Ok, then you will probably need to transfer into two 5 liter glass jugs. Airlock on each.
Dono if my wine is done or not yet
- Thread starter Elie
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Ok, then you will probably need to transfer into two 5 liter glass jugs. Airlock on each.
At this point I believe a general wine making flowchart will help. This is intentionally simple as the details can be overwhelming for beginners.
Also note that there is a room for variation and personal choice in wine making -- most things have a range of choices, all of which are correct. Some prefer something, others prefer something else, yet both are correct.
1. Crush grapes and inoculate with yeast in an open, food-grade container. Cover with a towel to allow air flow while keep large airborne things out.
2. Stir once or twice daily, breaking up the cap and submerging it. A dry cap is where undesired "stuff" grows. I stir wine daily even when it's just juice.
3. When the SG is between ~1.010 and ~0.996 (fermentation complete), press the grapes. This is an area for differences of opinion -- if the SG is in that range, it's fine.
This will typically take 4 to 10 days, depending on many factors. 6 to 7 days is typical.
4. Put the wine in a glass or stainless steel container under an airlock. If the SG was above 1.000, allow head space (air space) as fermentation is not complete. If it's below 1.000, fermentation is done or very close, so allow small head space.
When I press at 1.010, I typically allow 6" to 12" of head space, as fermentation is active and solids can blow through the airlock, making a mess. If fermentation is done, I allow 2" space from the stopper.
If you have too much head space, top with a compatible wine. If making Cabernet Sauvignon, use a good tasting Cabernet. If its an oddball grape, use a neutral (non-strong tasting) white wine. You are not adding enough to make that much difference -- far less than oxidation if you have too much head space.
5. Rack again in 7 to 14 days. Check SG to determine if fermentation is complete. A lot of sediment will normally drop. Rack the wine off the sediment, clean the secondary fermenters, and put the wine back in.
Add 1/4 tsp potassium metabifulfite (K-meta) per 5 gallons of wine, or 1 Campden tablet (crushed to powder) per gallon for smaller batches.
Add K-meta or Campden at every racking after this, including bottling time.
If using a fining agent, this is the time to add it.
Keep head space to a minimum. I keep a large selection of smaller bottles so I have something to put the excess in while keeping head space to a minimum. Early in the process, my wine making area is a sea of air locks.
6. If using a fining agent, rack again in 10-14 days as a lot of sediment normally drops.
7. Rack again in 1 to 3 months.
8. If after 2 weeks there is no sediment, you can bottle.
There are good reason to bulk age for 3 to 24 months ... but none are mandatory. It's your wine, do what you want. No one else's opinion (including mine) matters. Just don't bottle until the wine is clear.
Also note that there is a room for variation and personal choice in wine making -- most things have a range of choices, all of which are correct. Some prefer something, others prefer something else, yet both are correct.
1. Crush grapes and inoculate with yeast in an open, food-grade container. Cover with a towel to allow air flow while keep large airborne things out.
2. Stir once or twice daily, breaking up the cap and submerging it. A dry cap is where undesired "stuff" grows. I stir wine daily even when it's just juice.
3. When the SG is between ~1.010 and ~0.996 (fermentation complete), press the grapes. This is an area for differences of opinion -- if the SG is in that range, it's fine.
This will typically take 4 to 10 days, depending on many factors. 6 to 7 days is typical.
4. Put the wine in a glass or stainless steel container under an airlock. If the SG was above 1.000, allow head space (air space) as fermentation is not complete. If it's below 1.000, fermentation is done or very close, so allow small head space.
When I press at 1.010, I typically allow 6" to 12" of head space, as fermentation is active and solids can blow through the airlock, making a mess. If fermentation is done, I allow 2" space from the stopper.
If you have too much head space, top with a compatible wine. If making Cabernet Sauvignon, use a good tasting Cabernet. If its an oddball grape, use a neutral (non-strong tasting) white wine. You are not adding enough to make that much difference -- far less than oxidation if you have too much head space.
5. Rack again in 7 to 14 days. Check SG to determine if fermentation is complete. A lot of sediment will normally drop. Rack the wine off the sediment, clean the secondary fermenters, and put the wine back in.
Add 1/4 tsp potassium metabifulfite (K-meta) per 5 gallons of wine, or 1 Campden tablet (crushed to powder) per gallon for smaller batches.
Add K-meta or Campden at every racking after this, including bottling time.
If using a fining agent, this is the time to add it.
Keep head space to a minimum. I keep a large selection of smaller bottles so I have something to put the excess in while keeping head space to a minimum. Early in the process, my wine making area is a sea of air locks.
6. If using a fining agent, rack again in 10-14 days as a lot of sediment normally drops.
7. Rack again in 1 to 3 months.
8. If after 2 weeks there is no sediment, you can bottle.
There are good reason to bulk age for 3 to 24 months ... but none are mandatory. It's your wine, do what you want. No one else's opinion (including mine) matters. Just don't bottle until the wine is clear.
Remember that the wine becomes loaded with co2 during fermentation. The first couple months all that co2 will be escaping and more solids will fall out to the bottom of the vessel- as others have said. So it’s degassing and clearing and also maturing all at the same time. Brand new wine needs that time to come together.
If the wine is bottled before co2 is gone you can end up with random bottle bombs exploding is your basement!
If the wine is bottled before co2 is gone you can end up with random bottle bombs exploding is your basement!
Kit wines typically call for stirring the wine, post fermentation, to expel CO2. I tried it last fall with fresh grapes, and the wines cleared a LOT faster. As long as there is a significant amount of dissolved CO2, the wine will not clear.
What type of air lock? S-shaped (one piece) or 3-piece? If 3-piece, are you sure you have enough liquid in it? Maybe post a picture.
The scotch tape isn’t helping. You might as well remove it. Do you have another air lock to try? If you can see bubbles coming to the surface, that gas has to go somewhere or build up pressure. Maybe the air lock tube is plugged or broken. Maybe the bung is too big and isn’t sealing. Post another picture with the tape removed. Then take the bung and air lock out of the jug. If you can’t blow through it, it’s plugged. Press your finger against the top tube to seal it. Now if you can blow through it it’s broken or not sealing well. Make sure the air lock is inserted at least half way into the bung. Is the bung nice and flexible, or hard and maybe cracked?
Is the stopper a drilled plastic screw-on cap? If so, in my experience those do not seal well. I tried them but eventually discarded them.
It is also possible that the seal is good, but the rate of CO2 bubbling out of the wine is slower than you think, so you don't see activity in the airlock unless you watch for a while.
It is also possible that the seal is good, but the rate of CO2 bubbling out of the wine is slower than you think, so you don't see activity in the airlock unless you watch for a while.
Didn’t even consider a plastic cap. The picture shows the inside and outside liquid levels exactly the same. The time it would take to put that tape on would certainly build up at least a small difference.
If the stopper is not sealing correctly, the liquid in the airlock should be equal inside and out. One of the reasons I suspect a seal problem. As you said, I don't believe the tape helps at all.
Assuming that is a drilled plastic screw on cap, and there is no current alternative, stretch a balloon over the top of the container. Then puncture it. Screw the cap on.
When I tried the caps I thought the airlock-to-cap sealed fine, but it leaked around the threads. The balloon may seal that area.
This is guesswork, based upon what I think I'm seeing.
Assuming that is a drilled plastic screw on cap, and there is no current alternative, stretch a balloon over the top of the container. Then puncture it. Screw the cap on.
When I tried the caps I thought the airlock-to-cap sealed fine, but it leaked around the threads. The balloon may seal that area.
This is guesswork, based upon what I think I'm seeing.
