Question for Beginner?

[browndd1]

I have attempted to make some watermelon wine . I started on 9-14 where I mashed up 6 seedless watermelons put them in a mesh bag in a 6 gallon bucket with wine tannin, pectic enzyme, yeast nutrient, sugar, acid blend and 6 campden tablets. I let the must set for 24 hours prior to adding the yeast. I stirred every day until the sg was .990 or below. This reading was taken Thursaday 9-22. Since it was going to be three days later or so before I received my filtration system, pulled the mesh bag out and added 6 campden tablets and potassium sorbate. It has been setting with an airlock for about three days now undisturbed and my filter system should be here today Will this work or should or do I need to do something else? I only added the campden tablets and potassium sorbate early because the must smelled kind of funny to me but it may be normal. I have heard that watermelon must can go bad on you quick.

 

[sour_grapes]

You should be fine. I do not see any need to use a filtration system. Time and gravity work fine provided: (1) You have the proper amount of sulfites (which you said you do), and (2) your wine is in a vessel without excessive headspace, i.e., topped up to near the top of the vessel.

 

[winemaker81]

+1 on what Paul said. Also, filtering is for finishing a wine -- you do NOT want to filter a wine that doesn't appear clear, as the sediment will clog your filter. Bulk age for 3 months and you will see a different wine. Don't filter before then.

Regarding sorbate -- sorbate + K-meta are used to stabilize a wine when backsweetening, as the combination is birth control for yeast. If you are making a dry wine there is no need to add sorbate, just K-meta.

That said, fruit wines benefit from at least a bit of backsweetening as sugar brings out the fruit flavors, so you did nothing wrong. WMT has had several conversations regarding sorbate recently, so it's on my mind to mention it.

 

[browndd1]

I did not filter this watermelon wine but racked it today. It does taste a little like vinegar. I prematurely added the sodium metabisulfite and potassium sorbate last week and it has been setting with an airlock. Is this wine ruined or do I need to do or add something else?

 

[winemaker81]

Is this wine ruined or do I need to do or add something else?

Patience, Grasshopper.

The premature addition of sorbate is not a problem.

Young wine doesn't taste like it will in a few months, and fruit wines need sugar to bring out the fruit flavors. Give it a month and taste again.