Clearing fruit wine

[rrawhide]

Good morning all



I have strawberry, peach & blackberry wines in 1 gallon glass
carboys and have a question - none of the fruit wine receipes address
the clearing stage. Will the clearing be naturally done with
sediment settling and additional racking or do I need to add a fining
agent such as super-clear or ? at a later date? Also, I only have
18 airlocks and they are all being used at this time. Can I use a
balloon on a 750ml bottle of strawberry? Since I do not have any
balloons can I use a finger off of a rubber glove or should I use the
whole glove? Does the glove/finger need to be punctured to allow
the gas escape or will it just stay in the glove? Will it retreat
back into the wine? Just wondering!!!

 

[smurfe]

Ideally you want nature and time to do it's job to clear your wine. Racking off the lees as they build up. If for some reason it refuses to clear after an acceptable time frame which varies for various wines it is acceptable to use a clearing agent.


I regards to the airlock you can use the finger of a rubber glove with a pin hole pricked in it to release the gas. Now you and many may laugh but what would be better than a finger of a glove would be to use a condom (non-lubricated/non-spermicide). The reason for this is it is limp and will lay over the top of the bottle sealing it off. Think of the finger of a glove. It will stand straight up and not provide a true seal. The condom will hang over the side of the bottle and cover the opening. As gas builds up it will force itself up and out through the puncture in the end but will lay over the opening sealing air from entering the bottle.


You may ask why I would suggest such a thing? Well as some of you know I am a paramedic. For years until various vendors devised a one way valve device we would use condoms to create a one way valve for chest decompressions which is a temporary measure to deal with a collapsed lung until a doctor could insert a chest tube. We tried the fingertips of gloves but they didn't work well. We started taking the condoms and sticking an IV catheter thru the reservoir tip. You then take the IV needle and shove it into the chest in the appropriate place. You remove the needle and leave the plastic catheter of the in in the chest. The condom hangs down over the opening of the catheter. Air can come out but when the person breaths in the pliability of the condom covers the opening and does not allow air to enter.


So, before I would use the finger of a glove I would rubber band a condom over the top of the bottle with a pinhole in the end for CO2 to release. Just make sure it is non-lubricated and has no spermicide on it. It is basically a very limp and pliable balloon that will offer a better seal than a glove fingertip will.

 

[rrawhide]

smurfe -



let's see - if I got this right -



I'm 64 and when I walk into the store asking for condoms -



I wonder who will be left to help me because, I'm sure, everyone will be on the floor in hysterics!!!!!

 

[pizzaerick]

No, they won't laugh, they'll be jealous.

 

[smurfe]

smurfe -

let's see - if I got this right -

I'm 64 and when I walk into the store asking for condoms -

I wonder who will be left to help me because, I'm sure, everyone will be on the floor in hysterics!!!!!

Naw, wouldn't be any different than when I used to pull the ambulance into the drugstore and buy abigol' boxof them to distribute between all of the units and the supply room.

 

[Wade E]

Make sure you get the glow in the dark ones that are ribbed for your wines pleasure!

 

[masta]

Make sure you get the glow in the dark ones that are ribbed for your wines pleasure!

Only if you put it on the bottle with the ribs on the inside!

 

[Joanie]

This reminds me of the two little old ladies who were sunning on the beach in Miami. The first lady pulled out her cigarettes and the other looked at them and asked what she had them in. She told her it was a condom and it was great for keeping her cigarettes dry and the sand out. The second lady asked her where she got them and was told, "From the drugstore. They're not very expensive and they work great."

The next day the second lady stops at CVS and tells the pharmacist she needs a condom. The pharmacist looks at her, notes her age, and figures he'll have a little fun with her. He snickers a bit and says, "Well now! What size condom would you like, ma'am?" The woman got flustered because she didn't know they came in different sizes and said, "Do you have one that'll fit a Camel?"

 

[grapeman]

You all are just too much. Here I am minding my business checking up on a few posts cause it's too dang hot to be in the vineyard. I read these posts and now I'm just flat out LMAO! Cindy came in just as I read the bit about the Camel and she thought I had wee bit much of the Niagara I'm drinkin' until I read her Joan's post!

 

[masta]

As the Admin I should know better not to encourage this!

 

[smurfe]

I knew there would be a lot of jokes about my suggestion but I am dead serious. It would work a lot better than the finger off a glove or even a regular balloon. This suggestion has scientific research behind it.