WineXpert First kit - BIG mistake! Help

[JohnK]

I'm hoping there is a solution to my dilemma.......

I purchased a "kit" from a store, unfortunately I found FVW after I bought my "kit" and was looking for cleaning/sanitizing supplies and bottles. So please go easy on me because I have since bought all my bottles and supplies from George, whom I wish I went to in the first place.

Anyway, here's my dilemma....

I have a Vintners Reserve Chianti that I started. I read the directions that came with my kit, but made (1) fatal mistake. Much to my surprise, I have a (5) gallon carboy and 6 Gallon Primary. When reading the instructions, is states to add water to the "5 Gal Imp"/6 Gal US. I missed the "6 Gallon US" part. So my carboy and primary buckets are (from what I determined) for beer making.

So now I have only (5) gallons of wine in process, not (6) which the kit makes. I took my initial SG and it was 1.080 (Being my first time using it however, in hind site, I may have read it wrong), but now I'm thinking it should have been higher if I only added enough water to make 5 gallons instead of 6.

I kept it in the primary fermenter till the SG was 1.010 (took 7 days at a temp of 72 degrees). Racked it to my carboy (only 5 gallons) and everything seemed to be going great.

So I started looking at what wine kit I was going to buy next, when I noticed most of the kits said they make (6) Gallons! Hmmm...? I went and read through my instructions again, and WHAM! there is was in black and white (5 Imp./6 US Gal).

So, do I have any options? Obviously I will be buying a new Carboy and Primary Fermenter from George, but is there any saving this batch?

Thanks in advance.

 

[grapeman]

Others might disagree but in my opinion I think you should be fine. Just keep following the directions. You will end up with a little less wine at a little higher alcohol content. If the starting SG was 1.080 it should ferment dry to about.995 or less and you will be good to go. There might be a little more flavor than you otherwise would have gotten, but that is not always bad.
You have already learned lesson 1 and got that out of the way early. Good luck from now on and welcone to the forum.

 

[masta]

Welcome John,


Everything will be fine and you basically have two options:


1. Get your new 6 gal carboy and when you get to the stabilizing/fining stage transfer the entire batch (liquid and lees) from the 5 gal to the 6 gal and then complete that step and top off 6 gal carboy with water.


2. You could continue with the 5 gal carboy (as some do) but take a big risk the wine is out of balance and you end up not happy with 5 gallons of wine that you don't like!


I personally would go with option #1.

 

[JohnK]

You have already learned lesson 1 and got that out of the way early. Good luck from now on and welcone to the forum.

Thanks for the quick reply!

I was even more concerned when I went to the brewking website and looked up the instructions they have posted. I states in Bold "NOTE: Making the kit to a full 23 litres (6 US gallons) is crucial to the functioning of the fining agents and stability of the finished wine. If you make it to any other volume, it will not turn out correctly, and any problems you may experience may not be solvable."

I read that and thought I ruined the whole batch!

I hope your right and it turns out OK.

I'll be ordering the correct Carboy and Primary today from George for the next batch.

I've been reading a lot here that I might want to get a second carboy, so I can rack from my Secondary for clearing purposes? Is this recommended? I'll order it with my other items if I need to.

 

[PolishWineP]

Some people will rack from the carboy into the primary for bottling. We usually rack more than the instructions so we need the additional carboy. If you plan to make more than 1 wine kit, I would suggest just getting the extra carboy. You may soon find that it's no longer the extra one and you'll need yet 1 more! And then another!

 

[JohnK]

Welcome John,


Everything will be fine and you basically have two options:


1. Get your new 6 gal carboy and when you get to the stabilizing/fining stage transfer the entire batch (liquid and lees) from the 5 gal to the 6 gal and then complete that step and top off 6 gal carboy with water.


2. You could continue with the 5 gal carboy (as some do) but take a big risk the wine is out of balance and you end up not happy with 5 gallons of wine that you don't like!


I personally would go with option #1.

Thanks masta, I think I will go with option #1.

Has anyone else done this that can tell how it effects the finished product? Other than thinning out the mix by adding water, does it adversely effect the fermentation/aging/stabilizing at all? Did it already adversely effect the previous fermentation stages?

Thanks for the info.

 

[JohnK]

Some people will rack from the carboy into the primary for bottling. We usually rack more than the instructions so we need the additional carboy. If you plan to make more than 1 wine kit, I would suggest just getting the extra carboy. You may soon find that it's no longer the extra one and you'll need yet 1 more! And then another!

I think I will get the extra carboy, but could you elaborate on "we usually rack more that the instructions". Is this for clearing purposes, or do you age your wine in the carboy? Or is there another reason I'm missing?

Thanks again everyone for all your help. I only hope I will be as knowledgeable one day so I can help out too.

