wyo wino wrote:Below is a web site that describes the above method. As you read through it they are in error describing specific gravity as a 4 digit number. We know that isn't correct. If we take their 7.36 number and divide by 1000 it comes out correct.

http://www.bindaree.com.au/hints/hint9_ ... levels.htm

Thanks.. Man this is a fun hobby.. I know once my wife and I learn more and once we're on are own making it.. LOOK OUT... cause there's not just one way of making wine there's several ways to make it..lol..

They have been making wine for thousands of years. It probably didn't taste quite as good as it does today but striking off on your own is the fun part of the hobby. After you get a few batches finished you will start to identify things that aren't quite right. Temp, acid, strains of yeast, getting rid of pectic haze, etc. I found that with the 100% concord grape juice that it just didn't have the body that I like in a wine. As you go along you can blend other things into your wine.

My SG's are at .992 in the(airlocked)1 Gallon secondary .. Should I wait about 5 days before degassing and topping off..?

Or rack back into primary, degass, and (add more pectic enzyme.??)top off and wait for it to clear..?

In the begining I added the 1 tsp pectic enzyme that the recipe asked for..

What Ya Think...

You are safe once you are under an airlock. I would wait the 5 days and rack to a new carboy. You can top off at that point and then just let it sit under an airlock. I never degas, just let it do its own thing. The longer it sits the better it will be.

BTW you'll be fine on the 1 teaspoon of pectic enzyme for 1 gallon. The only critical thing to watch when under an airlock is don't stay on the gross lees more than about 3 weeks and the fine lees more than 2 months. Other than that just sit and wait.

wyo wino wrote:BTW you'll be fine on the 1 teaspoon of pectic enzyme for 1 gallon. The only critical thing to watch when under an airlock is don't stay on the gross lees more than about 3 weeks and the fine lees more than 2 months. Other than that just sit and wait.

Ok great.. The SG's started at 1.106 @ 72f. then took it off the gross lees after 4 days from adding yeast cause the SG's was at 1.005.. They been in the secondary now for 5 days with a SG of .992..

What do u think..???? Should I:...

Leave it under the airlock for a extra 5 days, rack back into primary, top off, refit airlock, let sit for 30 days, then bottle..?

Or do everything above but Don't Rack into Primary..??

Let it sit for 3 weeks then rack it.

Thank you.

When its time for me to top off, should I use the same grape concentrate followed by 1/4 tsp (per gallon) of Potassium Sorbate deluted in with wine..?

Or, top off with the grape juice sold in the 1/2 or 1 gal container made from concentrate, then add P-Sorbate..?

Sorry if I'm being a pain..

I would use the same juice that you used to make the wine. Also add 1 crushed campden tablet per gallon, and 1/2 teaspoon of potassium sorbate per gallon. Stir and re-install the airlock.

wyo wino wrote:I would use the same juice that you used to make the wine. Also add 1 crushed campden tablet per gallon, and 1/2 teaspoon of potassium sorbate per gallon. Stir and re-install the airlock.

I used the same juice concentrate to top off, 1/2 tsp of p-sorbate, stired the daylights out of it, refit airlock, but I forgot agian to add the Campden and its been 4 days now....RRRRrrrrrrr..

Is it to late to add the campden..?

Can I take my sterilized baster, grab some wine, desolve the crushed Campden and add it to my wine or is it to late..?

It could be a problem. Check out the below web site and scroll down to potassium sorbate.
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/additives.asp

You should always add campden when adding potassium sorbate.

Update: I wasn't sure if bulk aging this Welches Concentrate would be a good idea not adding campden so I bottled it after it cleared, which was 30 days and 9 out of 10 people really loved it and wanted me to make more..

I was SHOCKED.!!! I still have the recipe step by step on what I did but I'm afraid that it will come out diffrent if I add the campden..

If I make a 5 or 6 gallon batch I will use the campden for sure...

Adding the potassium sorbate and not campden can cause the problems I mentioned. Plus campden prevents the wine from oxidizing. If the wine was drank quickly you probably will never notice any problems. It just won't age well.

If you have ever tried a bottle of wine and it had a brownish tint and a burned taste you will experience oxidation in wine. You can notice that brownish tint best as you are slowly pouring the wine into the glass.

Thank you for the heads up on the oxidizing and what to look for..