Dragon Blood-High SG

[Cellar Vader]

Thought I'd follow up, maybe ease the minds of any one else who has misread recipes, lol!
After splitting my original batch and creating 2 batches going at the same time, things have progressed nicely. Both batches were down .998 & 1.000 respectively, so removed the fruit bags. This was my first stab at using fruit (all kit wines until now) and I am amazed at the piranha-like effect that the yeast has on the fruit. Nothing left in the bags but seeds and a handful of blueberry remains.
I'll keep testing the S.G. over the next 3 days and then rack into carboys when it's done fermenting.

Thank you all for not making me feel like a complete dunce! VERY humbling experience, but taught me to read more S-L-O-W-L-Y from now on!

 

[Cellar Vader]

Actually, I meant the pectic enzymes doing all of the fruit breakdown, not the yeast!

 

[Jal5]

It’s all part of the learning experience! And now you have twice as much wine

 

[Cellar Vader]

It’s all part of the learning experience! And now you have twice as much wine

Thank you. And yes, there is definitely an upside to this blunder. I think it's gonna be a great summer on the deck!

 

[wildhair]

At those SG readings - I would rack into a 6 gal carboy now and put under airlock. It will no longer produce enough C02 to protect the wine if it's still just under a towel.

And I made almost the same mistake the first time I made DB. Once it finished and cleared - I backsweetened with Berry Juice concentrate & white grape juice concentrate - really perked up the flavor and body. I also had to add some calcium carbonate to tone down the acid.

If you go to my last 2 posts - it explains it in detail.
https://www.winemakingtalk.com/threads/my-first-batch-of-dragons-blood.64861/

 

[Cellar Vader]

At those SG readings - I would rack into a 6 gal carboy now and put under airlock. It will no longer produce enough C02 to protect the wine if it's still just under a towel.

And I made almost the same mistake the first time I made DB. Once it finished and cleared - I backsweetened with Berry Juice concentrate & white grape juice concentrate - really perked up the flavor and body. I also had to add some calcium carbonate to tone down the acid.

If you go to my last 2 posts - it explains it in detail.
https://www.winemakingtalk.com/threads/my-first-batch-of-dragons-blood.64861/

Thank you Wilhair. Yes, I plan to rack them both today after work.

Question: I want to make sure that both batches are the same before I bottle (later, of course). I have ordered a 20-gallon Rubbermaid Brute trash can from Home Depot ($24) which will be here in a few days. Will I just be siphoning both batches from their 6-gal carboys into that trash can (after they've both cleared) and then perform my back-sweetening? And on that note, did you experience any "cloudiness" or anything when you added that berry concentrate? That sounds like a good idea. These batches don't seem like they'll be sweet at all right now.

 

[wildhair]

I mixed mine together in a large fermenter to perform TA & ph tests. I treated with pot. sorbate and pot. meta (and the calcium carbonate) once fermentation was finished & then I added the Sparkalloid and put them back into 2 carboys. I siphoned them back into the large fermenter after they cleared, then added the juice concentrate. I only got a very small amount of sediment after about a week. Cleared just fine.

I have found most of the berry wines need to be a little sweet to bring out the berry flavor. I made a black raspberry that I left almost dry - tasted like dirt (literally - like dirt) until I sweetened it up some. Then it was fantastic - excellent berry flavor and aroma.

 

[Cellar Vader]

I mixed mine together in a large fermenter to perform TA & ph tests. I treated with pot. sorbate and pot. meta (and the calcium carbonate) once fermentation was finished & then I added the Sparkalloid and put them back into 2 carboys. I siphoned them back into the large fermenter after they cleared, then added the juice concentrate. I only got a very small amount of sediment after about a week. Cleared just fine.

I have found most of the berry wines need to be a little sweet to bring out the berry flavor. I made a black raspberry that I left almost dry - tasted like dirt (literally - like dirt) until I sweetened it up some. Then it was fantastic - excellent berry flavor and aroma.

