New to Wine Making

[Gtbaker369]

Hi all,

This will be my fist time I have ever made wine.

I have previously brewed beer.

Anyway ive made a foraged Blackberry wine. it has been in a bin for couple of days and last night I transferred it off the pulp and into a demi.

question is how soon and how much of the bubbling should I start to see through the air lock.

I only ask due to checking it this morning and half expected to hear it plopping along like no mans business.

thanks in advance

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I have not made this wine but noticed recipes say to leave in the bucket and stir daily.


3. Place the fruit in a polythene bucket and crush it with a potato masher.

4. Pour over a gallon of boiling water. Stir well, allow to become lukewarm (about 21 c) then add the pectic enzyme according to instructions on the pack.

5. Leave for 24 hours, then add the port wine yeast and yeast nutrient (1 teaspoon of each) Cover closely and leave for four days, stirring daily.

6. Strain the blackberry liquor through muslin or a nylon sieve, onto 2 lbs of caster sugar. Stir well to make sure that all of the sugar is dissolved.

7. Pour into a dark demijohn, filling it to the shoulder and fit an airlock.

---------------------------------------------------------

Wash berries thoroughly in colander, then crush in bowl, trasnfer to primary fermentation vessel, and pour 7 pts. boiling water over must. Allow to steep for two days, then strain through nylon sieve onto the sugar. Stir well to dissolve sugar, add pectic enzyme, cover well, and set aside for 24 hours. Add yeast and nutrient, cover, and set aside 5-6 days, stirring daily. Pour into secondary fermentation vessel of dark glass (or wrap clear glass with brown paper), filling only to the upper shoulder of the secondary, and fit airlock. Leftover must should be placed in a 1.5-liter wine bottle with airlock (a #2 bung fits most 1.5-liter wine bottles) and used for topping up. Top up when all danger of foaming over is past. Place in cool (60-65 degrees F.) dark place for three months. Rack, allow another two months to finish, then rack again and bottle in dark glass. Allow 6 months to age, a year to mature. [Adapted from C.J.J. Berry's 130 New Wine making Recipes]

 

[Gtbaker369]

Yes I let them steep and then added the other ingredients and left in bucket for few days stirring daily.
it has now been transferred into Demi but even though you can see little bubbles forming onto of the wine, im not getting the amount of bubbling from the airlock that I expected and just wondered if this is me expecting too much, or if this will happen after a few days etc?

 

[Gtbaker369]

Right, Im pretty much sure there is something wrong here.
I can literally stand and watch the demi for a few minutes and not see any bubbles go through the air lock.
There is some sort of bubbles that have collected and clumped together on the top of the mixture.

Is this down to the temp?
To be honest I don't know what temp the room its in is at but obviously if this is what is casing it I can sort somet out.
I was going to try and make space in the airing cupboard but wasn't too sure if this would be too hot.

Any help or suggestions please people.

thank you

 

[Gtbaker369]

Hi all,
Could someone let me know if and general airing cupboard would be TOO warm for wine or if it would be perfect.
Don't mean to rush but just don't want to wait to long.

Cheers all

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Don't mean to rush but just don't want to wait to long.

You are making wine from fruit you will have to wait months for it to mature there is no fast way to make this, You need to get a hydrometer and take a reading its the only way of knowing if it has failed, finished or is still going.

If you want to make great tasting wine that you can drink after roughly 3 weeks, try making one of these - http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=39846



.

 

[Gtbaker369]

I've just done some temp
Readings, the room where the Demi is at min is reading about 20-25 but the heating has been on, the airing cupboard is about 30. Not sure what the room is like during day or throughout night.
Have a done somet wrong as I expected way more action with this air lock than this?

 

[Gtbaker369]

You need to get a hydrometer and take a reading its the only way of knowing if it has failed or finished or is still going.

Surely it can't be finished can it, it was only in bin for 3 days and been in Demi for a couple?
I didn't take a hydro reading beforehand though so will taking a reading now help me?

 

[Gtbaker369]

You are making wine from fruit you will have to wait months for it to mature there is no fast way to make this, You need to get a hydrometer and take a reading its the only way of knowing if it has failed, finished or is still going.

If you want to make great tasting wine that you can drink after roughly 3 weeks, try making one of these - http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=39846



.

I'm not worried about it being ready now or wanting to drink it now, I'm just talking about the rate in which the CO2 seems to be coming out which seems to be minimal if any lol. I totally understand that if this all goes to plan it will need to be racked many times and also ages after bottling for months.
It just that I'm worried it ain't fermenting.

Cheers

 

[Chippy_Tea]

The only way you are going to know is by taking a hydrometer reading over a few days.

Edit to add -

After about a week, check the specific gravity. It should be at or under 1.02 or in that neighbourhood. When I am comfortable with that reading, I take the net bag out, and with very clean hands, I gently squeeze the juice from the bag into the primary fermenter. This is one of the fun parts of making this blackberry wine recipe. I like the squeezing. I then compost the berries in the bag.

Now, I rack to a clean and sanitized carboy and attach a bung with airlock. I move the carboy into a dark location and let the secondary fermentation take place. If I have a feeling that the fermentation is not going as fast as it should, I may choose to add a little yeast nutrient when racking to the secondary. Also, I may optionally put in a few toasted oak cubes.

At this point, I let the carboy sit about a month or longer. After that time, I take a specific gravity reading and it should be really dry, something like .990 or in that neighbourhood. I then rack off any sediment with my auto siphon with the anti-sediment tip attached into another clean and sanitized carboy.

 

[Bluekez]

I put my fruit wine next to the boiler in the kitchen, which is quite warm. My books say if it does not start fermenting in the first few days, then add more yeast as you may have killed the first lot, but I would try some yeast nutrient first just to see. My plum wine is still in the bucket and is foaming away, and I expect it to be bubbling away merrily when I have transfered it to DJ's tomorrow.

 

[Gtbaker369]

Right people.
I've now added another tsp of nutrient and another sachet of yeast.
It's also been moved to to cupboard where the boiler is.
It had a lot of activity for a good few hours and now has settled down. I did this all yesterday.
Unless I'm doing something completely wrong and not aware of , does this sound like it is running like I should expect? I can see the occasional bubble appear in the liquid so I assume these will add up and eventually come through airlock but just when I'm not looking.
Can I assume that the yeast is just slowly making alcohol and clearing the wine, so I should just leave it alone and rack when needed and I should get something nice to bottle in few months which can be drank next year?
I think I'm just expecting constant bubbling at this point which is probably wrong? Can anyone shed some light please.

Cheers

 

[Chippy_Tea]

You need to take some hydrometer readings over a few days you will then know what is happening.

 

[Bluekez]

I second that, take some readings and see what is happening.