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New Vintner

Friends,

I'm a beer brewer, but I think I wanna try a batch of wine. After reading several archived threads, it looks like using Welches juice concentrates are the way to go for me. I do have a few questions though, that I hope some of you can help me with.

It looks like about 2 cans of concentrate and 1 pound of sugar per gallon is what's called for. Will this ratio hold up for a 5 gallon batch?

I see a lot of recipes calling for campden tablets. My understanding is that these are for sanitation. Can I use my regular beer sanitation methods instead?

I also see a lot of recipes calling for acid blend. What is this for? Can I use lemon juice instead? How much should I use for 5 gallons? I've got a whole danged tree of 'em in the back yard. Might as well use them for something.

I keg all my beer, and that's what I'll be doing with my wine. That means it will be served cold and sparkling. Now, I'm about as far from a wine connoisseur as one can get, but the phrase "cold sparkling merlot" made me gag just typing it (and I apologize to those that had to read it). I was thinking white grape and peach if I could find such a flavor. Are there unique flavors that would lend themselves well to this style? Raspearcrangraple? Pineberry bananango?

I haven't decided yet if I wanna make the 40 mile round trip to my LHBS just for some pectic emzymes. But if I do, how much do I use for 5 gallons? Will leaving it out impact the flavor at all?

I plan on a three step fermenting scheme: 2 weeks in a plastic primary fermenting bucket; 2 weeks in glass carboy secondary; another 2 weeks in a glass carboy tertiary; then keg. Naturally, I'll be using my hydrometer to guide me, but does this sound realistic? Will my wine be drinkable after 2 weeks in the keg (8 weeks from brew day)?

I've got a few packets of Lalvin champagne yeast (1115 maybe?) and a bunch of yeast nutrient. Any thing else I'm gonna need? Are there any questions I forgot?

Thanks,

b.

Reply to
mcbragg66
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Jack Keller's recipe actually calls for 1.25 lbs per gallon, but yes, the ratio remains the same whether you are doing 1 gallon or 100.

The campden tablets are optional. My first batch lacked any added sulfite, and it turned out fine. I'm not sure what beer sanitation methods look like, but I don't think they include sulfites in any form. Sulfites are added to wine not only for sanitation purposes, but also to reduce oxidation. If you chose to go beyond the first experimental batch, you really should get campden tablets.

Acid blend normally includes Malic, Tartaric, and Citric acids. You can use lemon juice, but it will impart some citrus flavors into your wine. This may or may not be a good thing. I'm not sure how much to use. Perhaps you could google for an old country wine recipe that calls for lemon juice.

Pectic enzyme breaks down the pectin that can cause a haze in your wine. It also has the added benefit of reducing the production of fusel alcohols; yeast cells can inadvertently produce complex alcohol molecules under certain circumstances, one of which is when they break down a pectin molecule. Search this forum for "fusel alcohols" for more information. With or without pectic enzyme, only a trivial amount of fusel alcohols will be produced. One tsp per gallon is normally recommended. Pectin has no impact on flavor, as far as I know. The haze is the primary concern.

I think you're rushing things a bit. For the batches that I've done, 3 to 4 months is typical. Another 1 to 2 months on top of that in the bottle. You need to provide adequate time for bulk aging and bottle aging (or keg aging in this case).

Take a look at Jack Keller's website. It's at:

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Greg G.

Reply to
greg

In the interest of clarity, I want to make sure no one thinks I'm suggesting adding 1 tsp of fusel alcohols to anything. The 1 tsp referred to pectic enzyme. To the uninitiated, this might not be obvious.

Greg

Reply to
greg

Thank you very much for your reply

Oxidation is bad for beer too, but no sulfites are used to reduce it. Folks rely on careful handling to minimize exposure to air after fermentation. Maybe wine is more subject to the ravages of oxygen.

Speaking of which, folks typically airate their wort (beer's equivilent to must) before pitching yeast. Some people even push pure oxygen into their wort before pitching. Is this necessary / recommended for wine?

Thanks again for your help,

b.

Reply to
mcbragg66

I made a number of batches before I ever heard of this. The extra oxygen right at the start helps the yeast get started since they initially grow and reproduce in an aerobic mode; later they're happy to work in an anaerobic environment. A much bigger deal is made of this in mead recipes than for wine. I'm not sure why.

For my wine batches, I usually cover the carboy with a tightly bound paper napkin at the start. This should allow a small amount of air exchange, thereby giving the yeast a bit of oxygen. After about 4 or 5 days I replace the napkin with an airlock. On smaller, one gallon batches, I normally shake the carboy a bit before I pitch the yeast, thereby infusing the must with a bit more oxygen.

So yes, a bit of oxygen right at the start is generally considered a good thing, but may not be absolutely necessary. I wouldn't go as far as percolating with pure oxygen.

Greg

Reply to
greg

Since you want to carbonate (sparkle) this and are considering lemon juice, are you considering Niagara? I think it's normally called white grape in concentrate cans. It might make a better sparkler than the red, which is Concord.

Sanitation in beer making is more important than wine; whatever you already do is fine. Wine is more acidic and has more alcohol so is less prone to infection than beer.

Carbonated wine can be nice as a kind of 'pop' wine if that is your goal; sparkling wines are usually aged and are a little more complex because we let the yeast 'rot' which gives it a creamier, buttery taste. It' s not necessary, just a style.

If you want this to end up a little sweet you probably want not only sulfite but sorbate; if dry, you can probably get away without sulfite if you are religious about cleaning and topping up. I'm not recommending this, just saying your investment would be minimal money-wise since you have most of what you need.

Joe

Reply to
Joe Sallustio

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