RJ Spagnols Slight error

[UglyJohn]

Hi all! I've been lurking here for about a week, but this is my first post.

I just started my first ever kit - a Grand Cru Cabernet. I had bought my ex-wife a wine making kit about 10 years ago, and when putting away Christmas decorations I found she had left it all in a corner of the attic. I had tossed the juice kit years ago, but most of the supplies were there. This past weekend I took my girlfriend on a little day trip to Daytona to finish up the supplies and got my kit.

Everything went perfectly until I put the air lock on the primary bucket. Pressing it down raised the level of the K-meta I had in the air lock, and when I released pressure, some of it went into the must - maybe a tablespoon.

I don't THINK it will be a problem, but I sure would like a little reassurance... Please? Just a little reassurance???

Or should I go ahead and start my second kit - a Wine Expert Cailifornia Zin-Shiraz???

 

[Loner]

You will be fine. A lot of us use vodka in our airlocks for that very reason.

 

[TonyP]

First welcome. Start your second kit if you'd like, but with different equipment because the Cabernet should be fine. The k-meta you added is immaterial. Going forward, always put the airlock on last. I've got a few suggestions. First, it's not necessary - even not desirable - to seal the primary fermenter. Yeast needs air to thrive and sealing your primary could slow down yeast activity and potentially (although not usually) cause a stuck fermentation. Best would be to close the lid but not tightly so the air can get in, particularly once the yeast get going. See what others may say about this.

 

[Minnesotamaker]

I use a towel with a bungee cord on my primary fermenter. Makes it easy to access and allows it to breathe without flying critters getting in. IF you have pets or children, keep it out of their reach. Just don't forget about it so that you end up leaving it sitting around fully fermented with just a towel on top.

The little bit of Kmeta that got sucked in won't hurt your batch at all.

 

[winemaker_3352]

I use a towel with a bungee cord on my primary fermenter. Makes it easy to access and allows it to breathe without flying critters getting in. IF you have pets or children, keep it out of their reach. Just don't forget about it so that you end up leaving it sitting around fully fermented with just a towel on top.

The little bit of Kmeta that got sucked in won't hurt your batch at all.

I do the same thing...

And agree the added k-meta won't hurt a thing. Was the concentration high?

If so - might just wait a little longer before adding another dose..

 

[UglyJohn]

Thanks guys! I guess it really wasn't a problem - I saw a couple bubbles in the air lock last night, just a couple hours after I started it. Then this morning I popped the lid and the must is nice and foamy on the top.

I am going to leave the lid on loosely (closed but not pushed down), and I'll lift it daily to give it a blast of air. Does this sound like a plan?

 

[Julie]

Hi UglyJohn,

Welcome to winemakingtalk. As others have stated and I guess you found out, your wine will be fine. I just lay the lid on top of the must and stir daily.

 

[Olbuscap]

Julie,
Thanks for those last three words!!

Ugly John,
Whether it is a good red with a grape pack or a mist kit, I stir daily for the first 5 or 6 days and just place the lid on loose with the airlock grommet covered with cloth or paper towel. I have never encountered a stuck fermentation. As TonyP says, put the airlock on last, THEN put the fluid in.

 

[Boatboy24]

Welcome John! As others have said, you're fine. But start that second kit anyway. This hobby is addictive, and you'll soon find you feel all empty inside if you don't have something fermenting.

One trick I've started using is I loosely attach the lid to the fermentor, snapping down only half of it or so. Then I pull out the airlock and snap the rest of the lid down. It prevents the "blowback" of liquid from the airlock due to the pressure.

 

[UglyJohn]

OK - I'll be stirring it daily. Glad to have something to do instead of just sitting back and waiting! I was surprised to see bubbles so quickly though - I wasn't expecting anything at all for 24 hours. Instead it was bubbling (although very very slowly) after about 5 hours.

I'm going to start my 2nd kit in this same fermenter as soon as I rack #1 to the carboy. I guess I'll be buying another 23 liter carboy soon. My exes old kit had a 23 liter carboy and another 25 liter carboy, which I guess was supposed to be the primary fermenter. Any suggestions as to what to do with the 25 liter carboy? Is it useful for anything other than holding down paper?

