WineXpert Goodness, I hope it’s ok!

[djcoop]

Ok, so today I went to see George. He and his brother are so nice!Bought the peach apricot chardonnay to start after I get my chianti out of the primary. Also, I got a thermometer. Came home, the must was a little cold 68F. Looked good, had that chunky looking stuff on top, I'm sure there is a name I am supposed to call it

. So, I leave for work tonight and put a heating pad around it on the side to warm it up in the 70's. Of course the hubby was supposed to call me at 7pm for a temp report, but he got side tracked doing the taxes

. I come home and open my lid, all the chunky stuff up top is gone and it was major bubbling and smelt a little different. So of course I got a little concerned, checked the temp, it was 76. And since it smelt kinda different to me, I thought maybe I should sneak a little to taste

. It tasted fine, really sweet (only day 2). SG 1.07 (I hope I'm reading right, was gonna have George show me today to make sure. The hydrometer seems very sensitive- gosh isn't there something digital?)


Anywho, if I did something dumb, just let me know. I did turn off the heating pad though.


Have a great night! Donna

 

[bilbo-in-maine]

Major bubbling sounds good!

You are fine - you don't need to worry about 76 degrees, and you did well
to turn off the heat. Try to keep it 72-74ish, but don't obsess over it -
and stay friends with your hydrometer. You'll be needing its help many,
many times from now on. SG of 1.07 at day two sounds about right, I
don't know what the starting number was. There is no need to check daily
unless you want the practice.

Next important check will be day 5 to 7 when you'll look for an SG around
1.01 and your first experience with racking!

You are lucky to have
George to go to for help.

Hope this helps.

Bill

 

[pkcook]

Hi Donna,


It should be fine

. 70 deg is a good target temp, but most wine yeasts have a pretty good temp range and 68 deg is well within that range. Not sure what yeast was provided with the kit, but the yeasts I've used are active down to about 65. I did see one that stated 45 for a low, but I've not used it.


You did the right thing in turning off the heat pad. You are better having a little slower fermentation than a "hot," fast fermentation. At 68, if you are still having bubbling and/or foam, fermentation is still active.

 

[MedPretzel]

Hi Donna!





Look at this page. [url]http://www.finevinewines.com/Wiz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=6 00&KW=hydrometer+Waldo&PN=0&TPN=2 [/url]

 

[djcoop]

Martina! thank you for the link. I just went to see George yesterday, but on my next trip (next week

??) I am going to get a new hydrometer. I have the same one the Waldo had at first. Came w/ the kit. I know as I progress and start doing my fruit based wines and attempting wines out of a kit, my equipment will become more and more important. Yesterday I picked up the peach/ apricot chard and some supplies (themometer, bottles, yeast nutrient, xtra carboy, etc.) Never dawned on me to look at other models of hydrometers. Thanks so much! Oh, and I can't tell you home much I enjoy all of you photos, instructionals, etc. as well as your websites. I especially love the pics of you sneaking drinks as you rack--- I know that will so be me!!

 

[MedPretzel]

Glad to help!


Being on the forum for a long time makes it helpful when we're lazy.

I usually think, "Wasn't there a similar question in the past?"

A spare hydromter is always good too. I keep one in the kitchen, for when I want to test store-bought wines for their SG (recently a Niagara -- I made one last year, and it seems that I sweetened it exactly the same as the local vineyard did). Also, I would suggest -- if you want to learn more about wines and wine-tasting - to get either pH strips (not that accurate) or a pH-meter (easy to use) for testing your own and store-bought wines. It tunes you into more what you like and how to maybe even reproduce it one day.


I wish they'd have an "oakometer" to test oak levels. I still don't think I can taste oak.

Your wines sound great! The "chunks" you see are totally normal. The chunks will start to look a little dried out over the next few days. I would say, definitely follow the directions to the letter, but if you feel too passive about just letting it sit, I'd stir it a little to get the "dryness" of the foam moistened again. But that's just me.

Martina

 

[djcoop]

Martina-


There are no "chunks" on top any longer, just foaming bubbles. Is that normal, or should I give it a stir or just leave it alone. It is day 2 (mixed tues.) By the look of your basement, you definetly are a pro

Tks-D

 

[MedPretzel]

Donna, the foaming is normal too. Don't worry!


The foaming bubbles might start to look a little dry tomorrow or the day after. I gently stir mine (like I'm stirring a pot of boiling water) to re-moisten the foam. But this is not vital. Follow the instructions that came with your kit, and you'll be fine.

If you decide to stir, have an oldtowel handy, just in case it really foams up. (I speak out of experience

) You have some great instructions with the kit, so keep that as your bible for this wine. The advice here is just sometimes "tips and tricks and 'I wanna hear myself talk' type of comments."

On day 2 of fermentation, your "wine" will taste like juice. It starts tasting more like wine once you've hit a hydrometer reading of (SG) 1.020 or so. That's usually when you rack it into a glass carboy. As Waldo would say, "Patience Podner!"

Just remember, above all:
The instruction sheet is your wine-bible!

Buy yourself a couple of Carlo-Rossi wines (1-gallon), use it for topping up/drinking/marinading/cooking/fertilizer/whatever, and start another wine.