Tannins, sweetening, Campden and Bottling Qs

[ZAF]

Hi, I am a newbie to the WMT and to wine making.
Such a wonderful forum I have been reading it for sometime now learning a lot from many of you.

I am in the process of making my second batch of wine from grape juice. The first one was a test.
Currently I am fermenting 3L of red grape juice in 1 gallon carboy + airlock (everything was sterilized with campden). I have not added any tannins yet. Fermentation was started on May 22 and the bubbling has slowed down a lot but still going. My question to the group is
1- Is it ok to add tannins when I rack after the fermentation has stopped (I am planning to use Tea rather than Tannin powder)?
2- When I am ready to bottle what are the steps that you do in relation to sweetening and pre-bottling campden?
The first batch (the test) I crushed the campden, put it the in wine carboy. mixed the wine, and then bottled it. I noticed after bottling that lots of sediments went into the bottle (although it was pretty clear pre bottling photo attached). I think it happened because i stirred the wine after the campden immediately pre-bottling.
So I was wondering what is the best way to add the campden? I have read a few ideas:
- Crushed campden, in the bottle then transfer the wine to it
- Crushed campden, into the carboy, stir, air lock for 24-48h then bottle
- Crushed campden and just drop it at the surface of the wine in the carboy and don't stir, then bottle 12-24h afterwards
- Crushed campden dissolve it into water then pour it into the carboy then bottle

3- In terms of sweetening pre bottling using dissolved sugar in water, if I wanted to sweeten, how do I go about in relation to the timing of the pre-bottling campden application?


I hope this is not a repetition, I tried to search the forum but I couldn't find a clear answer to these questions.

 

[Rice_Guy]

Welcome to WMT
* tea addition is best done early in the process, it changes the percent alcohol which changes how stable the wine is. You note 3 liters of juice, I try for a bit more volume than the container I will rack into. Powder tannin gives more flexibility on when, but early is better.
* my guess in #1 batch is that the campden dissolved and was not what you saw settle out. If we rush we learn to tolerate some precipitation in the bottle. ,,, For the most part crushing campden is good technique, other options are powder K metabisulphite or rapid dissolving tablets.
* my technique is add the campden/ meta a day earlier when I am doing a sweetening trial ,,, and asking my wife which treatment is best. If I have young wine and expect yeast activity, it will also get treated with sorbate, waiting let’s the chemicals act on yeast as well as become more uniform.

 

[salcoco]

tannin are best added in powder form during and post fermentation. during to retain color post to add complexity to the wine. tea bags can be used but usually added pre-fermentation and retained through out the fermentation.
so2 is best added also in powdered form, it eliminates the problem of crushing tablets and dissolving poorly. they are added pre-fermentation to kill bad bug usually required for fresh fruit and grapes not necessary for juice. also added post fermentation for aging . so2 is a bacterial inhibitor and oxygen scavenger both requirement to keep wine aged a 1/4 tsp for 5 gallons is standard dosage of powdered k-meta.

for back sweetening a bench trail is recommended . take a measured sample of wine say a 1/4 cup=60ml. make a sugar syrup of two cups sugar to one cup hot water mix in a blender let cool. using a number of wine samples ad a 1/4 tsp(1.25ml) in first , twice this in second , three time this in third etc. do taste test find the desired mix calculate amount for main batch. add k-meta and potassium sorbate once syrup is added to wine then bottle. wait until wine has cleared before sweetening preferably at least two months.

 

[ZAF]

Thank you for your replies. They are very helpful.
Since fermentation has not completed (Slowed down), if I wanted to add tannins in using tea, do you think it would be a good time? Or will i affect my wine’s balance by doing so?

 

[G259]

Nah, add it I say!

Wine is very accommodating to varied procedures, as long as you follow the basic cleanliness steps, and don't introduce anything wild, you're all set.

I have heard some suggestion here, and would like to say "Simplify, Simplify, Simplify". Wine-making isn't hard, don't make it harder than it is.

(oh yeah, have fun and experiment!)

 

[ZAF]

I really appreciate everyones help over here.
I am planning to do the following, after fermentation stops I am going to rack and will obviously follow Stricklands cleanliness steps using campden to clean everything and then transfer the wine to the new clean carboy, add the appropriate dose of campden to the wine itself (I am following 1 campden / 1 Gallon) then add the tea and place the airlock.
The tea steps will be:
clean a cup with campden, put a tea bag in it and pour boilings water on it. Cover it for 2h pre racking to make sure it cools off and becomes dark. Then dispose the bag and pour the tea into the wine.

When I am about to bottle, I will taste the wine, then consider back sweetening it using dissolved sugar in water. Prior to adding the sugar I will crush a campden, dissolve into small amount of water (probably half a cup), and add it to the wine.
I am not going to stir up the wine. My question now, do I let it sit with an airlock for few hours or is it ok to immediately bottle it?