Hoping for some advice here. I'm making my first batch of wine using concentrated fruit in a can. I have followed the label to the letter, but I'm a little concerned that I may have mis-interpreted a step. The instructions said to transfer to the secondary and rack it when SG reached 1.010 or 1.000 (about 3-4 weeks). Well, I decided to test the SG last weekend, and found it had already dropped to 0.990 after only 11 days. Now, I interpret the instructions to mean that it was time to rack it. So I did. I also added 4 crushed campden tablets to the 5 gal carboy. I immediately noticed that the ferment (bubbles) has slowed dramatically! Is this right? A friend of mine who has made several batches from these concentrates says she always waits the full 3weeks before racking. Should I have waited? Should I do anything to try to re-energize the fermentation ? Hello!
My FIRST try - strawberry from concentrate
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jamesngalveston
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my ferments usually are from 5 to 9 days, then i move to the secondary.
i move it when it gets to dry .990, there will be little are no fermentation at that point.
i would check the sg three days in a row, if it has not moved, it has completed the fermentation cycle.
i move it when it gets to dry .990, there will be little are no fermentation at that point.
i would check the sg three days in a row, if it has not moved, it has completed the fermentation cycle.
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You are fine, if you want your next batch to slow down a bit then you need to move it to a room that's not quite so warm. I did a cornucopia kit (4 week kit) in 22 days from start to bottle once. Some wines will get the sulfur smell if done too warm.
OK. So today my wine looked incredibly clear, and I'm incredibly anxious! So I racked it again, from the carboy (and small jug, see pic) into the clean, sanitized primary, and then back into the carboy after I cleaned and sanitized the carboy. I added 3 more crushed campden into the carboy, and moved it downstairs to age for a while. 1) If it's out of sight, I may be less tempted to play with it. 2) it gets pretty warm in the kitchen, which is probably why it fermented so fast. So I thought it might be best to age it in the basement.
Now, I tasted it tonight. It had a very strong "alcohol" smell, and tasted VERY strong! Almost like straight vodka. It also doesn't have much strawberry flavor. :'-( I'm really hoping that it will calm down a bit with age. And I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to use flavor drops before bottling.
I'm open to any pointers. Or maybe it's right where it should be?
It all seemed to go incredibly fast, but again, I'm super anxious. Should I have just left it alone?
Here's the details:
Started the batch on 7/7, using a can of strawberry concentrate from the wine supplier. Followed the recipe on the can. Added enough sugar to get to 1.090. Pitched yeast next day. Stirred and tested SG every day, all while it was in the primary, loosely covered in kitchen. On 7/11, SG reached 1.040 (fast?), so I removed the fruit bag, racked it into carboy and added 3-pc air lock. For the next several days I watched excitedly as it bubbled away. :-D I went from counting how many bubbles per second to counting how many seconds until next bubble. I'm tellin ya, EXCITING stuff!! On 7/20, I tested SG, and was surprised to find it had already dropped to .990. The instructions said it would take 3 weeks to reach 1.000. Now, the airlock was still producing bubbles at a rate of about every 4 seconds. But the instructions said to rack it once we reached 1.000, and here I was below that, so I racked it. There was a LOT of sediment, so I went down to a 5gal carboy. Per the instructions, I added 5 crushed campden tablets. And plugged it back up. At this point, I started getting nervous that I read the label wrong because I kept waiting for bubbles, but there were NONE. Some of you said I should be okay, so I let it sit. And like I said earlier, I racked and campden'ed it again tonight because it was so clear. (I read on here that you should add campden every time you rack to sterilize and keep from oxidizing. Right? I'll probably leave it alone now until September. But at that point, I'll be looking for advice on how to sweeten and add flavor back into it. The label says this wine will benefit from flavor drops. I'll have to ask my supplier what that is.
Still learning, and really hoping I didn't totally screw it up!
Now, I tasted it tonight. It had a very strong "alcohol" smell, and tasted VERY strong! Almost like straight vodka. It also doesn't have much strawberry flavor. :'-( I'm really hoping that it will calm down a bit with age. And I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to use flavor drops before bottling.
I'm open to any pointers. Or maybe it's right where it should be?
It all seemed to go incredibly fast, but again, I'm super anxious. Should I have just left it alone?
Here's the details:
Started the batch on 7/7, using a can of strawberry concentrate from the wine supplier. Followed the recipe on the can. Added enough sugar to get to 1.090. Pitched yeast next day. Stirred and tested SG every day, all while it was in the primary, loosely covered in kitchen. On 7/11, SG reached 1.040 (fast?), so I removed the fruit bag, racked it into carboy and added 3-pc air lock. For the next several days I watched excitedly as it bubbled away. :-D I went from counting how many bubbles per second to counting how many seconds until next bubble. I'm tellin ya, EXCITING stuff!! On 7/20, I tested SG, and was surprised to find it had already dropped to .990. The instructions said it would take 3 weeks to reach 1.000. Now, the airlock was still producing bubbles at a rate of about every 4 seconds. But the instructions said to rack it once we reached 1.000, and here I was below that, so I racked it. There was a LOT of sediment, so I went down to a 5gal carboy. Per the instructions, I added 5 crushed campden tablets. And plugged it back up. At this point, I started getting nervous that I read the label wrong because I kept waiting for bubbles, but there were NONE. Some of you said I should be okay, so I let it sit. And like I said earlier, I racked and campden'ed it again tonight because it was so clear. (I read on here that you should add campden every time you rack to sterilize and keep from oxidizing. Right? I'll probably leave it alone now until September. But at that point, I'll be looking for advice on how to sweeten and add flavor back into it. The label says this wine will benefit from flavor drops. I'll have to ask my supplier what that is.
Still learning, and really hoping I didn't totally screw it up!
jamesngalveston
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first off, that wine is not near clear enough for a strawberry and still dropping sediment
dont watch your air lock for bubbles, trust your hydrometer.
i would take a hydrometer reading and 3 days later i would take another
if there is no change
1. degass
2. add sorbate to stabalize
3. back sweeten with:
5 lbs of strawberries with 4 cups sugar, cooked on low for about 30 minutes just till the berries are really soft
strain all through a cheescloth and let cool.
skim any white stuff off the top of the cooled berries.
add a cup at a time untill it taste like you want.
let sit a day
add super kleer to clear it and bottle.
dont watch your air lock for bubbles, trust your hydrometer.
i would take a hydrometer reading and 3 days later i would take another
if there is no change
1. degass
2. add sorbate to stabalize
3. back sweeten with:
5 lbs of strawberries with 4 cups sugar, cooked on low for about 30 minutes just till the berries are really soft
strain all through a cheescloth and let cool.
skim any white stuff off the top of the cooled berries.
add a cup at a time untill it taste like you want.
let sit a day
add super kleer to clear it and bottle.
