wine making- my first time

WOW!!! Hope you not working during drinking... Have fun!!!


Anyone can tell me, how do i get the icon???

 

Stir the must in the primary fermenter, this will re-suspend the yeast and make it bubble again. I use a paint stir attachment on the end of a cordless drill. If you transfer it too soon the bubbles will come out the top of the carboy, clog the check valve and sometimes bust the carboy open. Even if it looks calm enough if you were not stirring it the transfer will reactivate the yeast… 5 gallons of wine on the floor is a nice mess.

 

cool thanks for the tip. I just stirred it. The direction say to stirr it then transfer it to the carboy. It also tells me to use the air leak thingy lol sorry the name is on the tip of my tounge. but the S valve type thingy.

I took a small spoon full and tired it.. itstarting to taste like wine.. cheap wine but wine none the less. It dosent have that juice flavor to it anymore. Im excited.

its turning into wine and that makes me want to drink it even more.. this buying bottles and drinkin them just so im not anxious to try my stuf is getting expesnive lol.. thats less money for wax...

 

Why some instructions say to stir it then transfer is beyond me. Stir, wait a day until the fermentation is calmed down then transfer. If you stir then transfer immediately you will have a mess. The whole idea to the primary fermenter is you have the rapid fermentation happen because it is not sealed like a carboy and allows the fermentation without a mess. You should also be introducing oxygen in the initial stage to feed the yeast; this is done by rapid stirring.

 

Air Lock. LOL

 

Chris, I have to say im glad your here. I appricate the help. I stirred it and its bbbling more already.
I appricate all the help, im going into this blind so its great to have a person who knows what they are doing.

So when it gets to the level i want it to, as in when it has the correct level o the hydromiter should i stirr it and let it sit for another day? or transfer it to the carboy then?

haha yeah thats the one... guees i need to brush up on my terms...

 

Stir it daily real good. The hydrometer is not as important as the physical action. There needs to be little foaming happening. It will still bubble the air lock but if the foam goes up the neck and into the airlock which again will clog it and hopefully blow the cork instead of the carboy.

 

hmm thats intresting im glad i know that now. They def. did not tell me tat at the store or in the kit.

Its foaming a decent amount now which is good.. i think :thud:

wow i have lots to learn... but i am usinga plastic carboy for this batch (the new ones are glass) so hopefully if something dose happen it will blow the bung not the carboy :

 

One more question Chris (sorry for all the questions but in really excited about this and want to get it right)..

Are there any kits or brands that you would suggest to make a better wine, or that would be good for a begginer?

I know you get the grape with the stem and what not, but realisticly im not ready for that just yet. Maybe soon but I want to make a few batches first

 

Day 8: I checked the wine last night and it was getting close to the 1.00 mark, so i decided to leabe it over night. Wel it was a good idea. Its day 8 and the wine has a SG of 1.00. Its what the instuctions say to do so it looks like it is time to transfer.

I resantized the carboy, bung, and hose... here are some pics of me transfering it













I then threw a bung with the air lock and took it down stairs for 12 more days

 

I prefer just buying pails of juice. The "Kits" are just concentraed juice with a few easy to find chemicals. Making it from pails is just as easy but does come out nicer. I dont have much Kit experience.

 

cool thnanks, i think when i get the hand of wine making I will have to give it a try with the grapes... sounds like it would make a good bottle....

Thanks for all the tips...


so a quick update, The first batch is still in the carboy. It bubbled alot the first coupld days but has sine calmed down and really is not doing much, I hope this ok... i guees time will tell. i think its all just settling and working its magic... only like 9 or so days untill I get to transfer it again :d

the second batch is still working its magic, I stir it once a day to keep the yeast suspended. I can tell its going well, you can see and hear the bubbles its really cool. This one smells better so im hopping iy will taste better. I cannot wait for it to be drinkable..ohh well pantience is a virtue

 

Nice update Mike....I like reading this thread...very interesting...I know I will moonshining the fall...lol....

A friend in work has a motorized grape crusher and a press....he will help me out he said...I have a bunch of the 5 gallon carboys from spring water ....just need a few vats and a few fermentation locks...


keep posting Mike....

Al

 

get crunked up

 

thanks al, im glad your enjoying it. Im excited to see how your moonshinning goes.

you will have to post tons of pics of the press. im excited to see that....

and updates will come as I get them... which isnt often enough, like really to fill my need for wine I have had to enroll in a wine course (not wine making but a level 1 semolie (sp))

and motorcuty, i have a feeling that might happen at some point...

 

so I have been bout about posting on here... i just havent had the time with the end of the sem.

So i have been following the directions and adding all the chemicals/additives whenever i was told. Everuthing seems to be working out on both kits. The merlot. ot kit one will be don next wenesday, The other ones (pinot noir) should be done in 8 days... i think im going to leave them both in the carboy;s for a little longer to enhance the wine... I did do a small sample of each and they are def. young....ohh well we will see..



I do have to go out tom. and buy the additives that the instuctions say to add if you are letting it sit for more then 6 months (wich i will since i now have 60 bottlesof wine )

 

Thanks for the upate Mike...I am watching this thread....waiting to see your results..

Al

 

So... I'm french and I find it's totally crazy! :doh:

I'm waiting for some update.

 

I have issue with it as well to tell you the truth. I am a huge wine nut and as such have turned my nose up to homemade wine in the past. However Im a student and cannot affrod 20bucls a bottle (for a cheap wine) so i figure I can drink this stuff most of the time and save fo the better bottles.... like right now im looking at a case of 05 Burgundy
... from what i have heard its the best vintage they have had in decades, if not hundreds of years... so im making the home made stuff so I can save a few bucks and buy some wine to cellar...

its to bad wine is so expensive up here.. maybe i need a connection in the states who can smuggle it up for me

 

so the wine has cleared up.. it smells like wine now, it dosent have that juice smell to it. I am slolwly amassing bottle as i drink them so i will bottle it then, i figure a few extra weeks ina carboy will be good for it...

i just need to go out and get the chemical needed to age for longer then 6 months....

so no real updates here, thats where we are at