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almargita

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Looking for some help on when to add super kleer & back sweeten my Niagara & Concord. I normally make kits & making from juice is fairly new to me. Wine was started on Sept 16th & so far racked twice & clearing nicely after it fermented dry. Looking to make a medium sweet wine around 1.014 SG & bottle & use some for gifts at Christmas. K-meta & Sorbate have been added already. Is 3 months soon enough wait to bottle?? I have extra carboys, so not in any hurry to empty them out. Would the wines benefit more if I let them age longer in the carboys & just bottle the some of the wine? I may also filter to polish it e,ven more for a better appearance. Now to start to design my labels, anyone have any neat Concord or Niagara graphics that their willing to share??
Thanx
 
I would wait longer than 3 months to bottle. You can age close to a year - may not need to add super kleer in. If you are in a rush for it to clear - you can add the super kleer once the wine is done fermenting and has been stabilized.

Have you degassed? I would rack after fermentation, stabilize, and degass. Let it go for about a 4-6 weeks and rack off the sediment (probably a lot at this point). Then let it go for about 3 months.
 
Al, As you know I got mine the same time as you. I also stabilized mine. two days later I cold stabilized for four days, brought it out and racked it before before the temperature started to climb too much. Two days later I back sweetend it and add super kleere. I will let it sit now about a month and then rack off the sediment. I will not blend until I am ready to bottle.

So to answer your first question knowing what you want to do, I would sweeten and clear now and then age. If you bottled before Christmas, you would have to let the recipients know its not ready to drink yet.
 
Al, As you know I got mine the same time as you. I also stabilized mine. two days later I cold stabilized for four days, brought it out and racked it before before the temperature started to climb too much. Two days later I back sweetend it and add super kleere. I will let it sit now about a month and then rack off the sediment. I will not blend until I am ready to bottle.

So to answer your first question knowing what you want to do, I would sweeten and clear now and then age. If you bottled before Christmas, you would have to let the recipients know its not ready to drink yet.

Dan:
Thats what I was looking for, wasn't sure on the order of the steps to follow & the time frame to do them in. How many months are you planning to bulk age before bottling?
Al
 
Three months minimum. Whites do finish up earlier but 6 months would be better. This was the first Juice I got this fall and now find myself in desperate need for carboys as there are still a few more I want to get before they are gone. With about 130 gallons of juice in carboys now I may have to bottle early to make room. I do not want to buy anymore new carboys as I don't see myself making this much again at one time. Used ones for $15, I'll buy all I can.
 
Three months minimum. Whites do finish up earlier but 6 months would be better. This was the first Juice I got this fall and now find myself in desperate need for carboys as there are still a few more I want to get before they are gone. With about 130 gallons of juice in carboys now I may have to bottle early to make room. I do not want to buy anymore new carboys as I don't see myself making this much again at one time. Used ones for $15, I'll buy all I can.

Dan:
I just scored those 3 on craigs list at Penn Hills for $15.00 each, they wanted $60.00. If your coming to the burg you can borrow them if you want.....
Al
 
Thanks Al, But if I traveled a 120 miles to barrow more carboys someone will have me committed for sure. Even though I have a lot going before long most of it will be stabilized, back sweetened and cleared. Then I'll be able to just go down in the basement and admire all the pretty colors. Thank God I don't have any kids or large dogs running around down there that I would have to worry about.
 

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