22 gallons of unpreserved apple juice/pulp
	22 lbs Sugar (one per gallon)
	22 Campden tablets (one per gallon)
	11 tsp Pectic Enzyme (one per gallon)
	33 tsp Acid Blend (one and a half tsp per gallon)
	15 tsp Tartaric Acid (this was accidentally added, but should still be ok)
	5.5 tsp Tannin
	22 tsp Yeast Nutrient
	4 packets Pasteur Champagne Yeast (red star) (added 12 hours after creating must-the next morning)

 

Here are the carboys after coming home from Eckert's Orchard.   This is the crusher and the 55 gallon stainless steel tub that Dale got his hands on.   We didn't use the crusher, we just dumped the juice in after sterilizing the stainless steel barrell.

Several days has gone by.   I added the yeast 12 hours after we made the must.   It took several days before it started working, but when it did, it really took off.   Make sure you do this in a ventilated area.   It may stink up the house.   Also, be sure that when you ferment, use a container that is plenty large.   You never want to fill a primary fermenter more than 2/3 full due to bubbling, foaming, etc. from the fermentation stage.  You also will want to test the Specific Gravity (SG) and Brix each day.  Once you see your SG drop to around 1.020 or so, you'll want to rack the wine to secondary fermenters.   

 

October 29, 2002 I tested the SG and found that the primary fermentation stage has now come to completion.   The SG was 1.010.   We will be racking the wine into carboys just like the ones below, however; we'll start to see more and more clarification or separation of  dead yeast, and pulp from the clear wine.   The wine will continue to slowly ferment, so you don't want to fill the carboys all the way to the top.  Fill only about half way up the shoulder to the neck.

 

October 30, 2002 We began puting the wine back into the carboys for the secondary fermentation process.   Here the wine will sit for about 2 weeks after it settles out and we will then rack it again to remove any dead yeast, etc.   Note the color change in just a week from the fermentation process.

 

November 8, 2002 As you can see, the lees (sediment and dead yeast) are beginning to settle out and clear the wine.  We will want to rack the wine off these lees so that the lees don't impart a bad taste to the wine.

 

November 13, 2002 I racked the wine and as you can see, the lees were pretty thick on the bottom of the carboy.   It is really interesting on some wines to see the different layers of sediment or suspended particles in the carboys.  I tried to show this in this picture, but it was hard to do.   It seems that each layer was about 3-4 inches tall and well defined.  Be sure when racking not to stir up the sediment on the bottom or you'll just be moving that material to the new carboy.

 

January 8, 2003 It is racking time again as more lees and sediment have fallen to the bottom of the carboy.    Take a look at how the color has changed from the last time I racked back in November 2002.  The two carboys in the middle were never racked before and the two out side ones were racked back in November.

 

March 11, 2004 It's hard to believe that I've not taken a pic of the wine in over a year.   I've since decided to use one carboy to make apple cinnamon wine, and the other will be blended with my cranberry wine to make a cranberry apple wine.   Both of these wines should be well blended and well received during the holiday season.   Well, hopefully.   :o) The photo on the left is the one which I put 30 cinnamon sticks in and left in there for about a month and a half or so.

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