Advise for a first timer.

[subseageorge]

Hi Guys,
I am from Scotland but now live in Sumatra where the normal temperatures are 25 to 35 degrees Celsius. (29 today)
I decided to try making some wine as fruit here is cheap and plentiful.
Recipe.
Made 5 gallons,

Orange Wine Ingredients

8 kg Oranges]

1kg lemons

1 kg raisins

added Water to make 5 gallons

5 kg sugar

1/4 tsp Wine Tannin

1/2 tsp Pectic Enzyme

1 tsp Yeast Nutrient

1 Campden Tablet

1 Sachet Yeast

Made the oranges into juice,
mixed it with sugar and other ingredients and added 3 campden tablets.
Left for 24 hours before adding EC118 yeast and nutrient.
SG 1.130 (Think that might be wrong)
5 days primary,
Racked into carboy.
racked once a week after this for 3 weeks

The SG is now 1.010 for 5 days in a row.

Do you think it is ok to bottle. ?

Apart from the wine getting clearer i see no signs of gas.

PS surprising it is very nice to taste.

Thanks for a great site, i have learnt so much by reading all the posts.

George

 

[crushday]

I would not bottle it that quickly. Besides, you want it to clear all the way, right? Bottling now is likely to create a mess when you least expect it...

 

[subseageorge]

I would not bottle it that quickly. Besides, you want it to clear all the way, right? Bottling now is likely to create a mess when you least expect it...

Thanks mate.

 

[crushday]

Let me be a bit more specific. You have a high starting gravity (SG) and if your hydrometer is correct you have an ABV of over 15.5%. E1118 can tolerate 18 ABV so it has a bit more headroom.

Just because you don’t see any activity or ‘gas’ doesn’t mean you’re done. I‘d be very surprised if you’re done fermenting in 5 days. And, there’s no way it can be degassed within your time table.

Can you send a pic of how clear it is?

Anyway, if you bottle now and it’s not done fermenting or degassing, it’s gonna blow the cork or worse.

Sounds like a great batch. Are you planning on back sweetening? If so, you’ll need to add sorbate unless you have a sterilizing filter system.

 

[subseageorge]

 

[subseageorge]

Remember this is my first ever attempt. Back sweetening ?? I assume to make it sweeter. Actually last week it was quite sweet but most of that has gone, so yes i probably would like to make it a bit sweeter, but It is very difficult to get anything here, apart from basics. Can i back sweeten with sugar or honey ?

 

[crushday]

Ok, it’s obvious that I’ve misinterpreted your project. From the look of things, this wine was not started 5 days ago. It’s months old.

Wine that clear can be bottled, I think.

 

[sour_grapes]

Campden Tablet
racked once a week after this for 3 weeks

So I gather it is 3 weeks old, basically.

I would be really concerned bottling wine that still had 1.010 SG. At that level, it should taste pretty sweet, almost like soda. Can you wait a while to see if it changes more?

 

[subseageorge]

Since i added the yeast is approx 5 weeks now, 5 to 6 days in primary bucket, then i racked into Glass carboy on the 20/4/20

 

[subseageorge]

Ok, it’s obvious that I’ve misinterpreted your project. From the look of things, this wine was not started 5 days ago. It’s months old.

Wine that clear can be bottled, I think.

yes, almost 5 weeks now, ,

 

[subseageorge]

I think i will wait another week, then look at bottling it, As i want to start another batch now i have learnt alot of lessons. and as i said ingredients here are very cheap. Can i use sugar before bottling to sweeten it a bit ???

 

[G259]

Yes, but wait a while, it'll only get better with time. If you can't wait on the first one, I'll say that it's ok, but just remember that time helps. Maybe only open 1 bottle a month, depending on how much you made. I started with 1 gallon batches, or rather 4L ones, Carlo Rossi wine jugs. Not superior wine, (drinkable) but I got a glass carboy out of the deal (I have several)!

Sugar: Add potassium sorbate before you add sugar, sorbate blocks the yeast from reproducing, and will end fermentation when the yeast die off (soon).
You have to stop fermentation, otherwise you bottles will likely explode (ouch!)

