Can I too up demijohn with water?

[RichB]

Hi all..,

I'm very very new to wine making., and started my first wine last week (banana).
I've read that ideally the demijohn should be nearly full., to limit the amount of O2.., if this is the case., can I top the last 3 inches (half pint or so) with tap water?

It's bubbling away nicely, so seems to be working.., has a lot of sediment sat at the top., again seems normal after reading posts on here..
Thanks in advance for any help

 

[JohnT]

it would be far better to top off with wine. A Riesling, perhaps?

 

[Turock]

Or marbles. You don't want to use water--that just dilutes the wine.

 

[RichB]

Thanks for the quick replies.., will source some marbles..

Is the amount of sediment an issue at the moment.., or should I transfer the "wine" to a new demi., sieving it in the process ??

As I said., this is my very first attempt at wine making., and after hours of research and buying all basic equipment I'm just hoping this is going as it should..
I'll be hopefully be acquiring some more demi's so I can start different wines..., yes, I'm hooked already

One thing I'm trying to understand is the hydrometer use.., I've read the very informative thread.., but still trying to get my head around it..,

 

[JohnT]

I would rack it. The sooner you get rid of the gross lees, the better!

 

[RichB]

Through a very fine sieve?, or will muslin cloth be ok?

 

[wineforfun]

Also, if you are dealing with a 6 gal. at the moment, you may want to rack it to a 5 gal. plus bottles if needed. That will take care of your headspace issue and eliminate the need to buy marbles, extra wine, etc.

 

[JohnT]

I would not pass it through a sieve at this point, just syphon the liquid off of the solid sediment at the bottom of your fermenter.

 

[RichB]

Thanks for advice.., it now looks so much better... (Trying to find marbles isn't as easy as I think )

 

[Turock]

Rich---you can find USA made marbles at marbleking.com and morewine.com has them too.