wyoDreamer
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How many lovelies are going to be getting your rainbow wines?
CC's not so fine WINE diary
- Thread starter CrealCritter
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CrealCritter
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Eleven
Each gallon should equal 5 - 750ml wine bottles. I would like to get 6 different wines bottled by December so I could give each one of my girls 2 bottles of each kind or a case of 12 for Christmas.
I do have a bit of a challenges though... 2 like dry wines, 2 like semi sweet wines and the rest like sweet wines. I really need someone to help me who knows how much to back sweeten, because it's a balancing act of alcohol / acid / sugar. The hydrometer only goes so far and is more of a reference point, than how it will taste. This is my first time making wine, so IDK... I guess I'll make it work somehow and probably get drunk doing it. Some this wine is pretty high octane stuff -:lol
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CrealCritter
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Red Raspberry 1090
13 July 2019 - I couldn't pass up a deal on 96oz of Red Raspberry wine base for $15.00. So I guess Red Raspberry wine is next.
Destructions
I'll most likely go with middle of the road, 4 gallons.
14 July - son in-law came over last night and we assembled the cranberry must. He is a beginning beer brewer and helped me a lot brewing beer. So this wine thing is completely new to him. He's pretty funny... I grabbed an unopen 10lb bag of sugar and handed to him. He said how much? I said drop it all in. He said really? Yep, drop it all in. He gave me a weird look and said OK, your the boss. We added campden @ about 10:00 PM, so I'll add the yeast starter in 24 hours later to allow it time to gas off, take starting gravity then also.
14 July - pulled the gravity @ 1.082. This is a little low, I like to start at 1090 or a little above. I'll need to add more sugar and recalculate the starting gravity, once I pull the pulp bag and can get a good estimate of the volume. It should be right around 4 1/2 gallons but hard to calculate just the liquid volume with berries included.
I went ahead and pitched the red star montrachet yeast starter, plus another packet of red star montrachet dry yeast. Yeast packs are only $1.00, so why not 2 packs instead of 1. I'm trying 2 as an experiment to see, if a active starter, plus a dry pack helps with the lag time, I experienced with some of my other wines.
16 July - Added 1lb sugar to raise the initial gravity to 1.090 now that fermentation has started. Gravity before 1lb sugar addition 1082, after sugar addition 1090.
16 July - gravity 1084 approx .7% alcohol by volume produced so far. Nightly gravity reading at stir.
Notes: ferment is active, it looks like pitching a yeast starter, plus a dry pack at the same time worked very well for reducing lag time (time to start ferment). Smells divine, I enjoy the smell of fermenting blackberries and now raspberries with red star montrachet yeast.
16 July - gravity 1074 approx 2.1% alcohol by volume produced so far. Nightly gravity reading at stir.
Notes: lifted the fermentation bag and squeezed the juices and wringed out to mash
the berries, returned bag back into fermenter. Nice active ferment with 1.4% alcohol by volume produced in approximately 24 hours.
18 July - gravity 1068 approx 2.9% alcohol by volume produced so far. Nightly gravity reading at stir.
Notes: .8% alcohol produced in 24 hours
19 July - gravity 1061 approx 3.8% alcohol by volume produced so far. Nightly gravity reading at stir.
Notes: .9% alcohol produced in 24 hours. Added 1 1/4 tsp of yeast energizer.
20 July - gravity 1053 approx 4.8% alcohol by volume produced so far. Nightly gravity reading at stir.
Notes: 1% alcohol produced in 24 hours.
Continued to part 2 (10 picture limit per post)
13 July 2019 - I couldn't pass up a deal on 96oz of Red Raspberry wine base for $15.00. So I guess Red Raspberry wine is next.
Destructions
I'll most likely go with middle of the road, 4 gallons.
14 July - son in-law came over last night and we assembled the cranberry must. He is a beginning beer brewer and helped me a lot brewing beer. So this wine thing is completely new to him. He's pretty funny... I grabbed an unopen 10lb bag of sugar and handed to him. He said how much? I said drop it all in. He said really? Yep, drop it all in. He gave me a weird look and said OK, your the boss. We added campden @ about 10:00 PM, so I'll add the yeast starter in 24 hours later to allow it time to gas off, take starting gravity then also.
14 July - pulled the gravity @ 1.082. This is a little low, I like to start at 1090 or a little above. I'll need to add more sugar and recalculate the starting gravity, once I pull the pulp bag and can get a good estimate of the volume. It should be right around 4 1/2 gallons but hard to calculate just the liquid volume with berries included.
I went ahead and pitched the red star montrachet yeast starter, plus another packet of red star montrachet dry yeast. Yeast packs are only $1.00, so why not 2 packs instead of 1. I'm trying 2 as an experiment to see, if a active starter, plus a dry pack helps with the lag time, I experienced with some of my other wines.
