Am I reading this hydrometer wrong??

[CK55]

If you plan to keep making wine, it would make sense to pick up a couple of 6 gallon carboys and eliminate the need to top up with so much wine. By the way, did you check the date on the kit when you started it? You said the yeast was dead and that could indicate that you have an old kit.

It was about 11 ish months old but well within the recommended use by date posted on the side of the kit.

 

[CK55]

In regard to the green smells, I know Grenache and Syrah, depending on where they're grown, can both throw strong herbal aromas. Perhaps your palette is just more sensitive to these? I mean if you think that's bogus sounding, I just want you to know that all imitation maple smells like celery to me. Whole family dousing their pancakes in celery juice on Saturday morning. (Science explanation: Fenugreek is used to make things smell mapley, but it's part of the celery family) So you know, we're all different, perhaps you're just more sensitive to the green smells.

Either case, hope it comes out good. I have a Grenache/Syrah on my counter waiting to be pitched, so cheers!

Thats what a guy that has worked at many wineries that now works at my local homebrew store told me. He said i just probably was more sensitive, ive always had sensitive smell and taste, and because of that im the guy that picks out every smell and taste in every glass of wine and comes up with a list 2 pages long lol. And im not even a expert i just am good at it i guess.

 

[bstnh1]

It was about 11 ish months old but well within the recommended use by date posted on the side of the kit.

As long as it wasn't stored in the Sahara Desert it should be fine. I've made kits that were two years old. All I did was replace the yeast and they came out good. I've never run into dead yeast, but I guess it happens.

 

[bstnh1]

Thats what a guy that has worked at many wineries that now works at my local homebrew store told me. He said i just probably was more sensitive, ive always had sensitive smell and taste, and because of that im the guy that picks out every smell and taste in every glass of wine and comes up with a list 2 pages long lol. And im not even a expert i just am good at it i guess.

I pick up all sorts of smells in the air that no one else notices, except with wine. I can never detect any fruits, grass, flint, oak or anything but the aroma of alcohol and grapes.

 

[CK55]

I pick up all sorts of smells in the air that no one else notices, except with wine. I can never detect any fruits, grass, flint, oak or anything but the aroma of alcohol and grapes.

Interesting, as to the yeast being dead yeah i was suprised but it was dead. I got a pack that was just a few days out of production and it took right off and finished the wine. I told the shop that the other kit which was a white wine from the same shipment will likely need a new yeast packet as well. So they are going to give the purchaser a free packet of whatever they want.

EC-1118 is like US-05 for wine it does appear to be crazy hungry and crazy fast. it blasted through to 1.000 in 3 days. from 1.110.

it will probably be at fully dry tonight or tommorrow.

 

[Ajmassa]

But you did say it looked as it it was full fermentation the first time around too.

Why would you top up in you fermentation vessel tho?? No need to top up or worry about oxidizing at all during active ferment. You can put 6 gal of wine into a 20 gal brute trashcan with no lid and ferment just fine. No need to top up until after fermentation and racked into glass and stabilized.

And also I notice you said you will “move it after dry, clarify, degas then bottle”. You should no doubt hold off on the bottling. Especially since this was such a funky ferment. Let it age in the carboy for a while. It will drop out more and more sediment over time that you will rack off. Bottle it when it’s good- knowingnit will get better- bottling when it’s an infant hoping it gets good is not really the best way. Glad this is working out for you tho.

 

[CK55]

But you did say it looked as it it was full fermentation the first time around too.

Why would you top up in you fermentation vessel tho?? No need to top up or worry about oxidizing at all during active ferment. You can put 6 gal of wine into a 20 gal brute trashcan with no lid and ferment just fine. No need to top up until after fermentation and racked into glass and stabilized.

And also I notice you said you will “move it after dry, clarify, degas then bottle”. You should no doubt hold off on the bottling. Especially since this was such a funky ferment. Let it age in the carboy for a while. It will drop out more and more sediment over time that you will rack off. Bottle it when it’s good- knowingnit will get better- bottling when it’s an infant hoping it gets good is not really the best way. Glad this is working out for you tho.

