WineXpert Is It Working?

[Barking]

Hiya All


Hope you can tell me if I'm being dumb or not.

This is my first kit and we decided on a Wine Expert Selection Original Barolo kit. We got free stuff with it: 2x30litre (5.5 gallon) fermentation vessels with two bungs and CO2 traps, plastic spoon, hydrometer and measuring cylinder and thermometer. We established a room with consistently 20-21 degrees C(sorry we're Brits

)
Started the kit as per instructions and fermentation seemed to be going well. After 6 days we measured the SG and this was less than the recommended 1.010 at 0.994 so I figured this was good and transferred the wine to the second fermentation vessel for a secondary fermentation as per the instructions (also a 5.5 gallon plastic buckety thing) and left it in the fermentation area for a few days. My confusion is that the kit says to leave it for 10 days but nothing is happening (no blooping

)and the SG is holding at 0.992. Should I leave it for the full 10 days, if so what is it doing or is this what is mentioned in other forum areas as bulk maturation. Should I leave it longer before adding the stabilising and clearing agents (in this case potassium metabisulphite and potassium sorbate and chitosan) or should I do it now????

If I do it now and leave the fermentation vessel alone for the 8 days for clearing will this weaken or affect the taste of the wine. Does it really need this 10 days of sitting doing apparently nothing or is this an essential bit for adding flavour as most of the sediment was discarded along with the oak chips at the first transfer (as the instructions said to do)


Sorry for the long post but I'm confused now

Thanks in advance

 

[Waldo]

Welcome barking...My recommendation in your case would be to hot trot it to my nearest wine brewing supply store and get yourself a 6 gallon glass carboy and rack your wine back into it. The bucket is fine for primary fermentation as the amount of SO2 given off will provide a protective blanket over your wine but after it slows down considerably, as yours has it need a lot more confinement.

 

[masta]

As Waldo said you need a 6 gallon carboy to rack that wine into. The 30 L primary buckets are actually 7.9 US Gallons and are the correct vessel for the primary fermentation.
Please take some time and read through our wine making tutorial and it will answer some of your questions and hopefully make the whole process clearer.


http://www.finevinewines.com/Home-Wine-Making-Tutorial.htm


A retailer giving a new wine making customer two primary fermenters should also read the tutorial since they obviously don't know the process!

 

[Wade E]

Like Waldo and Masta said. They should have given you a 7.9 gal.
primary(bucket) and a 6 gallonn secondary(glass carboy) I would go back
there with the 5.5 gallon buckety thingy and tell them to trade you for
the glass carboy thingy. Good luck Barking.

 

[jsmahoney]

First of all there are no dumb questions! I also being a newbie, have read the information they give at this web site, almost every weekend when I have time, and have learned a lot. There are a lot of people willing to help out. They have helped me out too! So, always ask when in doubt. You couldn't aska better group of wine friends. As for your question, I'm sorry I don't know, so you're question educates me too. Glad to have you aboard!

 

[Barking]

Hiya All


Thanks for the advice. I did go back to the supplier and ask for a Carboy to rack into due to concerns over the gas spoilage of the wine in these fermentors. I was told at the shop that nobody in the UK uses Carboys any more and the plastic buckety thingies are fine. The lady suggested that she could maybe order a Carboy for us but it would take a while to arrive as they don't stock them. Think I need a new wine shop!! Anyway I guess I am stuck with it for now until I can find another supplier and get the Carboys.


Thanks for your help tho


Cheers
Barking

 

[pkcook]

Welcome Barking,
Do you have access to a plastic drinking water bottle (5 gallon) and a 4 liter jug (full of cheap wine)? I would not leave the wine in a bucket if at all possible. The plastic drinking water bottle is not the ideal carboy, but it will be much better than the bucket and the 4L jug (emptied of course)should hold what is left over. If shipping a glass carboy is expensive, try the "Better Bottle" Plastic carboy designed specifically for wine making. In your case the shipping weight is a fraction of a glass one.


You are doing the right thing in finding another wine supply store!


Again, welcome to the forum.

 

[Wade E]

Maybe thats why I dont see to many wines in the liquor store from the UK.

Try to get your hands on a carboy as the extra area at the top of the
wine is not a good thing after primary fermentation. As pkcook said,
anything is probably better than the bucket.

 

[Barking]

OKay I have ordered the Carboys but I think this batch is already ruined. I will just have to chalk this one up to experience. We're on the final racking now and the wine doesn't smell too bad and looks pretty clear but I'm sure we will get a better product with the Carboys. A bit late once we had started though. Thanks for the advice guys. I've found another ship that does do carboys to order, seems there's not much of a market for them here in blighty. Bit odd really that the everything you need kit only incldes stuff that will ruin your wine hmmph!!!
Anyway thanks all and we'll see what its like when its bottled and compare with the next batch once the Carboys arrive.


