newbie needs advice.

[hunter8]

hi all im new here. i have made a few batches of wine be4. some with success some without.i am currently making a batch of strawberry wine.i tried to make sure everything was sterilized. started the wine. it smelled great. its been fermenting for about 5 days now. but it kind of smells now.i had it in a bucket with the lid on.i cant tell if its the alcohol im smelling or if its gone to vinigar.i tried to be vigilant and keep fruit flies out.can they crawl under the lid? i bought it from a wine supply store. it has a rubber ring under the lid.and a small hole in the top which i covered with gause.my question is. how can i tell if its bad?should i continue and put it in a carboy or ditch it? thanx for any help.

 

[cpfan]

Hunter8:

Welcome to our great hobby and to this forum.

First, don't ditch the wine. Fermenting smells are numerous. Some are wonderful. Some are scary.

Second, you need to provide more info. What recipe did you use?

Steve

 

[hunter8]

recipe is from scotzin brothers how to make your own wine book.
4 lbs strawberrys.
2.5 lbs. sugar
1 gallon hot water
1 campden tablet
1 tsp. yeast nutrient
1/2 tsp. acid blend
1/2 tsp. pectic enzymes
1 gram wine yeast.
i made 4x this amount for this batch.

 

[cpfan]

which wine yeast?

 

[hunter8]

not sure. the guy at the wine supply store recomended it. it came in a purple and grey packet.and i'm sure i've thrown it out at this point. is it important that i find that out?

 

[cpfan]

not sure. the guy at the wine supply store recomended it. it came in a purple and grey packet.and i'm sure i've thrown it out at this point. is it important that i find that out?

Some yeasts are more prone to H2S production than others. Maybe somebody here knows what yeast it might have been.

Steve

 

[hunter8]

well its driving my wife nuts. she says it smells like someone took a dump and left it sit. i guess i'm going to try the throw it in a carboy early in a last ditch effort to save it. the foamyness has does down. its still bubbling though.
i just hate to waste my time.i guess i won't know till i let it sit for a month and then taste it.

 

[ffemtreed]

sounds to me its fermenting perfectly normal.

Its not supposed to smell nice at all during this stage.

Take a hydrometer reading each day and make sure its going down. Once it gets to around 1.01 then move it into a carboy with an airlock. It should take 5 to 10 days.

 

[Wade E]

Dont ditch it, strawberry has a tendency to really stink for some reason. Do you have a hydrometer as an sg wouldalso help know what you are doing and how we can help. If the sg is still around 1.035 then add another tsp of nutrient just in case this is a low nutient yeast and is producing H2S from this symptom. Adding some fresh starwberry juice condensed down to this batch after its done fermenting and stabilized with sulfites and sorbate you can add this flavor pack to really bring this wine around.

 

[hunter8]

thanx guys. i'm not ditching the wine.i really need a wine mentor.i'm glad i found this place.the guy who owns the wine supply store here acts like you're a retard if you ask questions.i bought their book on how to make your own wine.but it is mostly recipies. it tells you you need a hydrometer.but it doesn't tell you how or when to use it. i have a hydrometer but i never learned to use it yet. i just went to get it and it is broken. so i'll buy a new one tommorrow and get a reading.luckily the store is open tommorrow. its only open on wednesday and saturdays.i'll also find out exactly what yeast i used.

 

[Wade E]

Buy 2, when they are lonely they commit suicide! I broke about 3 when i was learning and didnt have a replacemnt each time, then finally I got smart and bought 3 and never broke 1 since!

 

[smurfe]

Oh how I love the "Should I throw my wine out" posts. First off, welcome aboard. Glad to have you here. Most of the guys have answered your questions very well. Do not ditch it until the wine tells you to. As said, different wines smell different fermenting. Some are down right nasty. Take a small sample, let it decant in a glass for a little bit, and then taste it. If it makes you want to vomit, throw it out. if not, let it ride. It will get much better as things progress.

 

[hunter8]

okie dokie. specific gravity is 1.01. yeast used is lalvin 71b-1122.i think its time to move to a carboy.any other comments or helpful hints are apreciated.the wife and i tried some this morning. it didnt quite taste like wine yet. but it didn't want to make us puke either.so hopefully we're on the right track

 

[donnaclif]

Wine making is not easy it seems you have to put up with lots of undesirable things like extremely foul smell and suicide of hydrometers .

But seriously speaking it is really a labour of love,now i am more than inspired to have a go at it.

All the best to you hunter.I will be following this thread to see your progress and motivate myself.

 

[hunter8]

ok guys were coming up on a month in the secondary here. my next question is: when i rack the wine is it time to clear and stabalize it? and what chemicals do i need to do that? thanx.

 

[smurfe]

Is the wine crystal clear? If not, rack it again and let it sit more. I don't know what you used for sulfites in the beginning and how much. You will probably need some sulfites so let us know and we can help you determine what you need. A fruit wine is normally not ready to bottle after just one racking. What is the gravity? Is it stable after 3 days of checking?

 

[hunter8]

i used 1 campden tablet per gallon in the recipe.the wine is very clear.i'm just trying to get all my ducks in a row ahead of time.when i rack it i'll check the gravity.

 

[Madriver Wines]

I like to add sulfites again at the second racking. Then at the third racking I add sorbate and degass like crazy. If I want to add a f-pac or sweetener I add it then also and let it sit to clear. Did I mention that I let it clear (2 months)before the third racking?

 

[hunter8]

ok i racked it. the s.g. is .99 smells great.but it tastes a little bitter.we added some sugar to our sample and it helped a bit. tastes a little weak in flavor for some reason.is this due to the distilled water?will it get stronger? and how much sugar should i add? thanx again.it definately doesn't taste like vinegar.

 

[Wade E]

Do the f-pac thing we do. Take 1/3 the original amout of fruit used and simmer down in a pot on the sove to extract all its flavor and add it to your stabilized wine. I alwaus ad a little sugar into the juice also. I sometims even use a fruit juice if cant find the fruit and simmer that down to 1/3 its original size adding some sugar inthere if you are wanting a sweeter wine.