More help for my plum wine

[joemarshalljm]

Still working on my first batch from plumbs. I have a few questions:

Reading recipes online (I'm working from this one: http://www.whyteshomewineequipment.co.u ... c-126.html) I can't work out the timeframe for making from start to finish. Mine seemed to ferment in just over 2 weeks, and I've since added a Campden tablets and finings to help it clear - I'm not sure when it'll be ready.

Should it have taken this amount of time? People talk in the timeframe of months, not weeks, so I don't know if mine did its thing too quickly. It did bubble a lot for a week and a half solid.

Secondly, with a dark red wine like this, how 'clear' is clear? Should I be able to see straight through the demijohn, or will it remain quite dark?

Heres an image of how its looking now:

Thanks

 

[BrewSage1985]

Mine finished fermenting from 1.100 to 1.016 in about three weeks so its not uncommon, but I tend to rack my wine after 1 month in the primary FV (or demi john) to take it off the sediment, then rack to another demi john and leave it there for 2 monthes or more to clear and condition. My plum wine takes about 2 -3 monthes to clear but sometimes I don't get perfect clarity. Plum wine is notorious for clearing slowly, thats why using Pectolase it's extremely important. But even with pectolase it takes a LONG time to clear, so don't worry.

From start of fermentation to bottling I usually take 3 - 4 monthes. But even after 2 monthes it tastes pretty good, but outstanding after 6 monthes It's worth the wait, trust me.

Hope this helps :thumb:

 

[Crastney]

so to clarify - the ferment finishes, then you rack off the lees onto a crushed camden tab, and 1tsp of pot sorb (per 1gal DJ). this should stabilise the wine, and fermentation should cease.
Then you leave it somewhere to clear. right?
does it need to be cool? in a dark place, or is light polution ok?

how long then before bottling?
When in this process do you de-gass?
and when in this process would you use the filter? - presumably after it's cleared, and after you've de-gassed, but before you bottle? or filter into bottles?

 

[BrewSage1985]

so to clarify - the ferment finishes, then you rack off the lees onto a crushed camden tab, and 1tsp of pot sorb (per 1gal DJ). this should stabilise the wine, and fermentation should cease.
Then you leave it somewhere to clear. right?
does it need to be cool? in a dark place, or is light polution ok?

how long then before bottling?
When in this process do you de-gass?
and when in this process would you use the filter? - presumably after it's cleared, and after you've de-gassed, but before you bottle? or filter into bottles?

When the ferment finishes just leave it in there for a couple of weeks then rack the wine off the lees or sediment into another demijohn to mature for a month or 2, even longer, it won't hurt it. When it comes to bottling i just put 1 campden tablet into each demijohn to protect the wine and prevent any wild yeasts restarting the fermentation. If you bottle just after fermentation then add campden tablets, then a day after add the potassium sorbate, careful though, I've heard that Potassium Sorbate can impart an undesirable flavour to the wine which apparently gets worse as the wine ages so I've never tried it.

I've only ever made country wines but I've never degassed them since I tend to leave them in the demi john for 3 - 4 monthes and the CO2 pretty much disappears within that time, but I suppose you would only degass if you were going to bottle your wine within a month or 2 from the start of fermentation. De gas just before bottling your wine.

Filter your wine if it hasn't cleared but in most cases the wine clears as it ages. Store your wine in a place where its a constant temperature of between 10 - 12 degrees and not in a place where the temperature changes rapidly (eg 5 degrees at night, 15 degrees during the day) as that can damage the wine and obsure or change flavours. I used to store mine in a cold garage and the wine was fine though. Store the wine in a dark place.

EDIT: Sorry for late reply

 

[Crastney]

fantastic answer - thanks a lot!