chokecherry wine

[coopman]

need help...made 30 gallons...primary ferm. went well...been in 6 gallon secondaries for couple months...never really seemed to ferment to well,but was noticable...may have racked 2 many times too early...about 5...last time added campden tabs and may have destroyed yeast...not working at all and not ready...seems completely dorment.sg has been stuck at 1.030 for at least 2 weeks...could use some advice.

 

[Hippie]

We need more info such as beginning SG, type of yeast used, SG when racked to glass, did you measure acid, temp, sulphite used in the must or not and how much, etc.

 

[coopman]

sorry didnt get hydrometer till after first couple rackings...used lalvin yeast..temps at 74..used lemons and oranges for acid blend,but really have no clue about measurement or sulphite..recently added more yeast and energyzer but still seems dorment...however just tasted and seems to taste good..sorry couldnt give more info..havent made this for 20 years...was alot less technical then and turned out great with just berries,sugar and yeast...think i might have read to much this time..lol...thanks for replying.

 

[rgecaprock]

Hi coopman,


Greetings......lots of knowledge here..you have entered a wonderful place!!!!! Where in Canada are you from?


Ramona

 

[coopman]

Thanks,im from Northbay Ontario,about 3.5 hrs north of Toronto....go Leafs go!

 

[rgecaprock]

Hi, Coopman,


I spent many summer vacations just north of Toronto near Sharbot Lake....actually at a smaller lake called Bass Lake in a little, no electricty, no running water, take a Coleman and a mosquito coil to the outhouse, cottage.......the best memories of my life!!!!!! Canoeing and fishing for the "Old Grandaddy Pike" and going to the Brewer's Retail when we didn't catch him. I'm sure you can probably relate!!!!


Also went as far as Martin River way up where the Northen Lights are shining down on you, camping with Dad and my sisters. Drinking Tamaugami Dry (sp) Gingerale..as a little kid until I graduated to Molson Golden or Labatts!!!!!


Spent some times in Toronto, too, EH!!


Ramona.....Glad to meet you!!

Edited by: rgecaprock

 

[coopman]

Glad to meet you to, i still camp at Martin River every year.

 

[rgecaprock]

OMG, I must have been 12 years old then and remember it like today!!! Do you know where Sharbot Lake is....near Perth...


Ramona


I'm born and raised in West Virginia!!

 

[coopman]

wine still inactive at 1.030..if im reading this right,its at30 about inch below 1.ooo mark. If i dont know original sg,could it be ready? the main thing that im worried about is adding that yeast and energyzer with poor results tainted my wine... before my last racking as mentioned at start it tasted good with a warm glow you could feel right to the belly....tasted today and it seems tart,acidy? or high alcol., and left after taste. should i rack again off lees left when i tried to restart or just leave it?, or is there something else i should be doing? coopman&nbsp ;&nbsp ;Edited by: coopman

 

[Hippie]

If SG is the same after 2 weeks, it is done. Do you remember what strain of Lalvin yeast you used? The extra yeast and nutrient won't taint the wine. Do you like sweet wine? Are you starting to see a stratification of layers lighterat the top and darker at the bottom looking into the carboy? It is sounding like a finished wine.

 

[coopman]

The lalvin was a champayne yeast but not sure exact type.I prefer wine less sweet, however my girls dissagree.It is clearing up and has been at same sg for over 3 weeks (1.030).Would it be a waste to retry another ferm.?,or just leave it for awhile? Also should i rack off lees from last attempt?.........thanks alot for the reply...Coopman.

 

[Hippie]

Rack off the lees and stabilize with sulphite and sorbate. The wine is high alcohol with residual sugar. You will not restart it. Dissolve the 1 campden per gallon with the appropriate amount of sorbate in a cup or so of the wine by use of a blender and pour it into the empty clean and sanitized recieving carboy. Rack the wine on top of it. Do not top up at this time as the wine will be trying to get rid of the CO2 (outgassing). When it calms down in a couple days, top up to within 2 inches of the bottom of the bung or airlock stem. Put the carboy away in the coolest and darkest place in the house (above freezing) and rack again off the lees in about a month or 5 weeks, top up, allow to clear and degas on it's own, racking as needed no more than every 4-5 weeks. In the meantime, make more wine!


Make sense? Any questions?

 

[coopman]

Stablized wine using sorbate and suphate...(racked)....im pretty sure the wine is going to be good,however its has a bit of an acidy taste...never used acid blend, but put some lemons and oranges in with berries...i doubt if i put enough in for the 30 gallons. The wine should be ready to bottle in 4 to 5 weeks...my question is can i add lemon juice or acid blend at this point?....thanks for all the help

Coopman.

 

[Hippie]

30 gallons? Wow. You do not need to add acid, you said it tastes acidy.Consider getting an acid test kit and learning how to use it properly.

 

[Waldo]

I am just curious about this progression. From the beginning coop said he had already added canpden and was concerned he had possibly killed the yeast. He never mentioned how much he had used but is it possible to add too much campden? Also, if a wine is not going to be sweetened after stabilizing is Sorbate necessary?

 

[MedPretzel]

Waldo,





In my opinion, yes, you can add too much campden. But if you stick to the 1 tablet per gallon, you should be fine. Too much would inhibit any yeast in your wine to ferment. The more you rack (and then ultimately filter), the less yeast per campden tablet you have. This equates to more campden inhibiting the yeast. At least that's how I think of it. I am sure the more experienced winemakers can offer the nitty-gritty of it, but this is how I think of it.





If a wine is not going to be sweetened, you don't necessarily have to sorbate it. I still do, because I've had some popping corks (for various reasons, I believe), and I just want to be sure that if there is any residual sugar, and if by chance I did not add enought campden, renewed fermentation will definitely not take place. Again here, I am just telling you what I think. Again, I do this just as a precautionary measure. You don't have to do it.


Hope this helps....





Martina

 

[Hippie]

I suggested sorbate because of the high amount of residual sugar left over in the wine. He started the wine at a very high Sg and the wine already has too much alcohol content to restart. It is probably very good tasty wine left as is and allowed to stabilize and clear and bulk age.

 

[Waldo]

Waldo,





In my opinion, yes, you can add too much campden. But if you stick to the 1 tablet per gallon, you should be fine. Too much would inhibit any yeast in your wine to ferment. The more you rack (and then ultimately filter), the less yeast per campden tablet you have. This equates to more campden inhibiting the yeast. At least that's how I think of it. I am sure the more experienced winemakers can offer the nitty-gritty of it, but this is how I think of it.





If a wine is not going to be sweetened, you don't necessarily have to sorbate it. I still do, because I've had some popping corks (for various reasons, I believe), and I just want to be sure that if there is any residual sugar, and if by chance I did not add enought campden, renewed fermentation will definitely not take place. Again here, I am just telling you what I think. Again, I do this just as a precautionary measure. You don't have to do it.


Hope this helps....





Martina

Thanks Martina. If one suspects he has added too much Campden to their wine are there any tests to determine this and if so how can it be be rectified?

 

[Waldo]

I suggested sorbate because of the high amount of residual sugar left over in the wine. He started the wine at a very high Sg and the wine already has too much alcohol content to restart. It is probably very good tasty wine left as is and allowed to stabilize and clear and bulk age.

Thanks Hippie..that explained the reasoning well and added another notch to my learning stick.

 

[Hippie]

Whew! That's a relief!