Hi, All! I just have a couple questions...

[TylerWarren]

Well I'll start out my first post by being completely honest.
I became interested in wine making after a visit to the county jail.
(I was young(er) and dumb(er).)
Anyway I witnessed for the first time the spectacular alchemy which is "Home brew" And became obsessed with idea of creating a great wine on my own, and watching the process.

I have started my first batch yesterday and unexpectedly in only a period of 24 hours it has transformed.
I started with 100% natural no preservative or additive grape juice, Mixed a 1.75 liters with enough water to equal a gallon, 2 1/2 cups of granulated sugar.
And... Bakers dry active yeast. (I know, I know, terrible) right?) This is my first batch so
I only wanted to get a feel for the process, just tester then if I enjoy it enough I will put forth the effort to do this correctly.

Anyway!
Its been 24 hours and the color has lightened dramatically, clearing almost in a red hue. The bubbling is intense, and it smells of a very high alcohol content.
This goes against everything ive studied so im wondering what you all think...

Let me know!

 

[GreginND]

This goes against everything ive studied so im wondering what you all think...

Let me know!

Sounds exactly like it should - the sugar is fermenting away. What have you read that would tell you it is not going according to how it should?

 

[TylerWarren]

I read it would take a couple days before fermenting so heavily. It was instantaneous, And the change of color i assumed was much later on..
So nothings going wrong in there?
Thanks for the reply btw

 

[Tom_S]

Well the first thing to know about making good wine is don't make it in the toilet.

Baker's yeast will make wine, but wine yeast will make good wine. When I first started making wine I used bread yeast but it gave the wine an off flavor.

Secondly, if you get a hydrometer and learn how to use it, you will be able to make consistently good wine. Knowing what your potential alcohol level is will help you to know how much alcohol you'll end up with, and how much sugar to add to a new batch.

 

[TylerWarren]

Yes, I feel dirty using the bread yeast lol
Also i forgot to mention while in primary I decided to go with a cloth banded to the opening of my container. I've been reading and I am thinking of waiting till the aggressive fermentation stops (by eye since ive yet to get a hydrometer) and then adding a home made water airlock. But ive read that i could possible continue using the cloth throughout secondary.
Would that be slower to ferment or just wrong in general?

 

[BernardSmith]

Hi TylerWarren. Welcome. An hydrometer is really necessary because you want to transfer (rack) your wine from the primary fermenter to a second fermenter when the gravity gets close to about 1.005. At that point your yeast will no longer be producing enough carbon dioxide to act as a blanket to protect the wine from oxidizing , so you will want to be sure that a) the secondary vessel is completely full with virtually no head room (space) between the top of the wine and the mouth of the carboy, and b) you want to seal the mouth of the carboy with a drilled bung and an airlock. The airlock will still allow the CO2 to escape but prevent air from getting in. During the first days of fermentation while the gravity is still above 1.005 the yeast can still make good use of air. After that most of the air will bind with the wine and produce off flavors and discoloration.

 

[Tom_S]

Yes, you don't want to still be using a towel over a bucket for your secondary fermentation. There's just too great a risk for oxidizing your wine which will turn it brown and give it a nasty taste & smell. Get a one gallon glass jug and use that for a secondary. If you don't have one, go buy a gallon of cheap wine, drink the wine, then use the jug.

If you don't have an airlock and drilled rubber stopper, I'd suggest getting some from a wine making supply store. Plus a hydrometer. And wine yeast and yeast nutrient.