Testing fermentation

[Jewl]

I'm new to wine making. I have my first batch of dandelion wine fermenting now. My question is: if everything is properly sterilized when drawing a sample to test with a hydrometer, can the tested wine be returned to the batch? Just want to minimize waste since its a one gallon batch.

 

[IslandLizard]

Why do you want to test? Leave it alone, let it do what it does best: ferment!

Are you thinking of keeping it sweet and not let it ferment out?

If the wine level in the fermentor is high enough to take a direct hydrometer reading, you could tie a string (use unflavored dental floss) around the top of the hydrometer. Sanitize it all well, then lower it carefully into your fermentor, take a reading and remove just as carefully. For all security you could slip a properly sized o-ring over the top of the hydrometer stem, to prevent the string from slipping off. Or even better, tie the string to the o-ring instead, so you can easily remove it.

You may need to recalibrate (and correct 1 point or so) for the weight of the o-ring, depending on its size.

Just be careful when working with hydrometers, they're very, very fragile. If it bottoms out in your fermentor, it will shatter, ruining your wine (glass shards).

Good luck!

 

[RPh_Guy]

Returning the sample is fine.
Wine is not prone to contamination, generally speaking.

Leaving it alone is good too. Patience is one of the main ingredients for good wine.

Welcome to the forum!
Cheers

 

[Jewl]

Thank you. This particular recipe said 6 weeks to ferment. I plan to leave it longer, but I thought checking the fermentation at this point and again in another week would let me know if the fermentation was finished. As I said, this is all new to me. Visibly, it's never looked active. But the reading tonight says otherwise .. thank goodness! Thank you for the feedback