Dragon Blood in 15 days!!!

[Dend78]

I bottled my first DB this weekend. DB is crystal clear in the bottles, however, I noticed when holding them up to a light, you can see some very fine "floaters" that can't be seen in regular light.
Also, I believe I had "fine lees" according to Dave in an earlier post. It resembled a puff/haze of smoke inside the carboy. I used a racking cane when racking and bottling, yet still got some of the fine lees. How do you a. get rid of fine lees and/or b. rack/bottle without bringing them over?
Thanks.

one can use a wine pump, or an auto siphon works pretty well, i only seem to get fine lee's in my very last bottle using the auto siphon because i have the carboy tipped on its side to pull every bit of wine out, which that becomes the first bottle i drink, which usually doesn't make it through the first night

just rack carefully, with the siphon you will see the fine lees starting to come off the bottom and your floaters will be less as well, and you can always filter it but my thoughts are always this, its not going to the fair so drink up

 

[wineforfun]

Thanks dend, I will keep that in mind. I may need to siphon from the top and work my way down instead of putting the cane on the bottom, right from the get go.

 

[wineforfun]

Now that I have my first bottled wine, I have a storage question. I need to store my DB (assuming it doesn't get drank first ) I posted this on the storage section but wasn't sure how much it gets read.

I have done some searching on here but haven't found exactly what I was looking for. It sounds like 50-55 degrees is ideal to store your wine. I don't have an area to make a cellar, etc. Right now, I am just storing them in a closet in the basement (not sure, I would guess it to be 60-65 degrees). What would be the best way to store my wine? Do I need to buy something, build something, etc.?
Thanks.

 

[Danml]

Started mine today.....Question. I haven't seen anything on camden tablets in the primary. Not needed ??

I don't see it in Dangerdave's recipe....which is what I went by.
Am I missing something before I get ant further ?

Thanks, Dan

 

[Tripplett]

Now that I have my first bottled wine, I have a storage question. I need to store my DB (assuming it doesn't get drank first ) I posted this on the storage section but wasn't sure how much it gets read.

I have done some searching on here but haven't found exactly what I was looking for. It sounds like 50-55 degrees is ideal to store your wine. I don't have an area to make a cellar, etc. Right now, I am just storing them in a closet in the basement (not sure, I would guess it to be 60-65 degrees). What would be the best way to store my wine? Do I need to buy something, build something, etc.?
Thanks.

I have read many posts on here on storage and for me I'm going with the racks from Amazon (I don't have a Sam's Club membership and seems they have a hard time keeping them in stock).
nice cheap wine racks!

Just make sure you read the thread about bottles sliding off if they are tapered. Metal storage racks from Sam's Club For me I'm just going to put some of that non skid stuff you use in kitchen drawers - put that between the bottles and no worries.

 

[Tripplett]

Started mine today.....Question. I haven't seen anything on camden tablets in the primary. Not needed ??

I don't see it in Dangerdave's recipe....which is what I went by.
Am I missing something before I get ant further ?

Thanks, Dan

I've read all the threads on DB, many times, before starting mine. You are correct, no camden needed. The berries should be sterile when frozen and the lemon juice will ward off any baddies.

 

[Tripplett]

I now have a few newbie DB questions of my own. Since I'm new to this and the only other thing I've done is a kit I'm confused by the pictures of people using just towels over the primary. For the kit I made I was instructed to put the lid on with a bubble lock. Should I NOT do that with this recipe? I read that O2 is good for your primary but it's confusing how it could be good for one thing but not another. There is no mention of either method in the instructions.

For 'stir primary vigorously', can that be done by hand or would you recommend a drill stirrer to make things easier?

Also, step 4 says to simmer the sparkolloid for 30 minutes. That seems excessive. Why would you need to boil it that long? I've used nothing but R/O water for all my winemaking / rinsing so far.

I've also worried a great deal about sanitation. I've been spraying everything with Star San then rinsing it with R/O water before use. I was using One-Step but worried about it's questionable sanitation properties mentioned on another thread so now I just use it for cleaning. I guess it's better to be over careful than under.

 

[wineforfun]

I have read many posts on here on storage and for me I'm going with the racks from Amazon (I don't have a Sam's Club membership and seems they have a hard time keeping them in stock).
nice cheap wine racks!

Just make sure you read the thread about bottles sliding off if they are tapered. Metal storage racks from Sam's Club For me I'm just going to put some of that non skid stuff you use in kitchen drawers - put that between the bottles and no worries.

Mine was more a question about the temp to store them, not how, per se.

 

[wineforfun]

I am new to this too, but see my responses in red below. I am sure some more experienced winemakers will chime in too.

I now have a few newbie DB questions of my own. Since I'm new to this and the only other thing I've done is a kit I'm confused by the pictures of people using just towels over the primary. For the kit I made I was instructed to put the lid on with a bubble lock. Should I NOT do that with this recipe? I read that O2 is good for your primary but it's confusing how it could be good for one thing but not another. There is no mention of either method in the instructions. Not necessary yet.

