when is too soon to bottle?

[Blacksmith1]

all 1 gallon. Started early dec before I learned the value of keeping notes. fermented at an avg. of 72F.
If there is no activity in the carboy and no gas escapes when you pop the cap ( yes they were capped for more than a week) will bottling hurt the aging. there was no sediment, nice and clear on one, a bit of pectic haze in the other, An apple wine heated to add spices and orange slices with no pectic enzyme or any other additives than the yeast.
the corks are all tasting corks as that's all I had on hand, and the bottles are standing so I figure if they do produce CO2 it will just push the cork out.

And on that subject I noticed that some of my collected used wine bottles took the corks easily, some took and effort (2 corks broke) to get in. How does one determine which cork size to use?

 

[Maylar]

You do own a hydrometer, right?

With a hand corker, no. 8. With a floor or bench corker, no 9.

 

[Blacksmith1]

yes but I got lazy since there was no pressure build up in the capped gallons

 

[puttster]

Captain Cheap, next time don't throw away the screw tops

 

[Blacksmith1]

The only screw tops I have are my gallon carboys and My carlo rossi 3L bottles, and I kept those caps. They are in a Chinese take out plastic pint container.

 

[jonereb]

Unless you need the carboy for another project, let the wine bulk age with an airlock. I have a hand-corker and use #8 corks. If you're corking a screw-top bottle, be careful. I've read on this forum that screw-top bottles are thinner at the top and more susceptible to cracking.

 

[Blacksmith1]

I read the same thing and only collect corked bottles, with the exception noted above.

 

[puttster]

Have you drink a glass of it yet? how is it?

 

[Blacksmith1]

It's 2 different batches one Apple one cran/ rassberry. Pipes the cap on one of two cran/rasa and it was ok. Young , a little raw but tasty. At least the old lady didn't spit this one out.

 

[Blacksmith1]

This auto correct crap is getting old. It's changing words I spell correctly because it thinks I mean a different word.