To reply I topped up secondary. And i will move it after dry, clarify it then let it sit for the period specified in instructions and then bottle it.

I have high hopes that it will go from average to 20$ a bottle wine. Cause right now its vegetal and herbal so its deff just a juice smell. It will improve and even with a ton of yeast a sample i tasted was fruity and had good body, it was obviously sweet as it was not done fermenting but nonetheless i can tell its g oing to be enjoyable.

 

[CK55]

Update: wine hit 1.000 today and is probably going to reach dry by tommorrow morning and has no signs of oxidizing so im happy, i tasted the sample from the hydrometer and let me tell you guys, wow it tastes amazing. Its a bit sharp right now obviously but big huge cherry, and raspberry flavor, a bit of a spicyness, its really dry. And has a kick of vanilla from the oak that they had me added, almost a slight hint of vanilla turning towards butterscotch. The vegetal aroma and flavor is completely gone and i can tell you that when i bottle this wine its going to be absolutely cracking. The wine has cleared up enough that its slightly cloudy but i can see through the sample in the tube if i shine a flashlight on it so i may or may not add the fining agents. What do you guys think?

 

[TryN2Brew]

Looking at the picture in the first post, the reading looks like about .995 to me. I see the 70, 80, 90, but not the 100 mark, which is still in the wine. Am I looking at it wrong?

 

[CK55]

Looking at the picture in the first post, the reading looks like about .995 to me. I see the 70, 80, 90, but not the 100 mark, which is still in the wine. Am I looking at it wrong?

that picture is really old. Yes you are, the hydrometer floats high like that when its loaded with sugars when they sugars are gone it sinks nearly all the way into the wine.

Anyways I will check it again today to see if it has reached Final Gravity.

 

[CK55]

Okay I clarified it and it cleared right up overnight and then i bottled it. And its now aging in the bottle and doing whatever its going to do. The alcohol smell is a bit strong still but i think it will clear up with some time.

 

[Johnd]

So your wine went into glass “secondary” Wednesday, was at 1.000 and still dropping on Friday, and you were able to get it completed, degassed, stabilized, cleared, and bottled by Sunday? Seems a tad on the speedy side.............

 

[CK55]

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[cmason1957]

Yeah, it was speedy, because im a impatient bugger lol. I stopped it at 0.998 on purpose because i really didnt want to go any further. I also clarified it with the Chitosan and Kiselsol overnight and was absolutely crystal clear going into bottle could see through it with or without a flashlight. And had a fantastic aroma.

How did you "STOP" an active fermentation? You may have stunned the yeast a bit with KMeta and K-Sorbate, but that doesn't kill the yeast or even make them stop fermenting. The only real way to stop an active fermentation is to get it really cold, sterile filter (that's to an absolute value of < .5 and then wait to make certain that only one little yeastie didn't make it through to thwart your best try.

 

[Scooter68]

Since you wanted it crystal clear, I hope it doesn't throw off some crystals or sediment in a few weeks or months. That's one of the values of waiting - making sure that wine stays crystal clear.

The phrase "Act In Haste, Repent At Leisure" * applies all too often in wine making.

Patience is a highly undervalued virtue for many new to wine making. Been there, done that, don't want to do it again.

* (There are various versions of this quote around perhaps the more accurate might be "Marry in Haste, Repent in leisure. But the basic message applies)

 

[CK55]

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[CK55]

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[CK55]

Whats the best storage temperature for a Grenache/Syrah Blend with 16.5%Abv. And how long should I age it, the tannins are extremely sharp. And heavy quite mouth puckering.

 

[sour_grapes]

Whats the best storage temperature for a Grenache/Syrah Blend with 16.5%Abv. And how long should I age it, the tannins are extremely sharp. And heavy quite mouth puckering.

Something cold enough that your unfinished fermentation doesn't start back up and create bottle bombs. Something in the 40's (F), maybe?

 

[CK55]

Fermentation was 100% completed on it's own and died off naturally. I screwed up what I said. It was done then I added sulphites and sorbate. So their was no risk even without sorbate of fermentation coming back to life.