Mosti Mondiale Pinot Noir - topping off teh carvoy

[rvanzandt03]

Hey all,


Can anyone give me some advice on topping off my second racking on the Pinot Noir. I'm about 1/2 a litre low and don't want to dilute my wine with water. Not sure how it happened - over exhuberance of a newbie taking too many tastes, I suppose.


Thanks everyone.

 

[vcasey]

You have lots of options to top off.
Use a like commercial wine
Use glass marbles - sanitized
Use a smaller carboy and use wine bottles for the extra, you can get stoppers for the wine bottles just call George for the right size. Or you can just go on and cork the bottles for tasting while the rest of your wine ages.

 

[whino-wino]

Pinot Noir is a fairly common wine so you should be able to pick up a bottle without shelling out a lot of dough. Just stop by the liquor store tomorrow and find a decent one. You don't need a $30 bottle. You can probably find a decent one for $10 or less. If there's one out there that you know you like, get it. Make spaghetti for supper tomorrow and pour about 1/2 cup of what's left over after you top up your carboy into the sauce. Drink the rest with your dinner. That way the whole bottle is gone in one night and all for worthy causes.

 

[robie]

I like to use sanitized marbles but many times use commercial wine.
Since merlot is some what of a neutral tasting wine, you can use it, if you don't have any Pinot Noir.

Just don't use water except as a very last resort. Better still, just don't use water.

 

[rvanzandt03]

Thanks everyone for the replies! Water is definately out! Would have never thought about marbles - that's a great idea.
Hey Whino-wino, how's the weather up there? It actually feels like MN here in Dallas!


Cheers!

 

[whino-wino]

We've got a bona-fide heat wave headed here. Gonna be a blistering 20° tomorrow, which is about 43° warmer than it was this morning.

They're saying we may even be in the 30's by Friday. Hasn't been that "warm" since early December. After a month of below zero temps the crazies will be out in droves wearing t-shirts and light jackets. I'll most likely be one of them.

 

[rvanzandt03]

You should be drinking hot taddies or irish whiskey instead of chilled wine!


15 F here today in Big D. 50 or so planned for the Super Bowl, but its indoors, anyway.....not like the good ol days....


Hey - if my wine levels off at .997-.998 for three days, is it ok to go ahead and rack it with the stabilizer, etc. The instructions say it should be at least .996.


Cheers!

 

[Flem]

If you've stayed there for three days, you're probably finished. Being off by .001 could be because of the must temperature or the hydrometer itself.


Mike

 

[rvanzandt03]

Done. Here's after two days....clearing nicely!

 

[rvanzandt03]

OK, here is another stupid question. On my hydrometer, the reading at .996 shows virtually a 0 alcohol content. Am i reading this wrong?

 

[robie]

OK, here is another stupid question. On my hydrometer, the reading at .996 shows virtually a 0 alcohol content. Am i reading this wrong?

Not a stupid question!
If you are looking at where your wine finished, yes you are wrong.
If your wine's starting SG was at .996, yes, it would not have any alcohol in it.

The ABV is calculated -
(Starting SG - ending SG) x 133
Example would be a starting SG of 1.085 and an ending SG of .996
1.085 - .996 = .089
.089 * 133 = 11.837
The approx. ABV would be 11.837 %

 

[whino-wino]

OK, here is another stupid question.  On my hydrometer, the reading at .996 shows virtually a 0 alcohol content.  Am i reading this wrong?

In a way, yes, you are reading it wrong. Hydrometers do not measure alcohol content, they measure potential alcohol. What it is telling you is that there is no more potential to make alcohol in your wine. In other words, all of the sugar is gone.

Look at your notes and go by your initial SG reading. Follow DancerMan's formula and you've got your alcohol content.