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Re: Question - Making Wine for a Kit - BK White Zinfandel

Everything has been progressing well, I think. I'm only on day 8 of my wine kit and have a few questions.

The primary fermentation has been very steady, even after racking the wine, which the kit instructions stated to do when the wine reached an SP of

1.010, which was today. The wine is still fermenting and should continue until the SP reaches about .996 or less, at which point I'm instructed to stabilize the wine and use the F-Pack.

One thing I've been noticing is that the wine is becoming more cloudy, more so then it was when I started and there was not much sediment when I racked it, virtually none. Is this normal? I'm also concerned about a little foam (nice white foam) on top of the wine, which appeared about the fourth day of fermentation. I think this started when I began stirring the wine, which was done from day 2 to 4, gentle stirring, nothing too serious, but each time I expose the wine to air it seems to worsen..a little more foam. The foam is about 1/2 inch high. I've been very meticulous about cleaning everything that has come into contact with the wine in any way, but I've read a few posts describing bacteria, although most all of them were referring to wine that had sat around awhile. Should I worry, or could this be CO2 or is it too early to tell?

Day Specific Gravity Temp

1 1.080 76 F 2 Didn't Check 72 F 3 1.060 76 F 4 1.050 74 F 5 1.040 72 F 6 1.030 74 F 7 1.020 74 F 8 1.010 74 F (Racked)

Brandon

Reply to
Brandon
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Sounds like everything is proceeding fine. The foam is just CO2 which is released by the fermentation process. There will be some foaming when it just sits there and a lot if you stir it. The wine is super saturated with CO2. Any disturbance and it releases a bunch.

The cloudiness is probably just suspended yeast and other particles. The wine is super saturated with CO2 which can come out of solution in contact with particles. The CO2 then carries the particle toward the surface where the tiny bubble pops, releasing the particle to float back down toward the bottom. It is even circulating the betonite you probably added. When fermentation ends, all these particles will start finally settling to the bottom and the wine will clear in a few days to a few months. For kit wines it is usually clear in a week or so. Once fermentation ends (the airlock stops) let it set for 2 weeks before racking.

Ray

Reply to
Ray

Brandon,

Things are progressing nicely, now comes the hard part. Follow this exactly.. Place your carboy in a nice cool location away from light and start a second kit.

In about a month rack the first one wine off the lees that settled into another carboy. Go ahead and add the Sorbate, sulphite and F-Pack that came with your kit. Top with like wine or water, check your air lock and forget it for another 3 months. Start 3rd kit.

Rack original kit one more time. Should be clear by now, if not check you levels and put it away. Don't tinker.....Check in another 30 days

Time is a wines best friend from this point on.... You can bottle or age longer if you like. Get a few kits going and in different stages but manage the same. Don't rush it. These wine in 30 days instructions are based on our increasing impatient society. I call it the FedEx effect (I need it now!!!) You wouldn't buy a wine that was made just 30 days ago so why do that to your own creations?

Welcome to the hobby!

Reply to
Tom

Hi, It's definitely better to age wine as long as possible. What I did a few years ago when I was completely out of wine :-( (I moved and never got around to it), was to make one 6 week kit and bottled it according to the instructions for immediate consumption. The rest of my wine was allowed to bulk age for 1 year prior to drinking it. That way you have an OK wine to drink now and better wines to drink when that first batch is gone. I've got a banana wine that is only 3 months old and the waiting part is definitely hard as I have never made it before and I am anxious to see how it tastes!

Al

Reply to
Alfonse

Thanks all - I feel better now :-)

Reply to
Brandon

I have 550 bottles going back as much as 5 years and 100+ gal's bulk aging going back as much as 3 years. Even with an inventory that large it is hard to wait on each new batch. This is a tough hobby!

Just remember, age is a plus up to a certain point. Most wines do have an optimal window of maturity beyond which they decline. For some that may be

18 months. For others it may be 18 years. No rule works universally and that includes aging wines. Drink them when they are good. Don't wait for them to go bad.

Ray

Reply to
Ray
550 bottles? Ok, I'm jealous..... but I hope to catch up some day! Al
Reply to
Alfonse

The question perhaps should be: Are you trying to catch up? or am I falling behind!

Ray

Reply to
Ray

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