Ok, ok...you told me so...Now what do I do?!!

[earthkitten]

Well folks....going to 'whine' about my "wine"......


If you can call it that....


Don't know if anyone's been following my adventures, but I've made this 5 gallon batch of 'Ghetto Wine' from an old recipe (listed in 'recipes') that is roughly equal parts fresh red grape juice (from my own vines), water, and sugar. It's "ready to drink/bottle in 11 days".


Well....I followed everything as best I could. It's actually been longer....I just bottled about half of it (due to bottle-finding difficulties) two days ago, which ended up being 6 days overdue. I dared to taste my poison, and it is HORRIBLE! It is so sugary sweet, I gag everytime I think about it.


I thought the yeast would turn it to alcohol, but maybe my primary fermentation didn't happen as fast as it should have (room was too cool, maybe?) It's still foamy, and it smells sorta like wine. I've followed some great, expert advice and bottled it, with baggies secured around the spouts to accomodate de-gassing (or whatever you call it).......so no exploding bottles are forthcoming, at least....but I AM READY TO DUMP IT!


Isthere anything that I should/can do to salvage it? At this point, I am PRAYING for vinegar! But it's so sugary, I doubt even that will happen with satisfying results. I am getting more bottles tomorrow to finish bottling, but is it even worth it? It smells great, but will it just keep on fermenting, and get rid of all the sugar, or some of it? I am planning, as advised, to just let it sit in bottles until I'm ready to drink it, and will filter it again at that point. I guess. Mmmm....if it makes it that far. I hate to throw in the towel.....hehehehe......but it's pretty gross.


I know, I know. I'm a dork. I should have listened to everyone's advice about my recipe.......

 

[PeterZ]

EK, go ahead and finish bottling with the baggie technique. As sweet as it is, you have not completed fermentation. On a few of the bottles put a balloon over the neck - without a pin hole. If the balloon blows up/off you are still fermenting. Give it more time.

The first wine I ever made was dandelion wine in high school with my gf (not SWMBO) and her mom. Gf and I picked a couple of gallons of dandelion blossoms, and her mom put them in a stock pot, added 2 oranges and a lemon, cut up and squeezed, and a bunch of sugar, and poured a gallon of boiling water over it. When it cooled we pitched the yeast - Fleishman's bread yeast. No sulfite, no yeast nutrient, no sanitation, no stabilization.

A couple of weeks later we strained it and bottled it in Cold Duck bottles. (Hey - it was 1970!) It was aweful! A couple of months later, however, it was drinkable. It wasn't good, but it was drinkable.

I imagine that "Ghetto Wine" is to regular wine as moonshine (guaranteed 7 days old) is to Wild Turkey. Don't expect too much, but have fun.

 

[Wade E]

Do you have a hydrometer yet cause we really need to know the gravity of this to tell you where you are at or if we can fix this. If it is still fermenting then the sugar will still get eaten and lower more, how much I dont know as I think you used bread yeast and not sure where this will stop. If it is not still fermenting then I would advise adding some wine yeast to it to fermeant out the rest of that sugar.

 

[jobe05]

I can't imagine making a fresh fruit wine in less than 4 months........ not 11 days. I would let it ferment for at least 11 days considering your using fleishmanns yeast, may even take up to 30 plus days with that yeast. your in no hurry (and you shouldn't be), throw it all back in the bucket and let it ferment out. Of you have a five gallon carboy, just put it in that with a balloon like Peter suggest on it and let it sit.

Oh yea............

TOLD YA SO!!!!!!!!

 

[earthkitten]

Haha! I know, I'm stubborn, can you tell? Hehehe....


I actually used Lalvin yeast. When it was all said and done, it was probably morelike 16-17 days of fermentation, rather than 11 (for the stuff that's bottled, anyway...)


No, I don't have a hydrometer yet, but I'm going to do my best to find one tomorrow....I'm pretty sure I know where I can get one.


Don't have any carboys, but I figure I'll just leave the two buckets where they are, and my bottles sitting with baggies over 'em where they are. Hopefully that'll be ok. I'll keep ya posted!


Should I still be stirring the buckets? I guess, depending on whether or not it's still fermenting (I have a feeling it is) it should stay in the buckets or go into bottles....which is better? I feel fine about just leaving it in the two buckets for now, but if there's a risk of it becoming septic or something....hehehe.......don't want that. Not that it would make much difference to the taste. (....insert *wince* here....)