For 'stir primary vigorously', can that be done by hand or would you recommend a drill stirrer to make things easier? I did mine by hand, but I have only made 1 and 2 gal. batches.

Also, step 4 says to simmer the sparkolloid for 30 minutes. That seems excessive. Why would you need to boil it that long? I've used nothing but R/O water for all my winemaking / rinsing so far. I simmered mine for around 10 min. and it cleared up real nice.

I've also worried a great deal about sanitation. I've been spraying everything with Star San then rinsing it with R/O water before use. I was using One-Step but worried about it's questionable sanitation properties mentioned on another thread so now I just use it for cleaning. I guess it's better to be over careful than under.I have only been using One-Step and K-Meta so far. I am too new to tell if this has affected anything.

 

[tatud4life]

I now have a few newbie DB questions of my own. Since I'm new to this and the only other thing I've done is a kit I'm confused by the pictures of people using just towels over the primary. For the kit I made I was instructed to put the lid on with a bubble lock. Should I NOT do that with this recipe? I read that O2 is good for your primary but it's confusing how it could be good for one thing but not another. There is no mention of either method in the instructions.

For 'stir primary vigorously', can that be done by hand or would you recommend a drill stirrer to make things easier?

Also, step 4 says to simmer the sparkolloid for 30 minutes. That seems excessive. Why would you need to boil it that long? I've used nothing but R/O water for all my winemaking / rinsing so far.

I've also worried a great deal about sanitation. I've been spraying everything with Star San then rinsing it with R/O water before use. I was using One-Step but worried about it's questionable sanitation properties mentioned on another thread so now I just use it for cleaning. I guess it's better to be over careful than under.

I stir mine by hand and it seems to work nicely. I make 6 gallon batches. My arm does get a little tired after stirring for a while, but its worth it. You can use a drill attachment. It will do just fine. Make sure you get one with a stainless steel shaft. I had a plastic one and the back and forth action broke it.

I usually simmer my sparkolloid for 15 minutes and my secondaries are usually clear by day 2.

I always put a lid with an airlock on my primaries, but I just lay them on top. I don't secure them. Makes it easier to get them off.

I usually wash my equipment with dish soap and then use Star San to clean everything.

As far as the storage question asked earlier, I put my wine in 12 oz bottles. An idea I took from Lon. My DB and various varieties are usually around 12-13% ABV, so the smaller bottles makes it a little easier for storage and monitoring friends while they're enjoying my wine. Don't want anyone enjoying too much and then driving.

 

[Danml]

I've read all the threads on DB, many times, before starting mine. You are correct, no camden needed. The berries should be sterile when frozen and the lemon juice will ward off any baddies.

Ok, what about the finish process. Any camden there before bottling ?

 

[tatud4life]

Ok, what about the finish process. Any camden there before bottling ?

Nope! The Kmeta and sorbate do the trick! Hot mix sparkolloid keeps everything clear! It may cloud up a bit after back sweetening, but it will clear back up in a day or 2.

 

[tatud4life]

I used the DB recipe to make a batch of cherry limeade. I cut the amount of lime juice by 2/3 and raised the fruit amount to 7 1/2 pounds. I left the cherries in the must until it had fermented dry. The final specific gravity after back sweetening was 1.012. The result tastes just like cherry cheesecake with a kick! It is absolutely delicious!!!

 

[smack]

Ok, what about the finish process. Any camden there before bottling ?

it wont last long enough to need k meta anyway. i have made a couple dozen gallons of DB and i've not used any k meta, sorbate, or sparkalloid for that matter. ymmv

 

[Wyatt]

Finely a picture of my first batch of db. Hissing at me but not much in the bubbler? It smells awesome.

 

[tatud4life]

My bubblers never really do anything either Wyatt. Don't fret it.

 

[Pumpkinman]

Add heat Marc! You will see it come to life!

 

[Wyatt]

What temp should I keep the primary at? How about the secondary? Thanks guy's.

 

[tatud4life]

I had thought about that Tom, but I have yet to invest in a fermenter belt. I have been keeping everything around 72 degrees while fermenting. I get a decent amount of foam on top for EC-1118, but nothing spectacular. Would the heat speed up the fermentation process?

 

[dangerdave]

I'm glad Marc has been covering the questions. He's a real Dragon Blood Pro...and I've been fighting a cold. Ugh!

Just to make sure everything was covered. No sulphite in the primary. The sparkolloid does not have to be boiled for 30 mintes. Follow the package instructions. I usually put the sparkolloid and water mixture in a pan on my hot plate before racking from the primary, stabilizing and degassing. By the time I get all that done, it's ready to dump.

I store all of my wines on their side, in cubbies, in my Lab. Cubbies are getting full, so I'm building a rack even as we type.

I try to keep my fermentations up near 80F. The EC-1118 can handle it, and it does speed things up.

I never snap down my primary lids. Just set the lid on top, and cover with a blacket or towel to keep out bugs and stuff. Squeeze and stir daily until the wine is dry...then proceed.

Wyatt: Keep it going! It looks awesome!