while in fermenting stage I stir every day with a paint mixer that goes in my drill the big mixer for a five gallon bucket don't forget to sanitize the mixer every day before using, after your meter says your down to around 990, then transfer into carboy leaving the gross lees behind , around every mouth or 2 rack into a clean carboy, I always use carboys but make extras in 1/2 gallon jugs, air locked as well, to use to top off the carboy depending on what fruit you use you rack every month or 2 until the bottom stays clear some clear fairly quick between racking but pears take the longest to clear, you can but clearing agents ,Petrich enzymes for pears, or regular Petrich enzymes for your other fruits, if you don't wish to wait as lone to get clear, , never heat your fruit it locks in fines and you'll have to live with cloudy wine, for best results always cut up your fruit put in gallon freezer baggies, let freeze how long is up to you freeze a minimum of 2 months, dump into fermenting containers stir ever day till its down to around 990, add Petrich enzymes in the ferment container the same day you start to fermenting, both freezing an Petrich enzyme help getting more flavor an more juice,
some of your best advice would be, Arnie, JohnT, Runningwolf, Vacumpumpman, and many more, you happen to need a transfer vacuum racking pump and with Addison AL bottling filler that fills the bottles straight from carboy to your wine bottle leaving the right fluid height in your wine bottle, not counting no more lifting an worlds faster racking as well as much quicker bottling, in that case I highly recommend vaccumpumpman, (steve.
I have his equipment and aint nobody taking it from me, you'll not only save a lot of time, since you'd be using a sealed carbot to carboy racking as well as a sealed carboy to bottling wine bottle you'll keep the oxygen out helping greatly increase the storage time, as well as keeping oxygen out of your wing which will increase you flavor over time, its well worth what he gets for his vacuum racking system and the bottling set up hooks up to the same vacuum pump.
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best of luck to you an may god bless you an your family.
Richard (HOUND DAWG)::
That is the question. I'd love to hear an explanation as to why some people say to cover with a lid (snapped down, with airlock on) and others say to loosely cover with a towel? I've watched DOZENS of videos and half show them snapped down, and half show them loosely covered. What's the REAL DEAL guys?