Help with the recipe --- SOS

[Chessdunk]

Thanks a ton Sour_grapes, JimmyT!! Sadly, I missed your comments and added the pot meta!!

But I added lesser than the recommended dose viz .7 grams to the 12 ltrs of must. Have around 10 ltrs of wine at the moment. My previous wine never stopped fermenting... even after stabilizing with PotMeta and sorbate, it continued to ferment when I added sugar. Was loath to add more chemicals so it ended up in the fridge.

The orange wine... I did transfer when the SG hit 1.012. I can still see lots of fermentation going on almost 5 hours after the transfer... hope today's mistake don't cost much.

Have not yet added the orange peelings... should I wait or add it asap?

Got some Extruded Polystyrene Boards to build the Son of Fermentation Chiller. Right now my wine is in a breadboard box with Ice bottles stacked around it to maintain the temperature. Hope the Chiller works better. The temperature around here is always over 90

 

[Chessdunk]

There was over half inch layer of yeast in my secondary and I ended up transferring today. The sg reading was 1 and the wine is still visibly fermenting!!

The taste of the wine was horrible!! It tasted of alcohol and hardly any orange flavor could smell the yeast all the way! Also feel that the acidity is low in the wine and there is some mild bitterness and a sharp burning plain soda taste. Yes!! it tasted like alcoholic no sugar soda but way stronger.

I didnt have a bottle to rack some of this and ended up blending my about to oxidase grape wine. After the blending I could kind of get some amount of the orange flavor. The blended wine seemed like it was a better product!!

I am not sure why I feel no acidity in this wine? Should acid be added to citrus wine? What should I do to get this wine back on track?

 

[sour_grapes]

The taste of the wine was horrible!! It tasted of alcohol and hardly any orange flavor could smell the yeast all the way! Also feel that the acidity is low in the wine and there is some mild bitterness and a sharp burning plain soda taste. Yes!! it tasted like alcoholic no sugar soda but way stronger.

Yeah, that is pretty much the way all wines taste when they just get done fermenting. It is loaded with CO2, and has no sugar.

What should I do to get this wine back on track?

It is NOT OFF TRACK. You do not need to do anything at this time. You just need to be patient and wait. It will eventually degas and become less harsh.

 

[Chessdunk]

Thanks sour grapes, that definitely encouraged me... Today I was like why did I have to try citus wine Bu i am enjoying the learning here. ..

How long should I wait to make adjustments (waiting for my ph kit to arrive). The rind of the one orange that I added seems to have hardly added any flavor. When is it a good time to add more.

 

[Stressbaby]

Chessdunk,
You have two threads going in two different forum sections. The replies are pretty consistent...wait, be patient. You could add more rind now or at any time before bottling. Citrus wines do sometimes require acid additions. You could add more acid now or at any time before bottling. However, it will be difficult to know by taste how far to go with these adjustments because your wine is so young.

 

[Chessdunk]

Yes stressbaby... I have not done any changes and decided to go with the advice that I have received from the more experienced members.

I have let it ferment for now and in the next transfer will think about changes if at all its required. I kept a little bit of the wine in the fridge from the first transfer and tasted it at different times and I could taste tartness after a day. So not making any changes now till I get a clear idea of the direction that this wine is going. Was soo happy to see sour grapes' comments on how young wines taste like pee. Kind of calmed me down

Thanks a ton for your advice... definitely taking it

 

[Stressbaby]

Let us know what the pH is when you get the meter.

 

[Chessdunk]

Thank you stressbaby. Finally my kit arrived... The PH reading is 3.9...

the wine is so much better now, starting to look thinner and is starting to clear gradually. Jotting down what I felt after tasting the wine...

Can taste a mild sourness today... my palate did tell me it needs a tad more acid.
Alcohol bite and the soda taste has gone down considerably and it is definitely a lot smoother than what it was in the last tasting
Sadly still no flavor and almost tastes like water, insipid...
Seems to have good alcohol content a few sips did give me more than a mild kick
Color is pale yellow... I thought I would get a nice orange color!!

In my next transfer I would definitely need to add more orange peelings. So far I have added only one to 9.5 ltrs of wine. And how many peelings would I approximately need to add...

Look forward to your suggestions and what I should or not do...