I'm new to the winemaking, though I did a bit a few years back, but if you're giving me advice it would be right to assume I know not very much at all. The situation I would like advice on is that I have put 6 gallons on in 6 demi-johns, using various tinned fruit, as an experiment to see what works well, and one just sugar which I intend to flavour with Vimto or something, as a bit of fun and just to see how it turns out. Everything has gone well and the fermentations are practically over, though a few bubbles are constantly rising and look as though they will do so at that slow rate for a long time.
The problem is that my books tell me it could take quite some time to clear on its own, and need racking now-and-then. But I want to get it bottled and then free-up the jars for more experimentation, and I don't want to have to be racking over and over. I want to bottle it and forget about it.
So what should I do? If I bottle it cloudy it will perhaps leave a sediment which will taint or ruin the wine, and it may keep fermenting, too.
The book says that I could stop the fermentation by adding a campden tablet, and then using a fining gel. This at least would likely have the effect of getting the wines ready for bottling in a short time and then I could just lay them down.
But would the campden tablet affect the wine in a negative way, and also would the fining gel? What do you recommend I do/use to get the wine ready for bottling, and so free-up the demi-johns?
I would welcome any advice. Cheers, etc..etc..
PS/ How do you overcome the problem of racking off the sediment, in which having done so into another demi-john, it needs topping up, and if you do it with a syrup, say quarter pound of sugar to a pint of water, you get another ferment and need to rack again and then need to top up again, etc, etc? If you just use water it will dilute it, and I don't like the idea of that. This seems a real problem which has no answer.
The problem is that my books tell me it could take quite some time to clear on its own, and need racking now-and-then. But I want to get it bottled and then free-up the jars for more experimentation, and I don't want to have to be racking over and over. I want to bottle it and forget about it.
So what should I do? If I bottle it cloudy it will perhaps leave a sediment which will taint or ruin the wine, and it may keep fermenting, too.
The book says that I could stop the fermentation by adding a campden tablet, and then using a fining gel. This at least would likely have the effect of getting the wines ready for bottling in a short time and then I could just lay them down.
But would the campden tablet affect the wine in a negative way, and also would the fining gel? What do you recommend I do/use to get the wine ready for bottling, and so free-up the demi-johns?
I would welcome any advice. Cheers, etc..etc..
PS/ How do you overcome the problem of racking off the sediment, in which having done so into another demi-john, it needs topping up, and if you do it with a syrup, say quarter pound of sugar to a pint of water, you get another ferment and need to rack again and then need to top up again, etc, etc? If you just use water it will dilute it, and I don't like the idea of that. This seems a real problem which has no answer.