams of oak. That is a quite a bit if you don't like oak.
If you look at the instructions carefully, it says to only top up with water if you have to in the secondary. I read on another forum that you don't want to add mature stabilized wine into the mix at that point. Could cause issues. What kind I'm not sure. You had already posted about topping up before I could say anything. I'm sure your wine will be fine, though.
When I racked to the tertiary, I had to top up with about a liter of similar wine. I wouldn't have had to use so much if I didn't cram the autosiphon into the secondary so fast, causing me to lose wine all over the table top! LOL
Whatcha talkin' 'bout, Walker? This wine making is fun....
Maybe we ought to exchange bottles later this year so we can compare notes.
Back to bottling my Coopers Draught kit....
I didn't have to top up with anything when racking into the secondary. I may have had a hair over six gallons in the primary. Moving some sediment shouldn't be too much of a concern. When you add the stabilizer and fining agents into the secondary, it is stated to be sure and swirl the sediment back into suspension. This helps the clarification process, due whatever is in packet number one (that was added at the beginning) helping with the clearing. The instructions want you to move to a secondary when they say, because some people don't use an air lock on their primary. And it is also probably a good idea to get the wine off of the oak chips. Our kits came with a 120 grams of oak. That is a quite a bit if you don't like oak.
If you look at the instructions carefully, it says to only top up with water if you have to in the secondary. I read on another forum that you don't want to add mature stabilized wine into the mix at that point. Could cause issues. What kind I'm not sure. You had already posted about topping up before I could say anything. I'm sure your wine will be fine, though.
When I racked to the tertiary, I had to top up with about a liter of similar wine. I wouldn't have had to use so much if I didn't cram the autosiphon into the secondary so fast, causing me to lose wine all over the table top! LOL
Whatcha talkin' 'bout, Walker? This wine making is fun....
Maybe we ought to exchange bottles later this year so we can compare notes.
Back to bottling my Coopers Draught kit....
OP
OP
Yeah, I added it for aging purposes.Lounge Lizard said:
My issue was that my siphon was a disaster, clogging with oak chips. I eventually lost the flow and had to try and re-start it. HEREIN LIES THE DOWNSIDE OF USING THE CARBOY CAP AND LUNG-POWER TO SIPHON. I was not able to get the flow started again due to the massive amount of volume I was trying to increase the pressure of in the nearly empty primary carboy. I had to sacrifice about a gallon of wine(!). There was no way in hell I was going to top that off with water, because it would have seriously diluted the product.Lounge Lizard said:
It's fine. It finished where it was supposed to, is very clear, and taste pretty damn good. I'm just bummed that I had to add 4 bottles of store-bought wine to it to keep the level within 2 inches of the bung in the secondary. If I had gotten a better siphon run, I would not have had to do much topping off after clarifying and would have used some water, and topped with wine in a 6 gallon tertiary.Lounge Lizard said:
In short, I need to be more careful with the siphon, and get another 6 gallon carboy. That will solve a lot of the problems I had this time around. (This is exactly why I tried to convince SWMBO to use a cheaper kit for our first attempt... I didn't want to trail-blaze with a $130 kit!)
Sounds like a plan to me.Lounge Lizard said:
-walker
BrewStef
Well-Known Member
LL + Walker,
I have been enjoying reading this thread. It has inspired me to go out and get the Winexpert Island Mist kit (Wildberry Syrah). It should arrive early next week.
Has anyone here tried this kit?
Prost,
BrewStef
I have been enjoying reading this thread. It has inspired me to go out and get the Winexpert Island Mist kit (Wildberry Syrah). It should arrive early next week.
Has anyone here tried this kit?
Prost,
BrewStef
