Daves Place NEWS

In case you may have wondered about this topic:

Here is some information I copied from the WINEXPERT Web Page.

September 04, 2015

Airlock, Water

The reason you should use water in your airlocks is that temperature and barometric changes that occur can cause a suck-back effect from the airlock into the wine. This could mean that you get a dose of sanitizer being sucked into the wine, which you certainly don’t want.

But putting water in the airlock can prevent that problem. And the water itself can actually be sanitised by the contact, if the wine has a pH of less than 3.2, an alcohol content of 12%, and 25 PPM (parts per million) of sulphite.

Written by Phyl on February 28, 2011.

Last edited by Phyl on March 7, 2011.

September 5, 2015

Equipment, Primary Fermenter Lid

The main purpose of the lid on your primary fermenter is to keep foreign matter, such as insects, dust or other particles, out of the wine. But beyond that purpose, the lid doesn’t need to be airtight, because the newly fermenting wine is producing carbon dioxide gas that forms a protective layer over the must. Having a non-airtight lid allows these fermentation gases to escape.

For this reason, if your fermenter lid has no hole, you should place it loosely on the bucket so that excess gas can escape from under the sides. If the lid does have a hole, you can stopper it if you wish, with a solid bung, or a bung fitted with an airlock. However, you should realize that using an airlock on the lid will have no bearing on the primary fermentation or the quality of your wine. So you don’t need to worry if the lid is not airtight.

Written by Phyl on March 15, 2011.

September 07, 2015

Troubleshooting, Specific Gravity Stuck at 1.000

A Specific Gravity (SG) reading that is stuck at 1.000 means that your wine has not fermented to dryness. This could cause it to re-ferment in the bottles, producing fizzy wine or even popping out the corks. You should wait a few more days and take the following steps:

Keep the must at a temperature between 25-28C (75-80F). Stir it very vigorously, to rouse any available yeast back into suspension.

Wait two days and re-check SG and temperature; be sure to maintain the latter at 25-28C (75-80F).

If there has been no movement in your readings after a week, there probably never will be. You can now go ahead with stabilising, and adding the F-pack and clarifier.

For future kits, remember that your wine will progress on schedule if you start it at the high end of the suggested temperature range (25C/75F) and keep it warm throughout the fermentation, until the wine is clear. It is much easier to drive off fermentation gasses if the wine is warm. This also enables the clearing agents to work better, meaning that the sediment settles down more compactly and gives you more wine.

Written by Phyl on March 19, 2011.

September 08, 2015

Alcohol Content, Calculating

To calculate the alcohol content of any wine you make, you first need to know the starting and finishing specific gravity. You should also be sure that your liquids are at 15 degrees C or 60 degrees F when you take all your measurements. Follow the directions in your kit for doing this, taking the starting specific gravity and subtracting the ending specific gravity, to get the difference. For example, if you start with 1.086 and end with 0.996, subtracting 0.996 from 1.086 would give you 0.090.

Once you have calculated the difference between the starting and finishing specific gravities, multiply that number by 131 to find the percent of alcohol by volume. In the case of our example above, that would be 11.79.

Remember that the alcohol content by volume will vary among the different types of wine. Vintners Reserve, World Vineyard and Selection brands vary between 10.5% and 14.5%. Island Mist wine-based beverages will measure around 5-7%.

Note that the percentages shown on your hydrometer refer to potential alcohol only. When you put the hydrometer in the juice prior to fermentation, the reading indicates the potential alcohol if the juice is fermented to dryness.

Written by Phyl on February 28, 2011.

Last edited by 51230 on February 4, 2014.

September 09, 2015

Bottle Colour

Choosing the "proper" bottle colour for your wine may not be as crucial as you think. The most important thing for any wine is that it should be stored in a dark place to protect it from the harmful effects of light. Proper storage will protect the wine no matter what the colour of the bottle.

But there are some traditional colours associated with certain types of wine. For example, dark green is generally used for red wines. Rose and white wines are often bottled in clear glass, so the colour of the wine can be appreciated.

Different countries and regions have different traditions. In North America, most producers prefer green or brown glass, precisely to prevent light getting through to the wine. But home winemakers can use whatever colour bottle they like, as long as the wine is properly stored in a dark place.

Written by Phyl on March 4, 2011.

Last edited by Phyl on March 8, 2011.

September 10, 2015

Bottling to Avoid Sediment

If you are worried about disturbing sediment during your final bottling stage, your best course is to rack your wine off the sediment and into a clean and sanitized primary fermenter or carboy, just before you bottle it. Slowly lower the siphon rod down the side of the carboy, so you don’t suck up any sediment as you are siphoning the wine into the other carboy.

When your wine level gets low enough that you are approaching the sediment in your original container, don’t continue siphoning the wine into the new one. Instead, move your siphon hose over to a separate, smaller cleaned and sanitized container, such as a small jug. Siphon the rest of your wine into that. This smaller container might still end up with a bit of sediment in it, but you’ll have kept the largest volume of your wine sediment-free.

Now you can put your clean siphon rod right to the bottom of the new carboy, and concentrate on filling your bottles without having to worry about stirring up any sediment. And once you’ve finished that, you can still bottle the wine that remains in the smaller container. By now, the bit of sediment that might have flowed into it will have settled to the bottom.

Try to avoid drawing any of the remaining sediment out of the smaller container as you fill your final bottle or two. But mark those bottles so you’ll know that you should decant or pour them carefully when you serve them, to avoid getting any sediment in your glass.

Following this procedure should allow you to produce about thirty 750 ml bottles of wine.

Written by Phyl on March 7, 2011.