[rafaguipe]

Helo guys, could you give me the sites of some wine kits?

Thanks,

Rafael

[JDM]

rafael

joe michaels here with orchard valley supply.....i can't carry BK or Spagnols but i carry cellar craft, mosti mondaile, celebrations, bellissima ...i also have some cellar classics left over and some vino del vida, grand cru and cru select as well as a couple sart ups of vino-mats

right now we are running a 20 % off sale on all in stock kits....

check us out

joe

[P Cuthbert]

Racking should take place today. Just got home and have not checked the gravity yet, And of course, the Mrs, wants to go to town.

Just got back and dropped the Hydrometer in the fermentor. SG = 1.030. Looks like tomorrow before I get around to transferring into carboy.

Pat

[P Cuthbert]

We are now ready to transfer from primary to secondary. Please note the term transfer. This means to move ALL of the wine from the primary to the secondary. This includes as much of the lees as you can. It will be left behind after the first clearing (racking) process.

[P Cuthbert]

This shows the transfer process. To do this quickly, I use a 1/2 inch "Autosyphon". The autosyphon has a plunger in it which will draw the liquid into the outer tube. There is a check valve at the bottom of the tube. When the plunger is pushed down, the syphon starts and there is no contamination of the wine with the lips. Of course, you can always use the old stand by hose and "sample" the wine to see how it is coming along.

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[P Cuthbert]

This pic shows an acceptable level in the carboy. Remember that the wine is still fermenting so a carbon dioxide blanket is formed to protect the wine.
I will rinse the carboy with K-meta solution just before I transfer and allow to drain without further rinsing.

Now we wait again for the next week or so for the fermentation to finish before clearing and stabilizing.

Pat

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[WineDoc]

Boy, that sure is a pretty looking carboy. I like the curves on it. But remember it's what's inside a carboy that really counts.

[P Cuthbert]

Here we go again. As you can see, the hydrometer is almost sunk. While it is hard to read, it shows a finishing gravity of 0.992.

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[P Cuthbert]

Looking at the carboy, one can also see that there is a definite stratification of the wine. There is a layer of yeast on the bottom, and the wine is clearing from the top down.

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[P Cuthbert]

Degassing comes next. There are several ways to do this. One is with a drill powered attachment called a Fizz-ex. Be gentle with this device to start. It will cause substantial foaming. (Sorry, no pic) Another way is to use the vaccu-vin wine saver. By capping the carboy and using the rubber cork, a vaccuum can be drawn in the carboy. The reduction of pressure is a gentler way to degas the wine.

If you warm the wine to room temperature or higher, the wine will give off CO2 more easily.

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[P Cuthbert]

Another way to degas is by shaking the carboy. To do this, I will use a solid #7 bung. Shake the carboy for a moment, and then remove the bung slightly to allow the pressure to be released. You might consider using a towel under the carboy if the surface is very smooth to prevent the carboy walking to the edge.

Note the airspace in this carboy. This is a Gewurztraminer kit which includes an "F-Pack". The F-Pack is added between the stabilizer and the clarifier.

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[P Cuthbert]

This is the F-Pack.

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[P Cuthbert]

Once the CO2 has been driven off by several stirrings add the Stabilizing solution. Add the F-Pack if there is one. Then add the clarifying agent. This pic shows what the wine looks immediately after the clarifying agent has been added.

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[P Cuthbert]

And this one is about 5 minutes later.
About a week from now, the first racking will take place.
I must point out that this wine has not been racked. It has been transferred from the primary to the secondary only. Stabilizing and clarifying take place on the lees.

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[flathead kid]

great post, I picked up a couple things to do diffrently. I have a question about stopping kits. My kit says that I should allow the SG to remain stable for two days before stabilizing. I thought the stablizer is what stops the fermentation. I would like to keep my sugar around 2-2.5%, which should be at a higher SG than the kits says I should aim for (0.096).
I guess my question is how to you get a wine to stop at a certain SG? Is it the strain of yeast you choose or when you add the stabilizer?
Thanks
Clint