That's why Champagne bottles are thick and have different corks, they add sugar at bottling time, producing the CO2 bubbles.
(and no sorbate)

 

[subseageorge]

When you say potassium sorbate do you mean Campden tablets? Also should i mix the sugar into the wine and leave it for a while in case their is any settling before bottling? I have 2 plastic fermenters that i can use for my next batch, so can wait a month or so before bottling if required.

 

[G259]

Sorbate is different, Campden (potassium metabisulfate) will dissipate over time, sorbate will not. However, both should be added together when you bottle. Normally, you add campden every 3 mo., when you rack the wine off of the junk (lees), plan to wait, never bottle cloudy wine!
Although, yours looks pretty clear so . . .

 

[G259]

A lot of people confuse bulk aging and bottling. Just because it is in a bottle doesn't mean it is optimum drinking time. I bulk age for at least 6 mo., then bottle, and try to age for another 6 months. When I'm able to do that, I'll let you know (lol!)

 

[subseageorge]

hahha, Yes, i dont think mine will last that long either, Another quick one for you mate, if you dont mind. How much potassium sorbate do i need per litre ?

 

[subseageorge]

OK, Managed to get some potassium sulphate from Jakarta, excellent. Do you know if back sweetening with 100% palm sugar would be ok ?

 

[G259]

Sure, take SG readings as you go, so you know what level you like it at. I tested commercial (Woodbridge) wines for their SG. Chardonnay and Cab. Sav. were 1.00, P. Grigio was 1.005 (that could have been a Resling), and Cab. Blanc. was .995. Note your levels for future reference, this is a fluid reading over time (ok, fluid, yes!)

(saved an edit: blanc vs. sav.)

 

[Rice_Guy]

First welcome to WMT. If your orange wine tastes good you have done a good job . ,,, A few thoughts:

* Your starting gravity was high therefore you are stressing the yeast. It will slow down early and fermentation may have run down/ stopped all by itself.
* Your ambient temperature is high. Yeast doesn’t like 30C.
* I expect orange wine pH, without added acid, to be high ,,, closer to 4. Lemon comes in at 2.5 with a high titratable acidity. For long term storage we like white wine (fruit wine) to be 3.3 or 3.4. If you are lucky you are at goal. pH target is based on the antioxidant meta being more effective at lower pH. pH also is a preservative which prevents secondary microbial infections. This is probably going to be a good wine to drink young.
* My experience is that I always have some active yeast for six months, I expect that you see this too. The posting about CO2 is basically saying most folks agree. Sorbate immobilizes yeast so the risk is low.
You have options on bottling/ freeing up the carboy. One low tech is to down size to 3 or 4 liter glass, keep the head space low on any for storage, and cover the mouth with a balloon. A higher tech option is a felexable wine bag, if you see the bag puffing up you can burp it and one can serve directly off of the bag.
* Several posts on CO2 imply it is bad. YES you don’t want it to explode. Commercial still wine should not out gas. Hobby Vinters with Fruit wines at state fair have bubbles on the glass about 50% of the time, you wouldn’t be the first to have some left, , most of us don’t worry. From a stability point CO2 acts as a preservative (keeps the system anaerobic) to reduce oxidation and reduce the pH which delays microbial issues (again a lot of fruit wine is below 3.4 pH).
* Wine is hedonic, yup you can sweeten to get it optimum flavor. From the point of view of sweet sugar is sugar. Commercial makers avoid some sugar as honey for back sweetening since it has residual protein and makes the wine cloudy. I think palm sugar also has some residual non solubles in it, I will be interested for feed back on how clear it turns out.
*Turbidity when back sweetened is cosmetic, how pretty do you want it to be? However if you never got it clear I would question if there was a bacterial infection while percentage alcohol was low.
* A comment you will see on WMT is oxygen is your enemy. For most of us this means keep the head space low.

Welcome to wine making.

 

[robert81650]

Welcome............I live in Alabama and make muscadine wine mainly along with strawberry.......................