What is my next steps

[harmony24]

I have a strawberry wine made from a vintners harvest canned strawberries. It is a 3 gallon batch. I have racked twice with a all in one wine pump. The batch has been bulk aging in the carboy for about 7 months. What are my next steps? Rack and degass a third time, sorbate and sulfite, clear, bottle one week later? I think this is right but am not sure how much time should occur between each stage? Any help would be great.

 

[Loner]

1. Is it clear and degassed
2. Have you added any potassium metabisulphite since it went dry
3. Do you intend to add sweetener

A. If not clear it should be degassed and/or aged more.
A. If the answer is "no" then you should add sulphite.
A. If you don't intend to back sweeten you don't have to add sorbate.

 

[harmony24]

The wine is clear

I am not sure if it is totally degassed. No bubbles, but one side of the airlock is empty. Degassed twice using all in one wine pump

I do plan on sweetening

Have not added any sulfites yet

 

[Loner]

It's a good idea to add sulphite once you are dry. I too have the AIO pump. After a couple of rackings I hook a brake bleeder up to my Carboy and make sure it will hold steady at 20" ... If it won't it needs more degassing. You will definitely see the gas bubbles escaping if it's not fully degassed. The brake bleeder is inexpensive and easy to use

Add the sorbate before you bottle.

 

[harmony24]

Thanks a lot. If I am fully degassed, how long do I wait after clearing to bottle?

 

[Loner]

If you are clear .. Degassed and have sulphite and sorbate on board you can bottle right away.

 

[Loner]

I haven't made strawberry from whole fruit so I'm unsure of how long it could drop sediment. I would think after 7 months you would be good to go though. I'm sure there are plenty of folks here that have .. Maybe they will weigh in.

 

[Arne]

If you have filtered it, you should be good to bottle. I would stabalize (add k-meta or campden tabs and sorbate) sweeten it to taste. Let it sit for a week or two and make sure it doesn't decide to kick back in and ferment again and bottle. Don't forget the taste part, it is a great part of the fun. Arne.

 

[DoctorCAD]

Thanks a lot. If I am fully degassed, how long do I wait after clearing to bottle?

In a prefect world, you would wait a year or so.

Time is your best friend in the wine world. Right now, your wine will taste kind of hot from the alcohol and kind of bitter from the strawberries rotting and kind of dry from the yeast eating all of the sugar and kind of yeasty from well, yeast.

Let it sit a while before you bottle and all of those flavors will change, in fact, most flavors will change for years. I know everybody wants to make wine and drink it right away, but it won't be very good at least it won't be its best.

 

[chrisjw]

7 months of bulk aging and you haven't added any preservative yet? Have you tried it?

I would add kmeta ASAP.

Is the wine degassed? If not degas it.

I am sure that your wine is probably already clear. If not add finings. Wait a week or follow package directions. Then rack.

If you plan to sweeten with a fermentable sugar then you should:

add sorbate
add sweetener
take SG reading
wait 1-2 weeks to make sure that fermentation does not begin again (no change in SG)
bottle

 

[harmony24]

After further review of my wine log I saw that I have added potassium meta bisulfite twice. I have tasted the wine, it's good but slightly lacks in flavor.

 

[Arne]

Draw a little in a glass, add some sugar and see if that doesn't help the flavor some. If you decide to sweeten the whole batch, make sure you stabalize it first. k-meta and sorbate. Arne.