My first day of winemaking

[RylanJacobs]

I wanted to start a thread as I start my first wine kit. This is my first foray into fermentation and winemaking.

Yesterday I started a Finer Wine Kits Tavola Riesling.

After sanitizing with Star-Sans and spritzing materials with EverClear (something a professional winemaker told me to do) I started the kit. My Original Gravity at 6 gallons was 1.100. I added a little more water to try and bring it closer to 1.090, but didn't want to overfill. At best, I brought the specific gravity to 1.095. I'm hoping this is good enough. The instructions say anywhere between 1.080-1.100. I tasted the juice straight from the bag. It was syrupy and very sweet. However, it had virtually no aromatic. I'm wondering if this will change over time?

I added the carbon and bentonite. The carbon made a big dusty mess and turned the juice charcoal black. Instructions say not to worry about it, but it's still slightly unnerving. I then added "Packet A" which purges wild yeast and "creates an ideal environment for yeast to flourish." Does anyone know what "Packet A" actually contains?

Next, I prepared the yeast starter. I sanitized a coffee mug and followed the instructions for making the starter. Left it covered in a dark room overnight, and it is ready to be added to the must this morning.

Overnight, I snapped the lid on the primary fermenter and placed it in my wine cellar (60F). The instructions said to "cover it loosely with a lid or a piece of cheese cloth." However, I did not use an airlock. Upon waking up this morning, I realized I probably should have airlocked to avoid oxygenation. The lid is firmly snapped on, but there is still a little hole (for the airlock) that is open to the outside. Will this cause any issues with oxygenation?

I'm going to set up my InkBird this morning and get everything ready for fermentation. I plan on adding the yeast here in the next hour or so. I wanted to have this thread serve as a record that I will periodically update with questions, and share progress along the way. I've not been this excited for a hobby in many many years.

I'm open to any and all tips/suggestions on how to make this a really enjoyable riesling. Thanks!

 

[Old Corker]

Welcome to WMT
As it is your first time I suggest following the instructions to the letter. That includes leaving a loose cove on the fermenter. Your must needs oxygen during fermentation as least in the beginning stages. (see instructions). I’m also concerned about the temperature of your cellar not being ideal for fermentation. I think minimum 68F is recommended. I ferment at room temperature.
Those are my initial thoughts. I’m sure others will weigh in as well. Good luck and have fun!

 

[RylanJacobs]

So I should not snap the lid closed for fermentation? I just added the yeast, snapped the lid closed, and placed an airlock.

Cellar is 60F, but the must temp just now was 68F after having been left in the cellar overnight. The instructions say D47 can ferment as low as 60F. I’d like to ferment at 63F to preserve aromatic. I’ve attached an InkBird with a heating pad underneath to maintain 63F.

 

[vinny]

So I should not snap the lid closed for fermentation? I just added the yeast, snapped the lid closed, and placed an airlock.

Cellar is 60F, but the must temp just now was 68F after having been left in the cellar overnight. The instructions say D47 can ferment as low as 60F. I’d like to ferment at 63F to preserve aromatic. I’ve attached an InkBird with a heating pad underneath to maintain 63F.

Sounds like a good set up to me. Do not close the lid though. I like to aggressively stir the must for at least the first three days. Yeast need oxygen to reproduce and O2 is only a concern after primary fermentation when the CO2 starts to off gas.

 

[RylanJacobs]

Sounds like a good set up to me. Do not close the lid though. I like to aggressively stir the must for at least the first three days. Yeast need oxygen to reproduce and O2 is only a concern after primary fermentation when the CO2 starts to off gas.

Interesting. I’ll unlock the lid and cover it lightly. The FWK videos posted by Matteo have him snapping the lid and placing an airlock right after pitching the yeast

 

[vinny]

Some people ferment under airlock, but most everyone here chooses a loose fitting lid or towel and a good stir for the first few days.

 

[RylanJacobs]

I've unsnapped the lid and left it loosely covering the fermentor. Hoping for the best.

A quick review online says micro-oxygenating whites during fermentation will reduce H2S.

 

[Ohio Bob]

If you are looking to preserve aromatics I would not set up the inkbird. Better to keep the fermentation as low as possible as long as it’s going.

 

[cmason1957]

And yes that charcoal is very unnerving looking. But, at least for the one Chardonnay I have done, it does fall out. The one I made, I just left the lid on loosely to stir daily (well really twice a day) to me it's the first step in degassing. But when I got to about 1.010 I racked it, but racked it very dirty getting lots of stuff from the bottom into the rack. Then under airlock for 2 weeks to finish fermenting. That's my standard practice for white wines.

And welcome to our additive hobby, we are all enablers.

 

[ChuckD]

Welcome to WMT. Sounds like you’re off to a good start.

 

[Jovimaple]

Welcome to WMT!

