Wine kits advice please

[Mikey]

OK so the last kit I done was a cheapo youngs merlot and unfortunately even though I was very ocd about sterilising etc it somehow turned to vinegar tasting after bottling, did not smell or taste like that post fermentation/clearing so not sure what went wrong there, however now I have a beaverdale kit on the go and don't want the same thing to happen to that so could do with some advice on what might have happened and what I could do to prevent it happening with this kit,

On a similar note I have noticed that neither of those kits mentioned including any Campden tablets even though most people rack from one container onto Campden tablets so do people generally use Campden tablets with their kits?
Many thanks, mikey

 

[Chippy_Tea]

If the reason your original kit went wrong was because of something you didn't do right i am afraid you will have ruined this one, when you say OCD about sterilising what did you do and use?

I am sure i have read that Potassium metabisulfite (campden tablets) is mixed in with the kit stabiliser.

 

[Mikey]

Vinclass Steriliser(chlorine by the smell of it) made strong, buckets and equipment washed 4 times with sanitiser about 2 hr before use, and rinsed with water just before use, lids with are on at every possible second and I never open the lid until time for the next step, Im almost positive it was something that went wrong after fermentation, maybe during clearing or after that as before clearing it smelled nice, then after 3 days clearing it had a strong kind of a methanol smell but not vinegar, but now after its been bottled for 1-2 weeks it smells and taste like vinegar. I'm not worried about binning it, I'd just like to know what I done wrong so I can prevent it.
Thanks for your help chippy

 

[Chippy_Tea]

When i sterilise my equipment i do it just before starting to make my wine, i haven't heard any member say they leave their sanitised equipment for hours after sterilising before using it, it doesn't seem a good idea to me.

It may not have had a bad smell at the time but an infection may have already taken hold.

 

[Mikey]

Sorry I meant I leave the sanitiser on there for 2 hours, I'll just wash it a minute before I use it next time thanks for advice

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Keep us posted.

 

[richarpo]

In CJJ Berry's book he has a section entitled 'Ware Vinegar. Berry is pretty definite that the cause is fruit flies getting in to the wine. They must be able to detect the odour of ketones and alcohol from a distance and navigate towards it, they seem to suddenly appear when you are working on your wine. For this reason I prefer making wine and beer at a time of year when there are not so many flies about. I just bottled a batch yesterday that I had had in a demijohn with an airlock since March and discovered a dead fly in the airlock, There was no apparent way for it to get in but they can get through tiny gaps that are smaller that they are. Fortunately the airlock did its job and the wine was fine!

 

[engineer]

If fruit flies are the problem and they can be an annoyance in summer then you can make up a little fruit fly trap as a decoy.

Simply; Half fill a small jar or container with warm water add a spoonful of sugar and yeast and stir. Cover the top with clingfilm and secure with a rubber band. Pierce the top with a tiny hole using the tip of a cocktail stick (or similar) and place next to your brew. Last summer i had a couple of these around various brews and they worked brilliantly trapping the beasties and protecting the brew.

Another thing worth doing is to use a blow off tube in place of an airlock. You can then cover the top of the fermenting bin easily with a cloth or similar for added protection.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Great tip Engineer, to make it even better use a couple of drops of washing up liquid in the juice -


[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njDTNQUEvRA[/ame]