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Gritty Flakes

I bought 20 gal of (Stewbin) ? on spelling)Grape Juice from a winery.I made it in 4 5gal batches.Here are my steps. Started on 10-16-09 in fermentation buckets .In each bucket Added 5 crushed campden tablets 2

1/2 tsp pectic enzyme 5 tsp yeast nutrient 3 cups sugar.SG 1.090 covered and left sit 1 day then added yeast 10 17 09.Then on 10 26 09 syphon into carboys SG was 1.000 left settlement behind.Syphon again on 11 14 09 left settlement behind wasn't much.Then syphon again on 12 12 09 it was clear SG .995.It had a sulfur smell. I did at different times stir it up trying to work the smell out of it then i took a piece of 1/2in copper pipe put it in the carboy just below the airlock first i disinfected it clean it real good.Then i would blow through it a couple times a day after about 4 days the smell was gone.But i noticed these white flakes some were big. I syphon 1 carboy on 12 24 09 it was clear except for those flakes i tasted some they were gritty /sandy i thought it might have been because of the sulfur smell but they had no smell to them or no taste.The wine was clear so i added 5 1/2 cups sugar and 2 1/2 tsp potassium sorbate and bottle it.I looked at the bottles and they were clear no flakes.Then after 4 days i looked at the bottles and the flakes started to come back after it was bottle i open one up and it was small sandy floaters they have no taste just sandy.I thought it might have been sugar that has not disoved put no taste and i stirred then sugar up real good never had this trouble before.So i open all bottles and ran them through a wine filter using the thick pad it came out crystal clear so i bottle it up again but after 4 days it came back the bottles have those small white floaters back in them. I still have 3 carboys left.I took one of them and add the sugar to sweeting it up and added the potassium sorbate to it and leaving it sit to see if the flakes get back in it.Does any one have any ideals what it could be .I might just dump the ones i got bottle the flakes don't hurt the taste just sandy.Thanks for any help Dan
Reply to
vbirds1
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Thanks shbailey The crystal are at the bottom of the carboy.The one carboy i bottle had big crystal flakes some the size of a corn flake and lots of small ones.The bottle have small ones in them. I have them in a wine rack and the small crystal lay on the down side of the bottle.I should have explain better what i meant by floaters when you disturb the bottle or carboy they float then settle back down.I have three more 5gal carboy to bottle. What would be a good cold storage temp . Where i have the carboys and bottle the temp is 55.Would it be best to let the bottles lay in the rack then open filter them then rebottle right away. When you buy kits to make wine a lot of them can be ready to bottle in about 29 days.What is a average time when using your own fruit and grapes.I bottle this Stewbin grape in about 3 months to early still learning.Thanks everyone for the help Dan

Reply to
vbirds1

Thanks Stephen.I will let it sit a couple months then bottle a couple bottles and see if it returns.I will syphon the rest into a smaller carboy keeping it top off so there is little air space.I will check the bottles in a week and see if it comes back if not i will bottle the rest.Thanks again Dan

Reply to
vbirds1

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