Thanks, I feel better about the ol' gut rot already. It ain't goin down the toilet just yet.

 

[Wade E]

The hydrometer will tell us when to transfer to glass so we'll wait till then. Very glad to hear that you used Lalvin yeast so we know it will ferment drier I wish you had 1 to begin with to know where we started at with an Specific gravity to know if it would be dry or end up semi sweet or if its going to be jet fuel from too much sugar to start with.

 

[earthkitten]

You know, jetfuel would be ok with me at this point. Anything's better than the flat grape soda I have right now. God, as long as some of the sugar gets eaten up, I'll be ok with anything. I really dislike sweet wines....hehehe......

 

[grapeman]

I have one BIG question for you- how many pounds of sugar did you add to the mix at the beginning. Your recipe called for 1 gallon juice(which already has some sugar in it), 1 gallon water and 1 gallon sugar- about 8 pounds. This amounts to about 4+ pounds of sugar per gallon(not counting the juice contribution). That is 2 to 3 times the normal amount and will result in a high alcohol, highly sweet wine. I don't believe there is anything you can really do for it. I questioned the amount of sugar in the beginning, but doubted my concerns when nobody else said anything about it.



When you give up on this, go find a good welches grape recipe and mix up a batch of that- it is relly cheap to make and gives a good wine. You can make it dry to sweet depending on your tastes.


Here is one for you:

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Grape Wine from Concentrate

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Makes one gallon.


Ingredients:
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<TD>3-1/2 6 oz. Cans Frozen Grape Concentrate</TD>
<TD>7 pints Water</TD></TR>
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<TD>1 pkg. Wine Yeast</TD>
<TD>


1/2 tsp. Bentonite</TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD>1/4 tsp Potassium Sorbate</TD>
<TD>1/8 tsp. Potassium Metasulfite</TD></TR></T></T></TABLE>


Keep your acid tester and hydrometer handy. As with all wild fruit the sugar and acid content varies greatly from year to year and even from one location to another. The recipe above is a general recipe to use which you may have to adjust.


Starting S.G. 1.090-1.095


Acid Level .65%


Directions:

1. 
   <LI>Pour great concentrate into primary fermenter. Add water and stir thoroughly.
   <LI>Add yeast and cover primary fermenter.
   <LI>Check S.G. daily. When S.G. reaches 1.020 (3-5 days), siphon juice into glass container and attach airlock.
   <LI>When S.G. reaches 1.000 (usually about 2-3 weeks), fermentation is complete. Siphon juice off sediment into the fermentation bucket.
   <LI>Add potassium sorbate and potassium metasulfite to wine. Stir briskly to bring the carbon dioxide to the surface.
   <LI>Pour bentonite into 2 oz. of warm water, and mix thoroughly. Add bentonite mixture to wine. Stir wine. Wait 15 minutes and stir again. Wait another 15 minutes and stir one last time. Siphon wine back into glass container and re-attach airlock.
   <LI>After seven days, siphon wine into another clean glass vessel and re-attach airlock
   <LI>To aid in clearing, rack again in 1 month, before bottling.
   <LI>Allow wine to age for two months before bottling. </LI>

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To start cheap, begin with 1 gallon bach. Here is info on a small equipment kit here at Fine VIne Wines.




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<TD width="10%">9001 </TD>
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Scratch Ingredients Only Package for Home Wine Makers


All of the ingredients to make 10 gallons of wine from fresh fruit</TD>
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<DIV align=right>$31.99</TD>
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Add to Shopping Cart


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Shipping Cost Estimate</TD></TR></T></TABLE>
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All of the items listed below are included in this Kit. Click on the picture or the Part Number to see a bigger picture of the item.


