Rookies First Country Wine Please HELP =)

[sully]

began by mashing 15lbs of berries
3 kiwis
added 1 gallon of water
boiled 2.3 gallons water then added to must (light boil)
added 12.5 lbs of sugar
stirred for 20 mins
let cool to 80 deg.
added 10 Tbs of fresh squeezed lemon juice
checked hydrometer reading added water till reached 1.086 (now at 6 gal must)
added 1 1/4 Tbs of pectic enzyme
added 1/4 Tbs of Potassium Metabisulphite
added 1/4 Tbs of wine tannin
Let sit for 24 hrs.
------------------------------------------------

Day 2


added 6 Tbs of yeast nutrient
stirred for 10 min
pitched yeast Red Star Montrachet



Planning on letting sit for 7 days stirring daily Strain on day 7 and rack to carboy

temp: 68 deg. f

Notes:

may have over mashed fruit/ mashed completely/ more of a juice consistency with pulp and very small chunks

tasted must/ was amazing/ tasted like a super good wopp with out booze

not sure about best straining method? do u even have to strain? can i eliminate pulp through racking? not sure about tannin when to add?


BEEN MAKING WINE FOR 2 MONTHS PROBABLY MAKING MISTAKES BUT LEARN QUICK OPEN TO ALL SUGGESTIONS AND CRITICISM

PLEASE HELP VERY HAPPY TO BE NEW MEMBER =)

 

[Luc]

It is best if the pulp is made of as smaal as possible particles. That way most juice is extracted.

Filtering can be done with a nylon stocking:
http://wijnmaker.blogspot.com/2007/08/nylon-kous-hulpje-nylonstockings-suit.html

Or use a bucket sieve:
http://wijnmaker.blogspot.com/2008/03/bouw-een-emmerzeef-building-bucket.html

Both will only filter out the larger particles.
Later all small pulp particles are removed by time (so they settle down) and racking.

Tannin (when needed) can be added at any time in the process but preferably when in secondary.
Tannin dissolves best in alcohol and in primary there is little alcohol present.

I hope you added pectic enzymes before you added yeast. Pectic enzymes do not function in an
environment where yeast is present. And off course in the cooled down water as they can not stand heat either.
Read this about pectic enzymes:
http://wijnmaker.blogspot.com/2008/01/avonturen-op-het-pecto-pad-deel-2.html

Luc

 

[sully]

thanks luc for the reply there is so much to learn it can get overwhelming at times. I guess i messed up the tannin but now i know should i add again in secondary? I did add pectic enzymes before yeast=) So what do you think of my recipe though. I am just learning to concepts so not even sure if will turn out. Am i on a good start??

 

[WVMountaineerJack]

Sully, 15 pounds of what kind of berries in 6 galls is going to be pretty week, you have time to add more of whatever kind of berries you started with.

 

[saramc]

Sully,
I know you started this in early May, and you likely have either poured your creation down the drain or you will be racking soon. So, which one is it---poured it out vs. racking soon?

I noticed you are listing Tbs....tablespoon....in your recipe list. Did you mean TSP, teaspoon?
CRUCIAL MEASUREMENT CONCERN, POTENTIALLY DEADLY TO YOUR WINE MAKING ATTEMPT

May I ask---have you actually spent time reading about the basic of winemaking, overview of the additives you will commonly work with, explanation of the steps and terminology? Or are you going at this by the seat of your pants right now? Do you have any favorite "go to" websites, other than WMT, that you like to go to for your information?