Aroma not what I expected

[Plmac]

Hello to all, Here is what is in the primary: My first wine.

Welch's white grape and raspberry wine from concentrate. (Jackkeller page)

4 cans (11.5 oz) Welch's White Grape and Raspberry frozen concentrate
2-1/2 lbs granulated sugar
4 tsp acid blend
1 tsp pectic enzyme
2 tsp yeast nutrient
2 campden tablets (preservitive already in concentrate)
water to make 2 gallon

mixed it all up and let it sit for 12 hours

Rehydrated the yeast (Red Star Cote Des Blancs) in 100 deg water, four hours later added 1/4 cup apple juice, another four hours added 1/4 cup apple juice.

Starting S.G. was 1.096

added yeast to must on 10/17
10/18 S.G. 1.062
10/19 S.G. 1.040
10/20 S.G. 1.020

Temp 65 - 72

I'm not real thrilled with the smell of the wine at this point, yeasty sulpher.
Is that normal? or a result of the extra campden not called for in the recipe and maybe over pitching the yeast?

Should I rack to secondary or just finish in the bucket with an air lock?

 

[Julie]

Well you didn't use enough juice. Always use nothing less than 3 cans per gallon but 4 or 5 is better. Don't just add the amount of sugar a recipe calls for, the recipe should be a guidance, not a rule. You should add only the amount of sugar to get your sg to roughly around 1.080. Fruit wines should not have an ABV higher than 12%, the alcohol will start to overpower the fruit flavor. You are going to need to make an f-pac to bring out the flavor and this will lower your ABV a little.

You will get 6 of one and half a dozen on another of people telling you if you should rack and finish in a carboy or snap the lid down on the primary and add an airlock. There are advantages to both, it is what you feel comfortable in doing.

 

[Plmac]

Thanks Julie. I'll do some searching to see how to make an f-pac.

 

[wood1954]

For what it's worth,
i'm new at this also. But i totally freaked out at how bad my apple must smelled during and right after fermentation. However after a few weeks all is better. Want to smell something bad try apple wine fermenting with Lalvin 71b-1122 the one that digests malic acid

 

[Wade E]

Basically fermentation can smell good to some people and horrible to others so dont freak out. My wife cant stand the smell of any fermentation Ive made over the years while I love almost all of them but even then there were some that smelled nasty and came out very tasty.

 

[Plmac]

Thats good to hear. I'll reserve judment for another 90 days.

 

[Julie]

Plmac,

I make what I call a raspberry blush, i use 3 cans of welches white grape and raspberry concentrate and one can of welchs white grape, add sugar to give me a sg of 1.080 or close to it, 1/4 tsp of tannin, 1 tsp of nutrient, acid blend to give me .675% (i used 1 tsp to get me there on my last batch)

this is for one gallon, about a month, or when wine ferments dry, my last batch went down to .994, at this point I add k-meta and sorbate then add about a cup of sugar, what ever gets me between 1.010 and 1.020.

If I was you when your wine is done fermenting, stabilize (adding k-meta and sorbate) let it set for several days then add a white grape, raspberry concentrate and maybe a white grape concentrate as an f-pack and backsweeten. Add the white grape, raspberry first, check the sg and if it is low enough add a white grape concentrate.

 

[Plmac]

Julie, that helps a bunch now I won't go nuts searching. What are you using for a primary fermenter for a 1 gallon batch. My smallest bucket is 5 gallons and my smallest carboy is also 5 gallons. I'll be getting some gallon jugs for racking. Haven't priced the jugs at the brew shop yet but Carlo rossie (spelling?) wine in gallon jug is only $9.00. Might just get a jug or two and use for topping off and maybe sipping.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Julie]

To be honest i rarely make a gallon jug of wine anymore. The rasp. I make in 3 gallon batches but when I do make a gallon jug, I have this glass pickle jar my Mom had in her fruit cuppard.

Also, the yeast I use is Lavlin 71B 1122, low foamer and brings out the fruit flavor in the wine.

 

[Tom]

You can go to Lowes. They have 2 gallon paint buckets w/ lid Just drill 1/2" hole in for airlock. I would only use them for primary.

 

[Plmac]

Hum....Paint bucket or 3 gallon batches??

 

[Julie]

Hum....Paint bucket or 3 gallon batches??

lol, 3 gallon batches, those 1 gallon just don't last long enough