Thx! Sounds like a plan, except I personally do not have a means by which to test for TA. Perhaps use the "mouthfeel/taste" method, and add small amounts of CC til it feels adequate? I do have a digital Ph meter, though.

 

[wildhair]

Use what you got, my mama said. ;-)
3.4 - 3.65 is about right for a red fruit wine, I think. More important than ph is how it tastes. If you add CC - wait at least an hour before testing and tasting - it takes a bit to do it's thing and you don't want to add too much. Depending on how much you add - it may may take longer to clear as it bonds to the acid and precipitates out.

This time when I made it - I added the CC into the must to get the ph I wanted. So far, so good.
The attached might help - info I gathered from a variety or sources.

 

[Cellar Vader]

Use what you got, my mama said. ;-)
3.4 - 3.65 is about right for a red fruit wine, I think. More important than ph is how it tastes. If you add CC - wait at least an hour before testing and tasting - it takes a bit to do it's thing and you don't want to add too much. Depending on how much you add - it may may take longer to clear as it bonds to the acid and precipitates out.

This time when I made it - I added the CC into the must to get the ph I wanted. So far, so good.
The attached might help - info I gathered from a variety or sources.

Thank you!

 

[wildhair]

In spite of all my blunders making DB and then all the "I think I'll try this" things to fix it - it turned out to be my wife's favorite last year. Never give up.

 

[Cellar Vader]

In spite of all my blunders making DB and then all the "I think I'll try this" things to fix it - it turned out to be my wife's favorite last year. Never give up.

Wildhair:
I have 3 more days left with my suggested 1 week clearing after adding the Sparkaloid. It's looking very clear already, but I will be back sweetening both batches at the same time in the trash can, and would like to follow what you had done with your DB in Feb/2018. You added 4 cans of Berry concentrate and 2 cans of Welches White.
Questions: What did you find that the white concentrate brings to the game, that another 2 cans of the Berry concentrate wouldn't? Does it give it more mouthfeel, etc?
Also, I will take a ph reading first and I have Calcium Carbonate that I can use to adjust if needed (and I believe it will, it felt very acidic when I racked!) But I know that knowing my TA is important. Did you use Titrets, or is there something else I should pick up?

 

[wildhair]

Yes, I thought the white grape would give it more body - it was very weak & watery, imo. Using just the berry concentrate might have been just as good.
I used a simple TA testing kit, my ph meter and my tastebuds to get the acid down.

I have another batch almost ready to rack again & I'll know if what I did this time (adjusting the acid pre-ferment & increasing the fruit to 4# per gal) ) worked.

https://www.amazon.com/Vintners-Bes...test+kit+wine&qid=1554729459&s=gateway&sr=8-5

 

[Cellar Vader]

Yes, I thought the white grape would give it more body - it was very weak & watery, imo. Using just the berry concentrate might have been just as good.
I used a simple TA testing kit, my ph meter and my tastebuds to get the acid down.

I have another batch almost ready to rack again & I'll know if what I did this time (adjusting the acid pre-ferment & increasing the fruit to 4# per gal) ) worked.

https://www.amazon.com/Vintners-Bes...test+kit+wine&qid=1554729459&s=gateway&sr=8-5

Ok, thank you. Good luck with this batch, and thank you for the link. I'm going to pick this kit up, and start doing things right!

 

[wildhair]

There are certainly more knowledgeable and experienced wine makers here than I am - many have helped me along the learning curve.

I don't know if I'm doing things right, but I'm learning, having some fun and the wine is getting better and more consistent. I'm anxious to see how it works our for you. Don't be afraid to let it sit for a while after sweetening and adding the CC.

btw - I often wait at least 2 weeks for Sparkolloid to fully clear. Don't rush it - there's no urgency at this point - time is on your side (as the song goes). You're making wine - not performing CPR. LOL