Disaster!

[SusieMo]

Hey All!

Disaster has struck! I just did an SG reading on my 5 week plus wine--ready to bottle Saturday--and it's just slightly over 1.000. That's pretty much what it was on Day 1. What did I do wrong? I followed the kit instructions to the letter! There is very little alcohol in it, nothing really. I'm tasting it now, it might taste a bit sweet, it's not great or anything, but I expected that, it's young. But that SG reading is AWFUL! What can I do?! @KCCam you out there?

 

[KCCam]

Hey All!

Disaster has struck! I just did an SG reading on my 5 week plus wine--ready to bottle Saturday--and it's just slightly over 1.000. That's pretty much what it was on Day 1. What did I do wrong? I followed the kit instructions to the letter! There is very little alcohol in it, nothing really. I'm tasting it now, it might taste a bit sweet, it's not great or anything, but I expected that, it's young. But that SG reading is AWFUL! What can I do?! @KCCam you out there?

If it is a kit, then your starting SG was not 1.000. Water is 1.000. Can you post a picture of your carboy and one of your hydrometer in the wine?

 

[SusieMo]

If it is a kit, then your starting SG was not 1.000. Water is 1.000. Can you post a picture of your carboy and one of your hydrometer in the wine?

I pulled the wine out of the carboy, is that still a good reading? I can tell you that I tasted it and I don't think there's any alcohol in it. OMG I ruined it somehow!! I'll go get a pic.

 

[SusieMo]

My wine reading

 

[SusieMo]

My wine readingView attachment 64148

@KCCam forgot to tag you. I'm so upset ...

 

[KCCam]

I pulled the wine out of the carboy, is that still a good reading? I can tell you that I tasted it and I don't think there's any alcohol in it. OMG I ruined it somehow!! I'll go get a pic.

Calm down, take a deep breath. No need to tag me now. I’m following this thread. You said you followed directions to the letter. Did you record the SG at each step?

 

[SusieMo]

I think so. Whenever they told me to take it. Which was actually just at the beginning, and then a middle one--which I panicked about and shared with the guy at the store and he reassured me that it was normal. And then tonight. Ugh, I'm such an idiot.

 

[KCCam]

You obviously have wine there. SG is about 0.997. It’s a kit, so your must would have been around 1.075 or 1.085 when you started. There is definitely alcohol in there. Did you see the must foaming In the primary? Bubbling in the air lock of the secondary?

 

[SusieMo]

You obviously have wine there. SG is about 0.997. It’s a kit, so your must would have been around 1.075 or 1.085 when you started. There is definitely alcohol in there. Did you see the must foaming In the primary? Bubbling in the air lock of the secondary?

No. That I do remember. I make bread and other doughs and I've seen yeast foam. I don't recall this foaming. I certainly don't remember anything bubbling in the airlock. BUT when I did the big stir to get out the carbon (?) I remember thinking it made bubbling noises like sparkling water.

 

[KCCam]

So did you record the SG? Like write it down? The instruction sheet usually gives you a place to write in the date and SG reading.

 

[KCCam]

Can you show a picture of your carboy? With the air lock?

 

[SusieMo]

Can you show a picture of your carboy? With the air lock?

 

[SusieMo]

It's low because there was so much gunk in the bottom of the primary fermenter (the oak slivers I guess) that I left it there.

 

[Rice_Guy]

It's low because there was so much gunk in the bottom of the primary fermenter (the oak slivers I guess) that I left it there.

If you have the gunk send a photo, (you lost a lot) patience is an ingredient and more can often be salvaged by letting it settle more. With the normal lees (gunk) I will transfer it to a tall container like a spaghetti jar or a 250 ml cylinder.

The appearance with a 1.000 or a .997 is that you were successful NO disaster.

 

[SusieMo]

If you have the gunk send a photo, (you lost a lot) patience is an ingredient and more can often be salvaged by letting it settle more. With the normal lees (gunk) I will transfer it to a tall container like a spaghetti jar or a 250 ml cylinder.

The appearance with a 1.000 or a .997 is that you were successful NO disaster.

Yes, it took some time to figure that out. I have to learn how that hydrometer works and reads. I only tasted a wee bit because I thought it wouldn't be ready or I'd get sick or something. Thanks to this forum, I did learn that you can taste it. Tasted it yesterday and felt I couldn't taste alcohol. But it looks like it's okay. Whew. But MAN THIS FORUM ROCKS. All you guys are amazing. @KCCam walked me through a bunch of steps, looked at all my pictures, had great advice. And all of you here. I feel like I should be sending flowers.

 

[Rice_Guy]

There are posts on YouTube about hydrometers, or you can do a WMT search (upper right corner)
Wine is a preservative system, not a lot will live at pH and alcohol. in the scheme of things we have looked at the green mold floating on a cup the kids left in the yard. If it didn’t have some kick that kinda dinosaur is what we would get after one week
**** there is a thread called post a photo, I tend to like sunset however flowers are OK

 

[SusieMo]

There are posts on YouTube about hygrometers, or you can do a WMT search (upper right corner)
Wine is a preservative system, not a lot will live at pH and alcohol. in the scheme of things we have looked at the green mold floating on a cup the kids left in the yard. If it didn’t have some kick that kinda dinosaur is what we would get after one week
**** there is a thread called post a photo, I tend to like sunset however flowers are OKView attachment 64167

Good tips. I plan to make sure I know what I'm doing next kit. I have learned my lesson. I wish I'd found this forum before I started the kit. But it all turned out fine, so YAY! beautiful dino-snake garden. My son would like this. We're taking him to Drumheller in Alberta next week!

 

[BernardSmith]

But did you record the gravity of the wine before or just after you pitched (added ) the yeast. You stated (above) that it was also 1.000 but that is not logical if what you bought was concentrated pressed juice. There would have had to have been sugar in it and the sugar is now all gone so most definitely NOT a disaster. In fact, if you are not tasting ethanol (alcohol) then this may be far more successful than you imagine. It suggests a nicely balanced wine.

One thing you MIGHT consider doing is taking ,say 100 ml of the wine and boiling it so that it evaporates half that volume and so100% of the alcohol and some water. You then add distilled water to bring the volume back to 100 ml. If you take a precise gravity reading BEFORE you boil off the wine and a precise gravity reading AFTER you have added the distilled water there are calculators online that will tell you exactly how much alcohol was boiled off (alcohol being less dense than water)

Looking at the head room in your carboy. Do you have a smaller carboy that you could rack to (say 3 gallons) and then rack to smaller carboys (say 1 gallon) to take up the majority of the rest and then perhaps some 1500 ml wine bottles to take up what's left. You always want to fill vessels and that can mean filling smaller containers...

 

[sour_grapes]

I have to learn how that hydrometer works and reads.

Here is my standard recommended video:

 

[SusieMo]

Here is my standard recommended video:

THANK YOU!!