Getting started

[Catfish]

I purchased my juice from a local winery. They add the yeast and other things to the juice before they distribute it. You just bring your carboy in and they fill it up. They said to just add the amount of sugar you wanted and put on the airlock. Keep the airlock filled to the line with water. They said to just wait until around Christmas and rack it into bottles. Simple as that. I started reading on here and I see you guys and gals talking about racking several times, adding clearing agents, etc. Just wondering if I am supposed to do something else with mine?

I use 5 gallon glass carboys. I purchased 4 gallons Concord, 4 gallons Niagra, and 12 gallons Catawba. I added between 7-9 pounds of sugar in each carboy. They are all fermenting pretty good in my basement. The Niagra was very brown muddy looking but it is now orange. Am I doing everything right? I was thinking about dropping in a few cinnamon sticks into one of the Catawbas for a different flavor. Would that be ok? Thanks everyone.

 

[winemaker_3352]

Hmm - do you know everything that the winery added in? Did that add any

Potassium Metabisulphite (K-Meta) in?
What kind of yeast did that add in?
What was your starting SG?
Are you fermenting in carboys or open container?

Usually when you near the end of fermentation (SG 1.010'ish) you want to rack to the carboy (Secondary Fermentation) and leave in there until fermentation is complete (3 consecutive days of the same SG) then you would rack again into a clean vessel for aging. At this time you could degass, backsweeten, add F-Pac, add fining agents. If you are backsweetening or adding F-Pac - you will want to add Sorbate and K-Meta in. If you are not backsweetening or adding F-Pac just add in the K-Meta. From this point you will want to keep your SO2 levels up by adding K-Meta in every 3 months. You will also want to rack a few more times - if there is a lot of sediment - rack every 3-4 weeks - if there is not that much - rack every 30 - 60 days.

 

[abefroman]

Do you have a hydrometer? If not get one ASAP!

That seems like a lot of sugar, these are going to be sweet wines.

Which winery did you get them from?

Xmas would probably be about the earliest you'd want to bottle them, they should be even better if you wait longer.

 

[Catfish]

Juices came from a Winery in West Central Illinois. They added the K-meta and yeast. Not sure what kind of yeast i will find out. I'm fermenting in the 5 gallon glass carboys with airlock on top. I do not have a hydrometer but I will get one. Do you do all the racking with sweet and dry wines? Or just sweet wines. I like sweet wine and my friends aren't fans of the dry stuff really. So I stuck with sweet. I have a friend who bought the juice from the winery. He used a little brown sugar mixed in with the white sugar. He didn't rack it. He waited until a little after new years and bottled it. It won first place in a contest against several other sweet grape wines. That's why I'm confused about this racking process you guys are talking about and adding back sweetener and fining agent and etc.

Thanks for the help

 

[Catfish]

*** They add different types of yeast per each type of grape.

 

[winemaker_3352]

*** They add different types of yeast per each type of grape.

Yeah - as different grapes do better with different yeasts.

One thing you do have to realize - everybody does things differently. Some folks do not use sulphites, others do, some use fining agents, others don't.

The reason for racking from the Primary to Secondary is to get the wine off of the gross less - over exposure to this can cause off tastes. Each racking after that removes your wine from being in contact with the fine lees and it also allows you to degass add finings, etc w/o stirring up the sediment.

 

[Catfish]

Thanks for the great info. So if it was your wine, when would you rack it off. I have Concord-Catawba-Niagra. Would you do them at the same time?

 

[JohnT]

IMO, Rack early and often. I rack after the first week, then two weeks after that, then a month or two after that.

 

[Catfish]

I have read that you can top-up the carboy with wine, juice, or water. Can I use tap water or should I buy bottled water from the store?

 

[JohnT]

I have read that you can top-up the carboy with wine, juice, or water. Can I use tap water or should I buy bottled water from the store?

Water should be your LAST resort. It will only serve to reduce the all over acid and sugar level in your wine (as well as thin out the taste). Never use water!

If still fermenting, I would add more of the same juice. If fermentation is over, then add a wine that is as close to what you are making as possible.

 

[Catfish]

Ok thank you. I will not use water. It is still fermenting. What kind of grape juice from the store would you recommend for catawba? I have niagra and concord wine I will use to top those 2 off.

 

[abefroman]

I'm going to hijack your thread here with a related question, I'm a newbie myself:
Do you rack before you degas after it done fermenting?

 

[JohnT]

Ok thank you. I will not use water. It is still fermenting. What kind of grape juice from the store would you recommend for catawba? I have niagra and concord wine I will use to top those 2 off.

I'm going to hijack your thread here with a related question, I'm a newbie myself:
Do you rack before you degas after it done fermenting?

I would wait until fermentation has ended, then add some store bought wine of a simular style/taste. (unless you can get you hands on some good quality wine grape juice)

I do a splash racking when the fermentation is all but over. This is the extent of degassing that I do.

 

[winemaker_3352]

I'm going to hijack your thread here with a related question, I'm a newbie myself:
Do you rack before you degas after it done fermenting?

Yes - i rack before i degass.

 

[Catfish]

Ughhhh. I added a bottle of niagra wine to the niagra last night because I thought I didn't have enough in the carboy. I thought it would get too much oxygen. Now I see I wasn't supposed to do this until fermentation is done. (It's still fermenting). Bad mistake? Still ok?

 

[abefroman]

Ughhhh. I added a bottle of niagra wine to the niagra last night because I thought I didn't have enough in the carboy. I thought it would get too much oxygen. Now I see I wasn't supposed to do this until fermentation is done. (It's still fermenting). Bad mistake? Still ok?

Shouldn't matter, I did that to mine too, and it still fermenting.

 

[Catfish]

Thanks Abe.

Would it hurt to rack my carboys while they are still fermenting?


I'm guessing this is a impossible question but how long do you guys\gals think this stuff will ferment? They are bubbling about every 20 seconds except for the Niagra. It was bubbling the fastest but it has been getting slower daily. Now it bubbles about every 2 minutes.

 

[JohnT]

Thanks Abe.

Would it hurt to rack my carboys while they are still fermenting?


I'm guessing this is a impossible question but how long do you guys\gals think this stuff will ferment? They are bubbling about every 20 seconds except for the Niagra. It was bubbling the fastest but it has been getting slower daily. Now it bubbles about every 2 minutes.

Have patience weed hooper! A slow fermentation is a good thing in most cases. My chardonnay has been slowly cooking for two weeks, and I hope to stretch it out to 3 weeks.

 

[Catfish]

My Niagra and Concord have been fermenting since September 15th. The Catawba has been fermenting since the first of this month.

 

[Catfish]

I ordered the Wine Thief and Thermohydrometer.

What type of cleaning solution should i get to clean these tools? Is there a type of sanitizer in a spray bottle I could order?



My wines are still fermenting. Bubbling pretty good. The Niagra and Concord have slowed down to a bubble every 90 seconds or so. They have been fermenting for about a month and a half. When should I expect them to stop fermenting? Once they stop I plan on racking them. Any advice you guys could give me on what to do while racking? Add anything? I seen something about "splash rack" letting the wine run down the carboy instead of filling from bottom up. Should I do that? Thanks everyone I'm learning a lot here this website is great.