cajun713....welcome!
I would recommend:
1. Take the airlock off of your WATER JUG, and just cover it with a light hand towel (think flour sack, tea towel, paper towel, coffee filter) and secure with rubber band--this is to allow the O2 in, which the yeast really want/need during the early stages, and keeps bugs/dust out. Stir at least twice a day with a sanitized implement.
2. Around day 5-7, at the latest, you will want to remove the fruit. It would honestly be easier if you found a food grade bucket (ask at local grocery store, deli, for a frosting bucket--or visit a bakery and ask--or go to LHBS and buy a primary bucket style fermenter with lid). The bucket gives better access to the fruit and stirring, plus you could put the fruit in sanitized straining bag/nylon stockings,etc..and gently squeeze the fruit 2x/day. GENTLY is key word!
The pears are going to break down to MUSHY PULP.
3. If you just started the wine today, if you did not take a reading with your hydrometer take one now...write it down. [I did a calculation based on the addition of 8#(18.88 cups) sugar in what appears to be perhaps 2 gallon actual volume. If 1 cup sugar increases S.G. of one gallon by 0.020, then you have a S.G. from sugar alone of ~1.180] This is just me, but I always know what starting S.G. I want my wine to be, so I can figure out if wine ferments dry what my alcohol content will be. I usually add 75% of my sugar initially, my fruit, pectic enzymes, check S.G., allow to rest over night, check S.G. again and add any add'l sugar if necessary to reach my starting target...but that is just me. I then check my S.G. around the 3rd day after pitching my yeast--because some yeast work fast and I like to rack and place under airlock when the S.G. has dropped by 2/3. But, I also dose with yeast nutrient when the S.G. has dropped by 1/3, etc. (Learned techniques).
4. When your S.G. has dropped by 2/3 from your starting point, rack your wine (leaving any sediment in bottom of primary container) and transfer the wine to carboy and apply airlock. This carboy needs to be filled with your wine, literally the only part you want unfilled is the neck. If it requires you use 1 gallon glass jugs, 1.5L wine bottles, etc--then use them.
Then, try to leave it alone. (Check details on your yeast to see what temperature range is, you may want to park wine in a cool spot for a low, slow, cool ferment vs. 70-75F)--keep out of sunlight, some cover carboy with a dark t-shirt/sweatshirt/towel. If you have GROSS LEES--think LAYER of sediment (1/2" thick or more) develop, then rack the wine again, leaving as much sediment as possible behind--you do not want to leave wine on gross lees. FINE LEES (think fine layer of dust) is FINE, that can stay. But if fruit pulp is sitting on the bottom, obvious hunks of fruit--rack the wine away.
- Did you use any pectic enzymes or k-meta (1/16 tsp potassium metabisulfite per gallon)/Campden tab(1 tab/gallon) with this wine? If not--dose with pectic enzymes ASAP and you can actually dose again when you rack to carboy/airlock. The k-meta--you can dose when you transfer to carboy/airlock.
- Did you add any water or other liquid to this when you started it?
- What yeast did you use?
Since this is your first attempt at winemaking, you want to make sure you have an understanding of terms/techniques/equipment. There is a good overview of basics on this forum, plus many of us (I am sure) have read/continue to read Jack Keller's website
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/index.asp. VERY USEFUL.
I won't harp because I know you are very excited about making your first wine, BUT you may want to consider investing in a proper fermentation primary (most use a bucket), plus a proper carboy instead of a plastic water cooler jug. The use of water cooler containers, other than GLASS, have been great topic of debate for every forum I belong to, and just looking at the one you have (has a built in handle), it will be a PIA to try to clearn d/t the handle. Most feel that water cooler jugs are not appropriate for long term contact with wine. Plus, depending on the RECYCLE NUMBER on the bottom you may have a bottle that may leech into your wine, may be oxygen permeable,etc. You can buy Better Bottles (or the like) at area home brew shops or online. If your bottle has a 1 or 2, hang on to it down the road of your winemaking, you can always use it for emergency racking or super short term storage container.
Sorry if I overwhelmed you, not my intent.
