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drizztkun

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Hi all, just started my batch of wine today =oD

Initial SG at 1.078 and the temperature was at 71.6(22c)

Everything so far went like a charm, i guess doing the baron kit first help me more understand the steps =)

Just felt like sharing
 
I did the VR Pinot last year. Its a nice table wine but it is a bit thin in body. It seems to have gotten better each month. Good luck. Its a good kit to start your winemaking hobby.
 
OK now im really confused, I started this batch Saturday, we are now thursday so i went to check the SG to see if it was ok to rack to secondary and i checked it 3 times. and i always get 0.992 which is lower then what the final SG should be i was really expecting it to be around 1.010 or so.....

it was in a primary with a brew belt because my basement is at 66 degree(19c)
with the lid on but not clipped since i didnt make hole yet to fig a air lock.

i can still see little bubbles on the surface but i guess that's just the co2.... it taste a bit fizzy and a little harsh... the really good sweet smell is gone too but i /think/ it taste ok....

Obviously i need to rack now but what should i do at this point?
 
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Fermentation can and usually does finish way faster then stated so all is good. this is a young wine so what you are tasting or smelling is normal, just proceed with the instructions and get it into the carboy since you dont have an airlock for that primary yet!
 
Yeah it's already done, i also did like instruction said and i didnt topped it up yet, instruction says to wait for the next stage.

should i wait the suggest 10 days still before i degass?
 
You can dega ow and even top it off after adding your fining agent. They tell you not to top off only because they are thinking that it is not done fermenting and dont want you not leaving enough room in carboy for fermentation.
 
Here's the space i have left, i am starting to wonder if this carboy wasnt a little too big, if i top it off with water wont it make it taste watery?

Vin 002.jpg
 
That is more head space than what I would feel comfortable with and yes if you use water that will water down your wine. Go buy a like wine and use that to top up with or put it in a small carboy.

Julie
 
i added some water to it i'll wait a couple of days still just to be sure it's done fermenting, im not at home tonight but tomorow i'll see if the number are the same if so i'll go ahead and degass it
 
I would rack that down to a 5 gallon carboy. That would require lots of wine or water to top that up, about as much to buy a 5 gallon carboy and that would get used again!
 
I dont filter my reds, just give them some extra time, I only filter my whites and lighter fruits but to each their own. Ive done plenty of filtering and really havent noticed any stripping of flavor or color in any of my wines.
 
Took a sample today, not to shabby so far, i'll let it age in the carboy while i decide wether i'll filter it or not ;)
 
Just picked this kit up yesterday. It'll be our second Pinot Noir though the first was a RJS.

The RJS was fantastic after a year, really came alive.

I'm wondering if giving this WE kit a little boost with a blackberry jam slurry might afford it a bit more body.
 
That's the kit I started with, and it's currently at the "stabilising and clearing" stage. The equipment kit I bought came with a 6gl carboy. That left a lot of headspace which wasn't a problem as long as it was fermenting.


The instructions said to top up with cool water to within 2" of the top after mixing in the meta, potassium sorbate and chitosan. That was way too much water for me, so I picked up an economical Vin de Pays d'Oc Pinot Noir (1.5L) and topped off with that. It took the entire magnum plus a little more.
 
I don't like adding water either. :(

You may want to try adding sanitized marbles next time. That is what I like to use for topping up.
 
The equipment kit I bought came with a 6gl carboy. That left a lot of headspace which wasn't a problem as long as it was fermenting.

keep in mind, that italian carboy is really closer to 6.75 gal or so when filled to top (although they do vary from one to another) - next time it's empty, measure out exactly 6 gallons and see how low it comes up on the sides.

also good not to be too delicate in your racking from primary to secondary - many leave too much behind i think and that just creates more room that needs topping up later on.
 
well seems mine and jet came up to pretty much the same lvl, and mine not italian (italian are those with the ribs right?)

With mine i ended up adding the water, im bottling it this weekend, will have been sitting in there for almost 2 months now, prolly gonna drink the last bottle i'll fill up right away
 
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