Vinters Harvest Fruit Base Instructions

[JohnnyK68]

Got a can of Plum, and Blackberry tonight. I was looking at the recipes. I am going to make them both to the 3 gal recipe. Step 3 calls to add the solution of sodium bisulfite. Is this in place of the campden tabs, or can I add campden tabs instead? I was thinking that k-meta and sodium bisulfite do the same thing, but wanted to make sure. If I use the campden tabs, do I use all 3 at once for a 3 gal batch?Edited by: JohnnyK68

 

[Wade E]

K-meta and N-meta are basically the same thing. Campden tabs are k-meta
with a binding material to hold them together. Yes you do add them all
at once tp kill any wild yeast and then wait at least 24 hours before
pithing yeast as to not kill the yeast.

 

[JohnnyK68]

Thanks Wade, can always count on you for a quick response. Now If I could only fix this friggin can opener I could get these mixed up tonight. Edited by: JohnnyK68

 

[bj4271]

Do I remember previous posts about a problem with the VH instructions about the Kmeta solution the instrucitons call for? I just pitched yeast a couple of days ago on aBlackberry batch & nothing yet.

 

[bj4271]

Going back over the instructions, I remember they called for 5 tsp of KMeta in a cup of water in lieu of CAmpden. Is that too much? If so, how can I fix it or is it a total loss?

 

[Wade E]

Uh Oh, I hope you didnt do what I did a year ago when switching over
from campden to k-meta. After putting those 5 tsps. into water solution
you are only supposed to add a tiny bit of that solution to the must.
Please tell me you didnt add the entire mixture to it! If so I would
would stir the ever living snot out of it and stir it again and do a
yeast starter and try that. I dumped out 2 6 gallon batches because of
this BONME HEAD MISTAKE!

 

[JohnnyK68]

I also did that on an apple juice wine once.


On the directions of the Vinters it calls to rack once it hits 1.04. I am going to let it go to 1.01 just like a kit wine. Is there any reason I should not do this?

 

[Wade E]

Is there any reason you should. Id follow the directions of each
manufacturer. There are alot more solids as this is fruit and may have
the possibility of spoiling easier but Im just trying to think of a
reason why they would want this racked this early.

 

[JohnnyK68]

Is there any reason you should. Id follow the directions of each manufacturer. There are alot more solids as this is fruit and may have the possibility of spoiling easier but Im just trying to think of a reason why they would want this racked this early.

Well, to be honest, no there isnt a good reason except that it fermentedfaster then I anticiapatedand is already at 1.020. By tomorrow when I am ready to rack it, it will probably be 1.010. I try to follow directions, but I got really busy this week and lost track on these 2 wines. (Plum and Blackberry)

 

[Wade E]

Well that is a good reason. I thought that you were deliberatly defying the directions.

 

[bj4271]

Uh Oh, I hope you didnt do what I did a year ago when switching over from campden to k-meta. After putting those 5 tsps. into water solution you are only supposed to add a tiny bit of that solution to the must. Please tell me you didnt add the entire mixture to it! If so I would would stir the ever living snot out of it and stir it again and do a yeast starter and try that. I dumped out 2 6 gallon batches because of this BONME HEAD MISTAKE!

Wade, that's exactly what I did. After 2 days of no activity from the yeast I made a starter (1 cup warm water, 1 tsp yeast ener., 1/2 cup must & more yeast) & re-pitched with the starter(which was really foaming) - NOTHING!!!


Do you think stirring the snot out of it will drive off the extra K meta?

 

[Wade E]

It will drive out some but not sure if enogh. I feel your pain as I
have been there. Do you see now where we went wrong in the
directions.

Good luck as I just dumped both of my batches.

 

[JohnnyK68]

I also had to dump my apple juice wine that I added to much K-meta to. I tried to stir it out, tried a yeast starter, and nothing worked.

 

[bj4271]

Well, it looks like a total loss. I've stirred the snot out of it, mad 3 starter solutions & nothing. I guess tonight I'll have to dump it when I get home. If I rinse the fruit, I guess I can feed it to the chickens. Anybody see a problem with that?

 

[Wade E]

I have no idea about the chickens but are saddened about the
batch as I lost 2 6 gallon batches to this exact problem and we are not
alone. We really need to read directions a little more thoroughly!

The wine flag is at 1/2 mast!

 

[bj4271]

This morning I smelled yeast!!! I put the cover on the primary & it started percolating!!!!!!! I wonder how it will come out. Orig pkh of Premier Cuvee, another with a starter solutin; 2 Cotes des Balnc with starter solutins; a Montrachet with starter. Should be real interesting.



If I get a drinkable wine out of it, I'll bring it to Winestock.

 

[Wade E]

Are the fruits still good?

 

[bj4271]

Wade,


I hope so, smells ok with a trace of K-meta(that I hope will disappear somewhere in the process).


This is a percolating fool. Bubbling like crazy still! You'd think it would have slowed down by now, but maybe 5 pkg of yeast are making up for lost time.

 

[NorthernWinos]

I have only made 2 batches of wine from Vintners Harvest Fruit Bases, Black Currant and Blackberry...I found the instructions to be confusing....they said to add X amount of cans of water to make a 3 or 5 gallon batch...that would have been too much water...so I used the measurements on my primary.


And their way of adding k-meta could confuse anyone...mixing up a batch and then using only a teaspoonful of solution is confusing.....Campden tablets is what I used...just ground them up the old fashioned way....then I knew what I was putting in there.....


Maybe someday they will change their instructions...but this way they sell more cans to replace the ones that get messed up.

Edited by: Northern Winos

 

[scotty]

I have only made 2 batches of wine from Vintners Harvest Fruit Bases, Black Currant and Blackberry...I found the instructions to be confusing....they said to add X amount of cans of water to make a 3 or 5 gallon batch...that would have been too much water...so I used the measurements on my primary.


And their way of adding k-meta could confuse anyone...mixing up a batch and then using only a teaspoonful of solution is confusing.....Campden tablets is what I used...just ground them up the old fashioned way....then I knew what I was putting in there.....


Maybe someday they will change their instructions...but this way they sell more cans to replace the ones that get messed up.

Im not crazy about the brand either--i thiink that they also are inconsistant in the way they fill the cans with fruit ((% of fruit to syrup))Edited by: scotty