the second half of the process

[59f100292]

So i think i've kinda go the first half of wine making down, mixing, adding yeast, primary/ secondary etc. now the second half, Which I have no clue about. I take it you follow the recipes on when to rack through out it's life, but when do you
1) add potasium sorbate? as far as I can under stand this stops fermentation? can any one give me a sorbate 101 lesson real quick.

2) bottling, what happens if you don't bottle and just continue to store it in carboys? I don't own a corking machine so i'm kind of stumped here.

3)fining - this one i don't have a clue about

4) degassing - also no clue, im not sure if this is a first half or second half thing but I didn't see it in any of the recipes, but now im stumbling across it on the forums. Did I miss a step somewhere?

 

[Yooper]

1. You can add sorbate and campden (potassium metabisulfite) after fermentation is finished, if you are planning on sweetening the wine after it's finished. It doesn't really stop fermentation. Sorbate inhibits yeast reproduction, so when it's added to a clear finished wine, the remaining yeast can't reproduce to ferment your added sweetener. I rarely use it, since I rarely sweeten wines.

2. You can store it in a carboy for a very long time as long as you make sure there is water in the airlock and the wine is "topped up" to not allow any headspace. Eventually, though, you're going to want to serve it and drink it. You can't serve it out of the carboy, as the pouring will allow oxygen to enter and it will oxidize the wine. You can definitely bottle in a screw top jug or wine bottle, or bottle with beer bottles and a capper, if you don't have a corker.

3. If the wine is long finished, and still cloudy, you can add "finings" to help clarify. There are lots of different kinds. Many aren't vegetarian, so if that's important to you choose one made out of plant/clay material.

4. Degassing is usually only important for kit wines. Aging usually allows wine to degas naturally. It's only done if the wine has some residual co2 bubbles in it from fermentation. Several rackings over several months usually negate the need for degassing in most wines.

I'm not sure what you mean by "first half" and "second half". Usually, you ferment until the wine is finished. Then, rack whenever you have lees (sediment) that is 1/4" thick over a couple of months. Keep it topped up to near the bung, using water or a similar wine, after every racking. That's about it. When it's clear, and not dropping any more lees, it can be bottled.

 

[59f100292]

thanks for the help. In my head I was kind of thinking of it as:
1st half, preparing and making the wine,
2nd half finishing bottling sweetening, what ever else needs to be done after a year of sitting.

 

[Yooper]

thanks for the help. In my head I was kind of thinking of it as:
1st half, preparing and making the wine,
2nd half finishing bottling sweetening, what ever else needs to be done after a year of sitting.

Ah, I understand now!

One thing I love about winemaking is that it's the perfect procrastinator's hobby. Sometimes I'll walk by a carboy for a year thinking, "I really should bottle that wine......."