1st attempt at Wine making, Welches Concentrate (Please Help Validate Steps)

[JimC]

ok I altered my Cheat Sheet for next time per the comments so far ...

Making Wine from Welch’s Concentrate in 6 Gallon Carboy

1. Clean: Clean all items with B-Brite. Bucket/ Carboy, etc.
2. Sterilize: Sterilize all items with Sodium Metabisolufate. Use 1 gallon jug fill with ½ water then 2 oz of Sodium Metabisolfate, shake until dissolved then add rest of water. Use in sprayer our pouring over all items.
3. Thaw 12 (2 per gallon) Welch’s 100% frozen concentrate (Now told should be 4 cans per gallon) while dissolving Sugar in spring water on stove.
4. Mix up Must: Add Welch’s, (8lbs) Sugar-Water (hmm I won’t know now how much sugar next time to use instead of 8 lbs get to close to 1.090 ??), (7 tsp) Acid, (3 tsp) Pectic Enzyme, (6) Campden tablets crushed and dissolved in water. Then add 3 tsp. Super Ferment yeast nutrient - cheap insurance. Mix up in bucket and top off with spring water to 6 gallon line. Place bucket lid on and let sit for 24 hours. Stir 3-4 Times during this period. Measure S.G and it should be between 1.080 and 1.100
If initial SG is short of the minimum 1.080, then add Sugar per table…
5. Yeast add: After 24 hours dissolve yeast in water 100 degrees to 105 degrees and let sit for 10 mins then pour into Must and recover with lid placed over and no air lock.
6. Check daily monitoring the activity of fermentation checking S.G. Two Schools of thought here A) S.G. until SG is 1.010 or less, B) drop in SG from OG of a % - some use 50%, some 66%, some 75%) This is when you rack from bucket to carboy.
7. Racking (1) to Carboy: Rack to carboy using the sterilized siphon careful not to overfill, or suck up sediment but fill up to neck. Fit Airlock in carboy with some Sodium Metabisolfite and water ½ in Airlock. Let it sit for 3 weeks to 6 weeks.
8. Racking (2): Rerack into 2nd carboy. Degass 1st before re-racking with the drill attachment being carful on speed until hardly any bubbles forming up. Once you've de-gassed the wine, add the bentonite or other clarifier (if pushing). Then add 3-4 Campden Tablet for 6 gallons (Crushed in spring water) and place in 2nd Carboy before re-racking wine over. Reapply Airlock and let sit for another month or if you can wait 3-4 monthsas longer teh better .
9. Pre bottling: Check for sweetness and see if to liking if you need to backsweeten then add sorbate and ke meta to the bottom of a clean and sanitized carboy, rack onto it, stir, and allow it to sit for 3-5 days, then adjust your sugars. If not backsweetening then no sorbate needed.
10. Bottling: Sterilize Bottles with the potassium MetaBisolufate then bottle.

 

[Arne]

http://web2.airmail.net/sgross/fermcalc/fermcalc_applet.html If you go here, you should be able to figure out pretty close how much sugar you have to add. Arne.

 

[harmony24]

Should not need an airlock during the primary fermentation do you? I never have. I thought that you need a good bit of air during this stage to make the fermentation happen. Maybe I am doing it wrong.

 

[JimC]

I took it off after 24 hours after reading all the responses and other threads and just loosely placed the bucket lid on top... It worked great. ~ 6 days later (3/22) at 1.006 I reracked to carboy and air locked. It was was bubbling once every 2 seconds at 1st through airlock now it is clam only about once every minute but good bubble coming up from sides...

I have not disturbed for any measurements... Do I leave for how long before reracking from secondary for 1st time and adding Camden tablets or kmeta.... I am in no hurry I just want to make sure I don't need any treatments... I got my Allinone today and am awaiting my fast filters delivery

 

[jswordy]

Jim, I can tell by the color that you are light on Welch's concentrate. I believe you said you used 2 cans/gallon. It will be thin. That's OK, for this batch you just need to buy more and add it in to back flavor after you stabilize with sorbate and dose with k meta, then let the wine settle out another 6-8 weeks or so and bottle. I'd expect it will need another 6 cans minimum.

IMHO, the ideal amount is 4 cans per gallon. This is how we learn, though, and everyone has gone through climbing that learning curve.

Now back flavoring like that will cut your alcohol content, but not too bad over a 6-gallon batch.

I'd rack it about a month from the time you put it in there. On the next racking after that, I'd add the sorbate and k meta and make your flavor adjustments.