I believe packet A has kmeta to kill any unwanted organisms (including wild yeast) as well as nutrients for the yeast.

 

[David Violante]

Welcome to WMT! Looks like you’re off to a great start. Enjoy, and definitely write down all that you’re doing, including smelling and tasting notes.

 

[Jovimaple]

Welcome to WMT! Looks like you’re off to a great start. Enjoy, and definitely write down all that you’re doing, including smelling and tasting notes.

@David Violante brings up a good point. I started with a cheap notebook for each wine batch, to keep track of my notes. I eventually started using a spreadsheet so that I can refer back to see how long a particular batch took, the starting and final specific gravity numbers, how long between rackings, recipes (for non-kit wines), how many bottles did I eventually get, tasting and smelling notes, etc.

Edited to add that I actually started with my dad's wine log that he gave me when I started making wine. His interest had tapered off so he never used up all the entries in his second wine log. But the wine log doesn't give me room to put all my notes, and it's not as convenient as my spreadsheet for me to use as a reference. I do still write down each batch in the log and I track the main dates.

 

[winemanden]

I hope it goes well. It may be the start of a journey of a lifetime, as it was and still is for me. You're in the right place for learning. Vintages too numerous to count, and I'm still learning.

 

[RylanJacobs]

@David Violante brings up a good point. I started with a cheap notebook for each wine batch, to keep track of my notes. I eventually started using a spreadsheet so that I can refer back to see how long a particular batch took, the starting and final specific gravity numbers, how long between rackings, recipes (for non-kit wines), how many bottles did I eventually get, tasting and smelling notes, etc.

Edited to add that I actually started with my dad's wine log that he gave me when I started making wine. His interest had tapered off so he never used up all the entries in his second wine log. But the wine log doesn't give me room to put all my notes, and it's not as convenient as my spreadsheet for me to use as a reference. I do still write down each batch in the log and I track the main dates.

Would you mind sharing a template of your spreadsheet? I'm currently using a notebook, but find digital spreadsheets much easier. Thanks!

 

[RylanJacobs]

Update: 7/2/23 - 24 hours after pitching yeast.

Must temp: 64F
Outside bucket temp with InkBird: 63.2F
SG: 1.099 (although when converting for temperature, it's still 1.100) - difficult to measure considering foam
Smell: Exclusively yeast
Taste: some grape characteristics, but mostly very sweet sugar.
Color: Unsightly black/gray from the carbon powder

- I stirred the must today which brought up lots of foam. Plan to recheck all the numbers tomorrow and add the yeast nutrient from the kit.

- Should I be concerned about the SG being the same 24 hours in?

Attached is a pic of the must while checking SG and temps

 

[BarrelMonkey]

- Should I be concerned about the SG being the same 24 hours in?

Not at all - even if you make a vigorous starter culture it takes a while for the yeast to acclimatize and start fermenting. For example, here's the brix/temp profile for my 2022 white pinot noir:



Temperatures were a bit higher than I would have liked, but not tragically so. I seem to recall that the increase in temperature during the last few days of fermentation was likely driven by a mini-heat wave. I bottled the finished wine in May and opened the first bottle a few days ago - it's still fruity and aromatic and I'm quite happy with the result.

It sounds like you're doing a great job of record keeping I'm not sure there's much to be gained from tasting every day, though I would keep an eye (nose?) on how it's smelling, in the unlikely event that some off odors develop.

 

[vinny]

Not to say that anything is wrong with your technique, but if you want an accurate reading a graduated cylinder is handy to have. Use a wine thief or turkey baster to pull samples.

 

[David Violante]

Also, when you’re measuring SG through an active ferment, spin the hydrometer a little to get clinging CO2 off, as they will artificially change your reading from (as close to) actual. At this point you don’t need to be so incredibly accurate with the number, as you're looking for trends and activity. You want to get your nutrients in prior to the 1/3 drop, then continue to watch until you approach 1.010 which is when most of the activity should be close to finished. At this point oxygen is not as good and the wine is being protected in part by all the off-gassing. Most folks will put it under airlock and then watch it until your reading doesn’t change for three or so days.

 

[RylanJacobs]

Not at all - even if you make a vigorous starter culture it takes a while for the yeast to acclimatize and start fermenting. For example, here's the brix/temp profile for my 2022 white pinot noir:

View attachment 102945

Temperatures were a bit higher than I would have liked, but not tragically so. I seem to recall that the increase in temperature during the last few days of fermentation was likely driven by a mini-heat wave. I bottled the finished wine in May and opened the first bottle a few days ago - it's still fruity and aromatic and I'm quite happy with the result.

It sounds like you're doing a great job of record keeping I'm not sure there's much to be gained from tasting every day, though I would keep an eye (nose?) on how it's smelling, in the unlikely event that some off odors develop.

Thank you so much! This is very helpful. I will focus more on smell than taste.