</TD></TR></T></TABLE>
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<DIV align=center>Part Number</TD>
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<DIV align=center>Quantity</TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD width="10%">
<DIV align=center> </TD>
<TD width="10%">7360</TD>
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<DIV align=left>Wine Recipe Handbook - Lots of recipes! </TD>
<TD width="40%">
<DIV align=left>101 Recipes!</TD>
<TD width="10%">
<DIV align=center>1</TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD width="10%">
<DIV align=center> </TD>
<TD width="10%">5451</TD>
<TD width="20%">
<DIV align=left>Triple Hydrometer Specific grav, Potential ETOH, Sugar </TD>
<TD width="40%">
<DIV align=left>Measure Specific Gravity (S.G.)</TD>
<TD width="10%">
<DIV align=center>1</TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD width="10%">
<DIV align=center> </TD>
<TD width="10%">5400</TD>
<TD width="20%">
<DIV align=left>Acid Test Kit </TD>
<TD width="40%">
<DIV align=left>Testing the acid level of your must.</TD>
<TD width="10%">
<DIV align=center>1</TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD width="10%">
<DIV align=center> </TD>
<TD width="10%">6019A</TD>
<TD width="20%">
<DIV align=left>Easy Clean Cleanser (8 oz.) </TD>
<TD width="40%">
<DIV align=left>To clean everything before you sanitize.</TD>
<TD width="10%">
<DIV align=center>1</TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD width="10%">
<DIV align=center> </TD>
<TD width="10%">3410</TD>
<TD width="20%">
<DIV align=left>EC-1118 5 grams </TD>
<TD width="40%">
<DIV align=left>Converts the sugar into alcohol and CO2.</TD>
<TD width="10%">
<DIV align=center>2</TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD width="10%">
<DIV align=center> </TD>
<TD width="10%">6003</TD>
<TD width="20%">
<DIV align=left>Campden Tablets - Sodium Metabisulfite (100 Count) </TD>
<TD width="40%">
<DIV align=left>To inhibit wild bacteria and yeast growth, as well as slow down oxidation. Also used as a sanitizer.</TD>
<TD width="10%">
<DIV align=center>1</TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD width="10%">
<DIV align=center> </TD>
<TD width="10%">6120A</TD>
<TD width="20%">
<DIV align=left>Acid Blend - 2 oz. </TD>
<TD width="40%">
<DIV align=left>Increase the acid level in your wine.</TD>
<TD width="10%">
<DIV align=center>1</TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD width="10%">
<DIV align=center> </TD>
<TD width="10%">6382</TD>
<TD width="20%">
<DIV align=left>Dry Pectic Enzyme - 1 oz. </TD>
<TD width="40%">
<DIV align=left>Breaks down the fruit skins to increase juice yields.</TD>
<TD width="10%">
<DIV align=center>1</TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD width="10%">
<DIV align=center> </TD>
<TD width="10%">6012A</TD>
<TD width="20%">
<DIV align=left>Potassium Metabisulfite - Powder, 2 oz. </TD>
<TD width="40%">
<DIV align=left>To inhibit wild bacteria and yeast growth, as well as slow down oxidation. Also used as a sanitizer.</TD>
<TD width="10%">
<DIV align=center>1</TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD width="10%">
<DIV align=center> </TD>
<TD width="10%">6355A</TD>
<TD width="20%">
<DIV align=left>Potassium Sorbate - Used to stabilize wine 1 oz. </TD>
<TD width="40%">
<DIV align=left>Used to slow down yeast growth and inhibit fermentation.</TD>
<TD width="10%">
<DIV align=center>1</TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD width="10%">
<DIV align=center> </TD>
<TD width="10%">6300A</TD>
<TD width="20%">
<DIV align=left>Wine Tannin - 1 oz. </TD>
<TD width="40%">
<DIV align=left>Increases the tartness of your wine.</TD>
<TD width="10%">
<DIV align=center>1</TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD width="10%">
<DIV align=center> </TD>
<TD width="10%">6365A</TD>
<TD width="20%">
<DIV align=left>Yeast Energizer Powder - 1 oz. </TD>
<TD width="40%">
<DIV align=left>Add ½ teaspoon per gallon of wine must to stimulate fermentation.</TD>
<TD width="10%">
<DIV align=center>1</TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD width="10%">
<DIV align=center> </TD>
<TD width="10%">6368A</TD>
<TD width="20%">
<DIV align=left>Yeast Nutrient, 2 oz. powder </TD>
<TD width="40%">
<DIV align=left>Acts as a food for the yeast and promotes rapid starting and complete fermentation. </TD>
<TD width="10%">
<DIV align=center>1</TD></TR></T></TABLE>




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Shipping Cost EstimateEdited by: appleman