black raspberry- barely perking

Every batch is different and a recipe is never perfect, only a guideline which is why your suppossed to take all of those measurements so you can adjust the recipe. Did you add Pectice Enzyme? If not the haze on the bottom might be the juice turning into a jam/jelly mess, adding some now should help. Also did you add Yeast Nutrient or Yeast Energizer? If not try adding some now, again should help. Racking might also help. It could also be that your must is absorbing the CO2 and is not releasing it as bubbles (it happens I have a cider that is doing that at the minute) a gentle stir should shake the CO2 lose (though do be careful it can over flow). In anycase if you can take an SG reading, do so and report back to us. If you do all of this and you still aren't seeing any results ask your local shop about stuck ferments and see what they have to say or sell and go from there. Ken

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You need to get yourself a hydrometer. Just as a hydrometer can tell the condition of the battery in your car, a hydrometer will tell the condition of your wine. They are not expensive and are invaluable to a winemaker. The activity in your air lock may be slow if the sugar content is low. A hydrometer will tell you quickly.

i did add yeast nutrient and 1tsp pectic enzyme per 1 gallon, what i will do today is go to my wine store and buy a hydrometer, iv'e been way overdue but 99% of my wine always comes out great without ever using a hydrometer but i it would sure take the guess work out of alot of things. when i get the results i'll post back. thanks for the replies

mike

You know it could be you got bad yeast...? Darlene

Yes, get a hydrometer. You can make good wine from recipes without one but they will not be consistent. It is cheap, easy, and adds to the fun.

Now, making wine without a recipe is another mater. If you want to make wine from unknown fruit, you also need an acid titration kit. They are cheap also and just a little more trouble to use than a hydrometer.

Here is a procedure for making wine without a recipe or inventing a recipe.

1) Crush up a know weight of fruit, maybe 5 lbs. Check the acidity with the acid kit. If the acidity is too high, which it probably will be, dilute with water until you get it right. Now measure the volume you end up with. The kit instructions will have recommendations. Lets say you used 5 lbs of fruit and end up with 1.25 gal. then you should use 5/1.25 = 4 lbs in a gal (not to a gal) to make your wine.

2) Optional. Step 1 will give the maximum fruit character to your wine. If this is more character than you want, then further dilute the must and raise the acidity by adding the acid of your choice using the acid kit to check it.

3) Now use the hydrometer to check the SG and add sugar to raise the SG to the level that will give the alcohol that you want.

4) Then add pectic enzyme, nutrient, tannin, and/or any other ingredients you want. (Look at recipes for similar fruit.) Do not add any more acid unless you do Step 2. Let it set overnight and add the yeast.

5) Follow standard procedures from here on.

You have now invented your own recipe. Or another way of looking at it is you now have a procedure where you do not need a recipe.

Ray

P.S. All you experts out there, jump in and point out the over simplification and skipped steps that he will need.

Ray

Supposedly these grapes are not suitable for wine ... but they are great for making grape jelly! We always called them "fox grapes" because they're sour grapes. They become much sweeter after a frost - if you have enough of them, maybe you could try your hand at making ice wine.

Woods

these grapes are very sour so they probaly are the fox grapes you mentioned. there is probaly a couple hundred pounds around the whole property. ice wine??

my wine store wasnt open when i went to get a hydrometer so i will have to wait till tuesday to get a reading on the black raspberrry, i did try to renocculate the wine with yeast from a different packet about a week ago so the bad yeast theory is pretty much out. i keep all my yeast packets in the fridge, is that o.k?

mike

That is the way that Lalvin recommends keeping dry yeast (4%/year degradation if kept in fridge vs. 20%/year if kept at room temperature), they do not recommend storing them in the freezer. I would also give the yeast time to return to room temperature before pitching (don't want to temperature shock the little guys). Ken

i have a update on the black raspberry, today i decided to rack it since there was such a mucky mess at the bottom of the gallon jug and i tasted it and it tastes very sour or bitter, very nasty. should i throw this batch out? it took me near 2 weeks to collect 4lbs of blackberries, it sure is a shame.

mike

OMG - NO

My rule of thumb is never throw out a wine unless you've given it at least a two year chance to redeem itself. The best thing about wines you think aren't up to snuff, is you have the patience to let them sit without drinking them. Believe me, most wines I think are headed for the sewer turn out really fine after some aging.