Riesling wine questions

Riesling wine questions

I'm new to wine and I probably suck at it. But hey why not?


I will try to give as much info as possible for my questions.

Vinters Reserve Riesling Wine Kit
The yeast used was D-47

and 6 grams of fermaid-k [1gram per gal of must on direction of yeast package] added on day 2 of ferment

ferment temp did not get warmer than 74 F in my home.


I guess the main issue for me is the vinters reserve kit did not instruct me to add fermaid-k or any other nutrients to the must.
Premere cuvee yeast was included with the kit but i used D-47


#1: Was it wise to add such nutrients even thought it did not say?


#2: After 7 day of fermentation I tried a small portion of it when racking to secondary and it tasted kinda hot and dry. Will it mellow after aging?


#3: finally; my gravity on racking to secondary was actually quite low at 0.992 - 0.993 is that normal after only 7 days?

meadsupporter said:

Riesling wine questions

I'm new to wine and I probably suck at it. But hey why not?

I will try to give as much info as possible for my questions.

Vinters Reserve Riesling Wine Kit
The yeast used was D-47

and 6 grams of fermaid-k [1gram per gal of must on direction of yeast package] added on day 2 of ferment

ferment temp did not get warmer than 74 F in my home.

I guess the main issue for me is the vinters reserve kit did not instruct me to add fermaid-k or any other nutrients to the must.
Premere cuvee yeast was included with the kit but i used D-47

#1: Was it wise to add such nutrients even thought it did not say?

#2: After 7 day of fermentation I tried a small portion of it when racking to secondary and it tasted kinda hot and dry. Will it mellow after aging?

#3: finally; my gravity on racking to secondary was actually quite low at 0.992 - 0.993 is that normal after only 7 days?

Click to expand...

#1: I would not say they were needed. I have never needed nutrient for a kit wine. The yeasts that have been cultivated over the years for wine have come to expect that kind of nutrient environment. Its only when we go outside their 'comfort zone' (say with mead or cider or filtered juice) that they need nutrient help.

#2: sounds right. Fermentation is a (chemically) messy process and time is needed for things to gas off, recombine, change chemically, etc. Yes, it will get better!

#3: yes, that's possible. For many different yeasts it can take different times to ferment. I love D-47, and have seen fast ferment times for it when its kept in the low to mid 70's (though I would reccomend using it in the 60's). The .992 sounds a bit low, considering the kit should come out in the 10% abv range. I would check that again just for that reason.

I find wine to be fun and easy, and you get to consume your hobby. I hope you enjoy your wine, and keep going with the hobby!

Kits are complete, you do not need to add anything.

I would suspect your SG reading is altered due to the CO2 in your sample. Also, have you calibrated your hydrometer?

Nutrient addition when used appropriately will not harm your kit.

Just remember even though a kit is marketed as 4-6-8-12 week kit it does not mean it is ready to consume at that point. Follow the rest of your instructions and allow this some age and you should be enjoying a glass of wine for Memorial Day.

saramc: Yes my hydrometer is calibrated; but I did use star-san to sanitize it and then put in into the bucket directly. Maybe that is why I have the reading I have.

Then again I think my gravity should be lower if CO2 is pushing up on the hydrometer bulb.

I'm also thinking that my kit may have come out dryer than expected since the fermaid-k gave it that boost to finish dryer.



Thanks for the help guys.




If I did not mention this before my OG reading before adding the yeast was 1.092 and
fermaid-k was added 2 days after the yeast.

i have not tryed that kit yet i do have one that i will be starting in a month i will post how it comes out when its done . i have made the riesling from world vinyards wine kit and it came out great easy instructions to follow . i have made several wine kits and i have only added what comes in the kits and they have been very good
temp should be ok my house stays at 72 and have had no issue with fermenting hopefully it will mellow out for you after degassing and letting it sit for a couple months after bottling sometimes a couple months can make a ok wine into a really good wine .
good luck and enjoy