 

[MedPretzel]

More than the instructions = to get more of the sediment out, if you want to be triple sure that there isn't anymore falling out of suspension. Although racking techniques (and thoroughness) may vary from person to person, sometimes to do it "one (or 2 or 3 or 4???!!) more time" is for mind's peace.


You don't have to do it, though. Kit manufacturers have a lot of experience in what works and what doesn't. You're certainly okay by following the directions, but you can be triple okay by racking an extra time (or 2 or 3 or 4!!!).

 

[PolishWineP]

I think I will get the extra carboy, but could you elaborate on "we usually rack more that the instructions". Is this for clearing purposes, or do you age your wine in the carboy? Or is there another reason I'm missing?

Thanks again everyone for all your help. I only hope I will be as knowledgeable one day so I can help out too.

We rack extra for several reasons. 1. We want to get the wine as clean as we can. 2. It is harder to drink the wine when it is still in the carboy. This way it gets more agebefore bottling. 3. Time. I'm sure there are several wines in carboys that could be bottled, but we just don't have time to do it right now.
You don't need to do extra rackings with kits. You can follow those instructions and get a great wine. We just like to make things more difficult!

 

[JohnK]

More than the instructions = to get more of the sediment out, if you want to be triple sure that there isn't anymore falling out of suspension. Although racking techniques (and thoroughness) may vary from person to person, sometimes to do it "one (or 2 or 3 or 4???!!) more time" is for mind's peace.


You don't have to do it, though. Kit manufacturers have a lot of experience in what works and what doesn't. You're certainly okay by following the directions, but you can be triple okay by racking an extra time (or 2 or 3 or 4!!!).

When you do the extra racking, how long do you let it (Umm...) rest? This is after the stabilizing? I guess I'm still not sure how long you can leave it in the carboy's before bottling? Is there a limit?

Sorry for all the questions. There appears to be a lot of variables and variations in wine making that are all acceptable, but for the novice like me can get confusing.

Thanks again for all the advice.

 

[masta]

I always allow 3 weeks minimum for settling after fining and stabilizing before racking for bottling.
My two cents: Extra rackings of wine kits make extra work, require the same wine to top off with and aren't necessary for perfectly clear and stable wine.

 

[Wade E]

I'm not sure what or if there is a limit about bulk aging the wine in
carboys, but i'm sure your going to want a 2nd or 3rd carboy. Believe
me, once you discover how good these bwines really are you'll probably
have e few going at the same time. As for the (5 gallon problem) I
would definetly try option # 1 because my friend did that same thing
his 1st time and the wine was not very good. It was a green apple
reisling which I believe to be one of the best Island mists out there.
If you're going to try a fruit wine the 5 gallon gear will come in
handy as a lot of them are 5 gallon recipes! Good Luck! Wade

 

[Wade E]

Oops sorry I mistakenly hit post twice.


Edited by: wadewade

 

[geocorn]

I wish I could add something, but the forum members are doing an excellent job!!!!

 

[Wade E]

Oh George, I'm sure you could you could add some ledge to this subject, you're just being humble!

 

[earl]

JohnK
This is the wonderful thing about making wine. You have options. You can get a new carboy, rack and top to 6 gallons.(I personally think this is the best option.) Or you can continue with your expirament to see what happens. Either way you will walk away with invaluable experience with making wine.


The choice isyours and neither of them is that bad.


earl

 

[geocorn]

I agree with Earl. Experimenting with your wines is half the fun. Unfortunately, I do not get to experiment as much as I would like. Since my customers want to know what each kit tastes like, I have to make it according to the directions. I would love to add some more oak to some of the bigger reds. I used to be a Kendall Jackson Cab person. Now I love a big bold red with lots of oak. I like a wine that bites back! I have great hopes for my Super Tuscan that will be stablized and fined on Sunday. I have my doubts as to whether or not I will learn how well it ages with the first batch.

 

[Curt]

John,
Typically people use a monthly racking schedule until there is just a dusting of lees on the bottom. At that point it can wait as long as you would like. The frequent racking at the beginning is to prevent the thick layer of dead yeast cells and other detrius from starting to rot.

 

[JohnK]

Thanks everyone for all the advice.

I ordered my 6 gallon carboys yesterday as well as a larger primary. Thanks George!

I did get the extra carboy like was suggested. As already noted, I will probably be buying even more so I can get several batches going once I get the "hang" of it.

I'm still trying to decide what kit to buy next.

Thanks again everyone for the help!

 

[masta]

John,


Glad to hear you have ordered some more equipmentand now you can't go wrong since you have the support of the forum to help you and have found the best retailer of wine making supplies!

Please keep us informed of your progress.