16 July - Added 1lb sugar to raise the initial gravity to 1.090 now that fermentation has started. Gravity before 1lb sugar addition 1082, after sugar addition 1090.
16 July - gravity 1084 approx .7% alcohol by volume produced so far. Nightly gravity reading at stir.
Notes: ferment is active, it looks like pitching a yeast starter, plus a dry pack at the same time worked very well for reducing lag time (time to start ferment). Smells divine, I enjoy the smell of fermenting blackberries and now raspberries with red star montrachet yeast.
16 July - gravity 1074 approx 2.1% alcohol by volume produced so far. Nightly gravity reading at stir.
Notes: lifted the fermentation bag and squeezed the juices and wringed out to mash
the berries, returned bag back into fermenter. Nice active ferment with 1.4% alcohol by volume produced in approximately 24 hours.
18 July - gravity 1068 approx 2.9% alcohol by volume produced so far. Nightly gravity reading at stir.
Notes: .8% alcohol produced in 24 hours
19 July - gravity 1061 approx 3.8% alcohol by volume produced so far. Nightly gravity reading at stir.
Notes: .9% alcohol produced in 24 hours. Added 1 1/4 tsp of yeast energizer.
20 July - gravity 1053 approx 4.8% alcohol by volume produced so far. Nightly gravity reading at stir.
Notes: 1% alcohol produced in 24 hours.
Continued to part 2 (10 picture limit per post)
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frustratedearthmother
Sustainability Master
Yum! 
Years ago - on a road trip - I had some cherry wine. Still remember how good that was!
Years ago - on a road trip - I had some cherry wine. Still remember how good that was!
- Thread starter
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CrealCritter
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Yum!
Years ago - on a road trip - I had some cherry wine. Still remember how good that was!
Your an enabler
frustratedearthmother
Sustainability Master
Guilty, lol!
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CrealCritter
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Blueberry Montrachet 1097 Part 3
16 July - looks like secondary fermentation is close to completing. There is a thick layer of lees in the bottom of both 5 gallon carboy and 1 gallon glass jug. Wine should not sit on lees to long after fermentation has completed for risk of producing off flavors in the wine.
I'll have to go pickup up some glass marbles to place in the bottom of 5 gallon carboy since I have no extra blueberry wine to top off the carboy, when I rack it again.
It's starting to turn a nice shade of pink. It will be interesting to see what color it finishes.
18 July - Due to the thick layer of lees on the bottom I went ahead and racked both 1 and 5 gallons through a length of copper pipe. Gravity was .992 or 13.8% alcohol by volume, so I'm calling this batch fully fermented. I also added the recommend doses of Potassium Metabisulfite and Potassium Sorbate to stop fermentation, preserve the wine and aid in clearing.
Let sit until clear
16 July - looks like secondary fermentation is close to completing. There is a thick layer of lees in the bottom of both 5 gallon carboy and 1 gallon glass jug. Wine should not sit on lees to long after fermentation has completed for risk of producing off flavors in the wine.
I'll have to go pickup up some glass marbles to place in the bottom of 5 gallon carboy since I have no extra blueberry wine to top off the carboy, when I rack it again.
It's starting to turn a nice shade of pink. It will be interesting to see what color it finishes.
18 July - Due to the thick layer of lees on the bottom I went ahead and racked both 1 and 5 gallons through a length of copper pipe. Gravity was .992 or 13.8% alcohol by volume, so I'm calling this batch fully fermented. I also added the recommend doses of Potassium Metabisulfite and Potassium Sorbate to stop fermentation, preserve the wine and aid in clearing.
Let sit until clear
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- Thread starter
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CrealCritter
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Peach Wine
I have 13 pints plus a half pint of home canned peaches in the pantry to make wine with. According to Jack Keller's canned peaches and pears wine recipe I should have enough canned peaches for 5 to 6 gallons. This wine will have to wait untill I get some of my other wines to the point where they are bottled and cellared.
I have 13 pints plus a half pint of home canned peaches in the pantry to make wine with. According to Jack Keller's canned peaches and pears wine recipe I should have enough canned peaches for 5 to 6 gallons. This wine will have to wait untill I get some of my other wines to the point where they are bottled and cellared.
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wyoDreamer
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I was picking strawberries this morning and got to talking with a gentleman down a few rows. He was out there picking "a whole bunch in a little time" so he could make some strawberry wine. He makes a number of wines, says peach is the hardest because it does not like to clear very well and plum is his favorite for flavor.
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CrealCritter
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Did you tell him about SS? Maybe he'll join (I Hope). Boy I could use someone with experience to help teach me. Book and internet reading only goes so far but someone experienced who is willing to share their experience is so... Much better.
A lot of the orchards around here in southern IL sell less than perfect fruits that they call seconds for 1/2 price. Great for canning and wines
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