What next?

[karrlot]

I'm making chokecherry wine. Is it time to stabilize? Can I bottle now, or should I just age it in the carboy?

As you can tell from my readings, I'm not an expert at reading the hydrometer, but I think I'm within +/- .002 on the readings.

Here is what I've done:


8/7/2012

20 pounds of chokecherries
17 quarts + 1 cup of water in primary bucket


8/8/2012:
I added:
4 tsp yeast nutrient
1/2 tsp tannin.


8/9/2012

After the must cooled down over night, SG is 1.025.
Added 16 cups sugar.
4 campden tablets
The specific gravity was then 1.085.


8/10

SG is 1.085
Temp is 78°
Reconstituted and pitched yeast.


8/11
Stirred it up. It has a foam cap.
SG 1.082

8/14
SG1.032
temp 70°


8/20/2012
Temp 67º
SG1.006

8/23
SG in the primary was 1.004.
Strained and racked to carboy.
The SG in the carboy was 1.002.

There is only about 4 - 4.25 gallons in the carboy.


8/25
Added 9 cups of chokecherry juice that had previously been frozen,
2 quarts water, 4 cups of sugar to fill to 5 gallons.

SG's:
wine before - 1.004
juice - 1.04
sugar water 1.13
wine after - 1.022


9/3/2012

Racked
SG 1.003.
Topped up with 4 C water


9/30/12

Temp 74°
SG 1.004
PH 3.6

 

[djrockinsteve]

When its thru fermenting rack off wine leaving sediment behind. Add sulfite (1/4 teaspoon for a 5 gal. batch) and clear 30-40 days. Airlock it and have very little airspace at top of Carboy.