Wine from Just plain grapes?

[NorCal]

Menny, what are your brix levels on each of your ferments?

 

[mennyg19]

Haven't checked. I racked my regular one to a demijohn. Then got a smaller demi because it was too big. Racked it today and got rid of about 2-3 inches of sediment (woohoo!) and it fit perfectly into my smaller one. Proud of my racking abilities

 

[mennyg19]

I snapped the lid down on my natural one as I dont have a demi small enough for it. Im gettigg one hopefully tonight.

 

[Hound]

Welcome Menny!

like the others, it will be interesting to follow your attempts. I hope all goes well and you get to enjoy the fruits of your labors. But since you a brand spankin newbee to all this I thought I should mention that watermelon is one of those wines that even experienced wine makers have problems with. It spoils so fast that even with chemicals the results are almost always undrinkable. So, maybe not watermelon with your no chemical plan?

Pam in cinti

Pam,

I'm working on a watermelon wine right now, if it works out, I will keep you updated! It is only a 4 gallon batch, FYI.

 

[brewski09]

Pitching yeast and THEN do a spontaneous ferment? Please explain how this would work.

I was trying to say do enough batches with purchased yeast to know you've got that down before doing a spontaneous batch so you control everything else. Now that I'm thinking about it though, you can pitch yeast and then leave it exposed for spontaneous bacteria too and this will let the pitched yeast outcompete any potential dangerous bacteria while still allowing native bacteria to potentially take hold.

 

[mennyg19]

Just racked and measure SG again and I'm excited...
.997 on the additive one
.998 on the natural one.
For some reason I keep miscalculating how big my demi has to be, so I need to get a 10L for my natural must. Good thing, I'll be able to get rid of a lot of sediment. I also took a sip of my additive one, and I'm loving it... I'm not such a wine expert, so I dont know all the terms and stuff, but it's a fruity delicious wine. Not much of a puckery aftertaste, no punch in the mouth dryness. Don't know if you all understand my rambling, but I love it and thats what counts...

That puts the ABV at about 14.5% for both of them. If I'm doing the math right...

 

[NorCal]

Congrats! Sounds like two nicely executed ferments.

 

[drainsurgeon]

I was trying to say do enough batches with purchased yeast to know you've got that down before doing a spontaneous batch so you control everything else. Now that I'm thinking about it though, you can pitch yeast and then leave it exposed for spontaneous bacteria too and this will let the pitched yeast outcompete any potential dangerous bacteria while still allowing native bacteria to potentially take hold.

Is this what happens when we cover the primary with just a cloth and no airlock? I'm wondering if that's why kits want to snap down and airlock the primary? Maybe I'm confusing bacteria with yeast's.

 

[cmason1957]

Is this what happens when we cover the primary with just a cloth and no airlock? I'm wondering if that's why kits want to snap down and airlock the primary? Maybe I'm confusing bacteria with yeast's.

Probably not. Native yeast will be overcome by commercial great, in most cases.

 

[JohnT]

Manny,

Did you take a sip of the "natural" one? How does it compare?

 

[mennyg19]

Manny,

Did you take a sip of the "natural" one? How does it compare?

Didnt try it yet. Will probably take a sip tomorrow night when I rack. Im gonna have too much anyway for my smaller demijohn.

And its mEnny... Sorry, just been dealing with the name mixups since I was born

 

[brewski09]

Is this what happens when we cover the primary with just a cloth and no airlock? I'm wondering if that's why kits want to snap down and airlock the primary? Maybe I'm confusing bacteria with yeast's.

It can. There are a host of wild yeasts and bacteria. Brettanomyces is the most common wild bacteria to encounter and can range from black peppery to barnyard to acidic to sweat/manure and more. There are potential spoilage bacteria out there as well but I'm no expert in all of this yet (I'll be doing a spontaneous ferment of beer this fall)

 

[mennyg19]

Ok, big announcement...
I racked my natural wine into a smaller demijohn and had some extra. Due to some kosher laws I needed to get rid of 1/100th of it, but I still had about 1.25L extra. So i bottled .750 and took the rest to my friends for taste testing.
They were pretty honest with me (i think). Most are not major wine drinkers, but said they enjoyed the sip. One gave it a 7 out of 10.
All in all, it looks like I did well with this. My parents are coming from the states to cisit next week. Even though my wine is in its infancy, I will probably serve them a glass or two out of the bottle and see what they say.
Personally, I like it. Fruity, smooth finish, a little off dry, but not at all sweet. A bunch of people didn't believe me when I said its about 13.5% ABV, they said it didnt have that much of a alcohol kick to it.
Now, I have 15Liters of regular wine and 10L of natural wine bulk aging.
Question: when do I add the sulfites to the additive wine? And do I add sorbate? I dont plan on back-sweetening it...

Heres a picture of my bottle:

I hammered the cork in afterwards

 

[Johnd]

Now, I have 15Liters of regular wine and 10L of natural wine bulk aging.
Question: when do I add the sulfites to the additive wine? And do I add sorbate? I dont plan on back-sweetening it...

If you're sure fermentation is complete, you can add your sulfites now. If you finished dry and don't intend to add sweetness, you can omit sorbate. Bulk aging will relieve you of CO2 and sediment over the next 6-9 months. Looks good Menny!!

 

[ceeaton]

Menny, a 7 out of 10 is pretty darn good for how young that wine is, so I'd say that is a small victory. Just be patient and age that as long as you can stand to, you will be rewarded in the long run. As John said, if you think fermentation is complete I'd add your Kmeta, especially if your temperatures are warm. Omit the Sorbate if you aren't going to add some sweetness to it.

 

[mennyg19]

If you're sure fermentation is complete, you can add your sulfites now. If you finished dry and don't intend to add sweetness, you can omit sorbate. Bulk aging will relieve you of CO2 and sediment over the next 6-9 months. Looks good Menny!!

Thanks, how much sulfites for 15L?
Can anyone do math around here?

 

[NorCal]

Congrats. Looks like you got good extraction. I don't let anyone taste my wine for at least a year after fermentation. Mine is just not finished developing at that point.

 

[Johnd]

Thanks, how much sulfites for 15L?
Can anyone do math around here?

Depends on your finished pH, based on that you can determine how many grams / liter you need. If yo want to wing it, it's 15/23 of a 1/4 tsp dose, little over 1/8 tsp. I'm assuming that you're not doing MLF, if that's correct, dose away.

 

[mennyg19]

Depends on your finished pH, based on that you can determine how many grams / liter you need. If yo want to wing it, it's 15/23 of a 1/4 tsp dose, little over 1/8 tsp. I'm assuming that you're not doing MLF, if that's correct, dose away.

1/8 tsp per liter?

 

[Johnd]

1/8 tsp per liter?

NO!!!!!! Way too much! A little over 1/8 tsp for your entire 15 liter batch!!!