"Dar V" > wrote:

>"Mike" > wrote in message

>> Read different methods have left me a tad confused, perhaps
>> someone will help..
>>
>> I had a 25ltr plastic container full of home-grown pears. Last
>> Saturday I chopped them, removed the stalks and seeds and placed
>> the remainder, complete with skins back into the container. I
>> added water, sugar, yeast and some pectolase. Any activity got
>> off to a slow start and I stirred the mix once a day for the
>> first three days. Now it is bubbling and releasing gas about once
>> every twenty seconds. The fruit looks ok floating on the top, the
>> liquid is a brown colour and there is about 2cm of sediment at
>> the bottom of the container.
>>
>> I will purchase a SG meter tomorrow.
>>
>> Have I done this right, what do I do next and when please?

>You've started like I think most of us have.... Please check Jack's site
>for recipes, directions, etc. http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/index.asp.

This is what I mean by "a tad confused"..

http://www.wineworldfdw.com/fruit_wine.html
http://home.att.net/%7Elumeisenman/appen_a.html
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/basics.asp

...all seem to suggest conflicting views.

> I
>guess I would stir 2tx a day to help the fermentation along with a little
>extra oxygen - sounds like you have it under a bung and airlock already.

I do now, the lid was left loose for the first 2-3 days.

>I
>guess I would wait a few more days to see if the fermentation continues to
>increase or starts to decrease. I would wait until it decreases
>considerably before racking off the lees to a carboy with bung and airlock.

What is "lees" and "carboy" ?

>It is hard to say because it sounds like you didn't have a hydrometer to
>check what your starting SG was.

That is correct.

> Nevertheless, if you do get one and test,
>I would wait until the SG is at or below 1 before racking. At least then,
>you know it has fermented almost to dry.... Good-luck.

I must get a meter.