Cheers

 

[scotty]

Barking
The no carboys inthe UKseems odd but i really would like some more input about that. Lets face it if they are not being sold there there is definitely a diferent train of thought although every wine book i have ever read by folks who spell flavor as flavour ((see i changet the text colour for emphasis.

)) always recomend the carboy as necessary equipment.


Sounds confusing but there is a reason whatever it may be.Sounds like the reason has to do with cost.


How about posting a link for a website in the UK. I would like to lurk there and see what the thinking is on this subject.

Edited by: scotty

 

[Barking]

I'll see what I can find but I am on this site so I'm not hopeful


B

 

[Barking]

Okay here is a link. I've not tried it out yet to see what they think just found it and posted but hopefully this should give the answers we're looking for


Hope this is okay


Cheers
Barking


http://www.homewinemaking.co.uk/cgi/yabb/YaBB.cgi

 

[PolishWineP]

The lady at the shop is wrong.

I've chatted with numerous Brits who make wine and they use carboys. They call them demijohns. Good luck!

 

[NorthernWinos]

Hi Barking....aren't caboys called Demi-johns over there????
Have seen on a Brit Fourm members had posted photos of their set ups and they had both, carboys and Demi-Johns....
I like the Demi's with the wicker....
good luck in your quest...

 

[NorthernWinos]

Barking
   Lets face it if they are not being sold there there is definitely a different train of thought although every wine book i have ever read  by folks who spell flavor as flavour  ((see i changet the text colour</font> for emphasis...QUOTE]

Scotty....
It's not just the Brits that spell things diffreent.....I am a Canadian...up there we spell Color as Colour....Flavor as Flavour and Check [like check book] as Cheque...It was hard at first to drop the extra letter and change spellings, but I have been here a long time now....
I still miss butter tarts and vinegar on every restaurant table to put on your 'chips' [French Fries]. I still call fries chips now and then and my hubby has a fit....

BTW....I still say owt and abowt...but otherwise I have lost my accent...I talk like a Yankee now...I think...Edited by: Northern Winos

 

[scotty]

ILIKE THOSE DIFERENCES

Its more human up there as i see it. Maybe i have been too close to major US cities all my life.
Only drove through arkansason a bike about a year ago and never stopped. I ll bet i would love Canada and some of those places out by Waldo.


BRRRRR

 

[sangwitch]

I still miss butter tarts and vinegar on every restaurant table to put on your 'chips' [French Fries]. I still call fries chips now and then and my hubby has a fit....

I spent a summer driving my bike around Canada one year and I ate my chips with gravy and cheese. In fact, I found that to be a delicacy and ate it a couple times a day! Never tried vinegar on them and not sure what a butter tart is. Love Canada though!

 

[NorthernWinos]

 I still miss butter tarts and vinegar on every restaurant table to put on your 'chips' [French Fries>. I still call fries chips now and then and my hubby has a fit.... [/QUOTE>




 
I spent a summer driving my bike around Canada one year and I ate my chips with gravy and cheese. In fact, I found that to be a delicacy and ate it a couple times a day! Never tried vinegar on them and not sure what a butter tart is. Love Canada though! </font></font>

A butter tart is a buttery little tart about 3 inches big...it would resemble a pecan pie, but it is butter, brown sugar and walnuts....yummy little devils...most bakeries have them... :&gt

 

[Country Vines]

OK guys, I need some help too. I started my first batch on Oct 8. I didn't use a concentrate kit, but I did use the recipe for concentrate from C.J.J. Berry's winemaking book. I figured this would be good practice. I used 60 ounces of grape concentrate, 180 ounces of water, 5 lbs of sugar and 2 pkgs of Red Star yeast. This is in a 2.5 gallon plastic water jug. The opening on the top is about 3" across. The instructions suggested a balloon for the "lock." The opening was a bit too big for a balloon, so I improvised. Since I'm a medic, I had a supply of powder-free latex gloves. So, there's a nice purple nitrile glove beautifully inflated over this container. The batch still smells good, no vinegar, etc., but what the heck comes next?? What do I do now?

 

[Wade E]

Ok, what was the starting specific gravity, how long has it been in
this plastic container, what is the gravity now. I dont know much about
this recipe but can work with a little more info. And by the way,
welcome to the forum. There are so many friendly people here that can
help you through any problem that can be fixed. Dont be afraid to ask
any questions at all. Dont wing it. Just ask and we'll be glad to help!


Edited by: wadewade