user 31015
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I figured rather than randomly starting threads, or shoving my questions in on other people's threads, I would keep them all in one place - nice and tidy!
Anyway, I've currently got my first country wines in two carboys (5.6lt/1.5 US glalons, by the way) and one bucket. In the carboys a Plum wine started Feb 14, a Pear wine, started 16 Feb and in the bucket, a Blackcurrant Dragon Blood started 19 April. Questions and notes follow.
The Plum
I recently (20 April) added a flavor pack to the plum as the recipe suffered from being a bit tasteless. A sample at the time suggested this was a nice improvement. I also stabilized and I'm not seeing any activity in the jar any more. SG ratings suggest that it is dry (0.990).
Question: Is it time to bottle this thing? The recipe suggests it needs another month in the jar before bottling for 6 months, but considering it was "wrong" about the fruit required to make something tasty, I'm not convinced I should follow this.
Question: So far the plum wine has a great deal of astringency/tannin that seems to be mellowing over time. I am guessing it will continue to mellow, hence the 6 months wait before drinking? Is this common (I expect so?) or should I have done something earlier on to reduce the astringency? I am thinking I should back-sweeten a little - wait to check it's stable - and then bottle. If so, what sort of SG should I aim for? Or should I pull out some sample volumes, add a little simple syrup and then taste test to get something ideal? I'm concerned that this approach will work for the "young" wine but that over time (if collaring is required) the profile will change and the sugar amount will be wrong for the drink.
The Pear
The pear is a great looking drop so far. It's been racked and is pretty much clear and very nearly dry at 0.992. The recipe suggests 5 months in the jar before bottling for 6 months again.
I've got a kilo (2lb) of pears ripening on the bench and expect to stabilize at some point (now?) and to add a flavor pack to the batch as, again, the recipe called for less pears than I now think is necessary for a tasty drop.
Question: Once I've stabilized, flavor packed, and waited for it to clear (bentonite along the way somewhere) I'm expecting I can back sweeten, wait to make sure there's no more fermentation, and, again, bottle this thing too?
Anyway, I've currently got my first country wines in two carboys (5.6lt/1.5 US glalons, by the way) and one bucket. In the carboys a Plum wine started Feb 14, a Pear wine, started 16 Feb and in the bucket, a Blackcurrant Dragon Blood started 19 April. Questions and notes follow.
The Plum
I recently (20 April) added a flavor pack to the plum as the recipe suffered from being a bit tasteless. A sample at the time suggested this was a nice improvement. I also stabilized and I'm not seeing any activity in the jar any more. SG ratings suggest that it is dry (0.990).
Question: Is it time to bottle this thing? The recipe suggests it needs another month in the jar before bottling for 6 months, but considering it was "wrong" about the fruit required to make something tasty, I'm not convinced I should follow this.
Question: So far the plum wine has a great deal of astringency/tannin that seems to be mellowing over time. I am guessing it will continue to mellow, hence the 6 months wait before drinking? Is this common (I expect so?) or should I have done something earlier on to reduce the astringency? I am thinking I should back-sweeten a little - wait to check it's stable - and then bottle. If so, what sort of SG should I aim for? Or should I pull out some sample volumes, add a little simple syrup and then taste test to get something ideal? I'm concerned that this approach will work for the "young" wine but that over time (if collaring is required) the profile will change and the sugar amount will be wrong for the drink.
The Pear
The pear is a great looking drop so far. It's been racked and is pretty much clear and very nearly dry at 0.992. The recipe suggests 5 months in the jar before bottling for 6 months again.
I've got a kilo (2lb) of pears ripening on the bench and expect to stabilize at some point (now?) and to add a flavor pack to the batch as, again, the recipe called for less pears than I now think is necessary for a tasty drop.
Question: Once I've stabilized, flavor packed, and waited for it to clear (bentonite along the way somewhere) I'm expecting I can back sweeten, wait to make sure there's no more fermentation, and, again, bottle this thing too?