NEWBIE 8/14/21

[LuCinda]

Good morning, and thanks for the add.
I starting to attempt wine making before I found this forum. I may have have not done it right the first time but I am here to learn for my next batches.
It all started 3 weeks ago when my wild cherry tree was full of ripe cherries and did not want them to go to waste. I washed and mashed the cherries and placed in 1/2 gallon mason jars with loose lids until I could purchase a container to use for fermenting which was about 4 days. By that time, there were active bubbles in jar. I sterilized the 2 gallon container with water mixed with a tiny amount of bleach and rinsed well. Then put the cherries in a mesh bag to strain and put the strained juice in the container with 3 pounds of sugar, one pack of wine yeast and 1 gallon of water. I then sealed the container and added the percolator to the lid and put the container in my dark shed. The mixture is is has been fermenting for about 3 weeks. I hope I did not do anything wrong as I did the exact method to the elderberry mixture.
Polite comments are greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
LuCinda

 

[winemaker81]

Welcome to WMT!!

The method you used is probably fine, although I have a few suggestions. First -- don't use bleach. Bleach can interact badly with the wine so it's best to avoid it.

It's likely the fermentation is done. Most fermentations take about a week, depending on sugar level, temperature, yeast strain, etc. Since the wine is under airlock, oxidation is less likely. Your pour or siphon the wine off the sediment, and put it in a container that has minimal airspace to finish clearing.

How much liquid did you get from the cherries? Knowing this will help gauge what your initial sugar level was, which helps determine if the wine is fully done, or if the fermentation is stuck for some reason.

I'm guessing you don't have a hydrometer -- this handy tool tells you how much sugar you have in the wine, and it's the one tool most on this forum recommend.

I suggest you look at the Beginners forum, reading threads that sound interesting to you. This will give you a lot of background knowledge.

Good luck!

 

[sour_grapes]

Welcome to WMT!

 

[mikewatkins727]

Welcome to WMT, also. I might add to @winemaker81's comment; buy TWO hydrometers. One to use, the other use when you break the first. They are inexpensive but extremely helpful. They tend to break at the most inopportune time.

 

[LuCinda]

Welcome to WMT!!

The method you used is probably fine, although I have a few suggestions. First -- don't use bleach. Bleach can interact badly with the wine so it's best to avoid it.

It's likely the fermentation is done. Most fermentations take about a week, depending on sugar level, temperature, yeast strain, etc. Since the wine is under airlock, oxidation is less likely. Your pour or siphon the wine off the sediment, and put it in a container that has minimal airspace to finish clearing.

How much liquid did you get from the cherries? Knowing this will help gauge what your initial sugar level was, which helps determine if the wine is fully done, or if the fermentation is stuck for some reason.

I'm guessing you don't have a hydrometer -- this handy tool tells you how much sugar you have in the wine, and it's the one tool most on this forum recommend.

I suggest you look at the Beginners forum, reading threads that sound interesting to you. This will give you a lot of background knowledge.

Good luck!

Thanks! My son actually gave me his hydrometer as he used to brew his own beer.