 

[Dugger]

I have a 25 L carboy that I use for vacuum racking when I degas - as the receiving vessel it has a little more headspace for the foaming associated with degassing. If you have or anticipate using a vacuum pump, it will be handy for that.
Also, if you do any fruit or grape wines this carboy could be used, since you aren't necessarily limited to 23 litres.

 

[UglyJohn]

Well, nuts. I was going to stir daily, but then I noticed that this is not a 5 day in the primary fermenter wine, but rather it stays in the primary for a full 14 days (being sure the SG is where it needs to be). Then it is racked into a carboy, degassed, stabilized, and cleared.

I'm worried that if I open the lid everyday, and it slows down in the CO2 production, it will have a lot of oxygen sitting on it.

Maybe I should just follow the instructions for this one?

 

[TonyP]

Well, nuts. I was going to stir daily, but then I noticed that this is not a 5 day in the primary fermenter wine, but rather it stays in the primary for a full 14 days (being sure the SG is where it needs to be). Then it is racked into a carboy, degassed, stabilized, and cleared.

I'm worried that if I open the lid everyday, and it slows down in the CO2 production, it will have a lot of oxygen sitting on it.

Maybe I should just follow the instructions for this one?

You are absolutely correct that opening the lid and stirring after fermentation has slowed could be disastrous. (This is why most wine makers move the wine to a carboy.) Given that you're new to this it would be best for you to avoid creating problems for yourself. It is safe - and beneficial - for you to open the lid during the first 3-5 days if you'd like to do so. Don't keep doing it beyond that.

 

[UglyJohn]

Update!



Just wanted to post this, and again thank everyone for their help...

Last night I moved this from my 23 L carboy to my 25 L so that I could stir in the 1/4 tsp of k-meta. I still had a little sediment on the bottom, so I racked to avoid disturbing it. I got everything but the last liter or so transfered without picking up any muck, then put that last bit into a 1/2 gal jug. The sediment was real light and fine, so I wasn't worried too much about it.

Then my son and I bottled it - my first batch! Woohoo! I even put the first bottle aside, figuring I'll pop it for some special occasion.

I filled 29 3/4 bottles, so I just added a bit from the jug to fill the last one to make it a batch of 30. I didn't mark that bottle, so I'll have some surprise sediment at some point! Nothing like crunchy wine!

My son sanitized the bottles and handled most of the corking detail. We got a nice little system down, and he never kept me waiting for a new bottle as I was filling them. He didn't have to re-cork any bottles - not bad for the first time with a hand corker.

I tasted a little, and definitely wasn't overjoyed. It was ok, but just....meh. I really hope it improves in the bottle. This is my first batch, so I don't really know how a green wine tastes, and how that will change over a couple months after bottling. I do have the jug in the fridge, so I'll see how it is this afternoon. I'm not too worried about it - I know it's somewhat of a lower end kit. Like I told my son, I started with a that kit to make the rookie mistakes with a cheaper kit before moving up.

Last week I degassed and stabilized my 2nd kit- a WE Zin/shiraz. I liked the taste of that much better, so it should be even better in a month or so when I bottle it.

Also last week I started my Eclipse NZ sauvignon blanc, and last night I moved it into secondary.

Now I have my primary bucket sitting cleaned and sealed with k-meta in it, just ready and waiting for my next kit as soon as I have a carboy available. Hmmmm...What to buy? What to buy???

 

[tonyt]

Now I have my primary bucket sitting cleaned and sealed with k-meta in it, just ready and waiting for my next kit as soon as I have a carboy available. Hmmmm...What to buy? What to buy???

The obvious answer is anoyher carboy. It's a slippery slope!

 

[SouthernChemist]

Now I have my primary bucket sitting cleaned and sealed with k-meta in it, just ready and waiting for my next kit as soon as I have a carboy available. Hmmmm...What to buy? What to buy???

Do yourself a favor and get more carboys...it's rather depressing to want to start a new wine but not having the carboy space available...particularly if that wine you want to make already will take a year or two to mature properly. Simply put, more wine!