Brew King Vintner's Reserve Reisling. Pitched yeast, OG of 84
Ferment temp was a steady 68 deg. F. Exactly one week later, almost
to the minute, the gravity was about 30. The instructions said that
gravity should be about 10 or less by now. I put the carboy on my
workbench and put a space heater underneath and have raised the temp
to about 74 F over the last 24 hrs. I get foam that comes and goes.
At one moment there's some foam, later the top is covered in foam,
then there's no foam. It tastes good, similar to a vodka sour. The
must is very opaque.

Can I assume that my lack of attenuation was/is due to the ferment
temp of 68 deg? It said I should keep it around 68-75. It's still
bubbling away, hopefully still fermenting and not stuck/offgassing.
Is it supposed to be very opaque? Instructions say to rack after it
reaches 10 or less. Should I rack anyway or leave it until it's more
attenuated? It looks like grapefruit juice but tastes pretty darn ok.
As this is my first batch I have no benchmarks and need veteran
experience.

Thanks,

Kevin

Fermentation, and winemaking in general, does not follow a strict timetable
regardless of the instructions they include in the kits. One batch will
ferment out in 4 days and another will take 4 weeks. It does not always
seem to make since. But the important thing is that it is progressing. If
you have it in a primary bucket, I would go ahead and rack to secondary and
put a lock on it. Just be sure to leave lots of head space incase it takes
off real strong. At this stage, head space it no problem.

If it is already in a primary under a lock, I would let it go on down to
1.010 or 1.020 and then rack it.

It is obvious that you are using a hydrometer. The hydrometer is your
friend. Trust it more than the instructions.

Ray

"Kevin" > wrote in message
om...
> Brew King Vintner's Reserve Reisling. Pitched yeast, OG of 84
> Ferment temp was a steady 68 deg. F. Exactly one week later, almost
> to the minute, the gravity was about 30. The instructions said that
> gravity should be about 10 or less by now. I put the carboy on my
> workbench and put a space heater underneath and have raised the temp
> to about 74 F over the last 24 hrs. I get foam that comes and goes.
> At one moment there's some foam, later the top is covered in foam,
> then there's no foam. It tastes good, similar to a vodka sour. The
> must is very opaque.
>
> Can I assume that my lack of attenuation was/is due to the ferment
> temp of 68 deg? It said I should keep it around 68-75. It's still
> bubbling away, hopefully still fermenting and not stuck/offgassing.
> Is it supposed to be very opaque? Instructions say to rack after it
> reaches 10 or less. Should I rack anyway or leave it until it's more
> attenuated? It looks like grapefruit juice but tastes pretty darn ok.
> As this is my first batch I have no benchmarks and need veteran
> experience.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Kevin

As long as you continue to see fermentation activity, I wouldn't worry
about how long it takes, especially if you are fermenting at lower
than "room" temperature. I would continue what you are doing--whites
like Riesling are generally better and fruitier if fermented at lower
temps anyway.

And yes, the opacity if normal. It will clear with time. Don't worry
about it unless it starts to turn brown (which it won't if you keep
the carboy airlocked). If you have an airlock on your carboy, it
isn't critical that you rack at 1.010. If you are fermenting in a
bucket, it is important to protect the wine from oxygen once
fermentation slows down.

Don't get too excited tasting it all the time. The more you leave it
under airlock, the less oxidation will occur. Have fun...you will be
fine.


(Kevin) wrote in message . com>...
> Brew King Vintner's Reserve Reisling. Pitched yeast, OG of 84
> Ferment temp was a steady 68 deg. F. Exactly one week later, almost
> to the minute, the gravity was about 30. The instructions said that
> gravity should be about 10 or less by now. I put the carboy on my
> workbench and put a space heater underneath and have raised the temp
> to about 74 F over the last 24 hrs. I get foam that comes and goes.
> At one moment there's some foam, later the top is covered in foam,
> then there's no foam. It tastes good, similar to a vodka sour. The
> must is very opaque.
>
> Can I assume that my lack of attenuation was/is due to the ferment
> temp of 68 deg? It said I should keep it around 68-75. It's still
> bubbling away, hopefully still fermenting and not stuck/offgassing.
> Is it supposed to be very opaque? Instructions say to rack after it
> reaches 10 or less. Should I rack anyway or leave it until it's more
> attenuated? It looks like grapefruit juice but tastes pretty darn ok.
> As this is my first batch I have no benchmarks and need veteran
> experience.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Kevin

(Brad B.) wrote in message . com>...
> As long as you continue to see fermentation activity, I wouldn't worry
> about how long it takes, especially if you are fermenting at lower
> than "room" temperature. I would continue what you are doing--whites
> like Riesling are generally better and fruitier if fermented at lower
> temps anyway.
>
> And yes, the opacity if normal. It will clear with time. Don't worry
> about it unless it starts to turn brown (which it won't if you keep
> the carboy airlocked). If you have an airlock on your carboy, it
> isn't critical that you rack at 1.010. If you are fermenting in a
> bucket, it is important to protect the wine from oxygen once
> fermentation slows down.
>
> Don't get too excited tasting it all the time. The more you leave it
> under airlock, the less oxidation will occur. Have fun...you will be
> fine.
>
>
> (Kevin) wrote in message . com>...
> > Brew King Vintner's Reserve Reisling. Pitched yeast, OG of 84
> > Ferment temp was a steady 68 deg. F. Exactly one week later, almost
> > to the minute, the gravity was about 30. The instructions said that
> > gravity should be about 10 or less by now. I put the carboy on my
> > workbench and put a space heater underneath and have raised the temp
> > to about 74 F over the last 24 hrs. I get foam that comes and goes.
> > At one moment there's some foam, later the top is covered in foam,
> > then there's no foam. It tastes good, similar to a vodka sour. The
> > must is very opaque.
> >
> > Can I assume that my lack of attenuation was/is due to the ferment
> > temp of 68 deg? It said I should keep it around 68-75. It's still
> > bubbling away, hopefully still fermenting and not stuck/offgassing.
> > Is it supposed to be very opaque? Instructions say to rack after it
> > reaches 10 or less. Should I rack anyway or leave it until it's more
> > attenuated? It looks like grapefruit juice but tastes pretty darn ok.
> > As this is my first batch I have no benchmarks and need veteran
> > experience.
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Kevin

I checked it again tonight, 9 days after pitching, and it's down to
around 12-14 so I'll rack when I have time this week and follow the
instructions less the sorbate.

Thanks,

Kevin

I'm just trying to comprehend the "tastes pretty darn ok" remark. I admit I
can eliminate a 28 day kit maybe 2 to 3 months after it's start, but Kevin,
you've got guts to be consuming at this stage! LOL!

Good luck to you though, you sound like you're going in the right direction!

"Kevin" > wrote in message
om...
> Brew King Vintner's Reserve Reisling. Pitched yeast, OG of 84
> Ferment temp was a steady 68 deg. F. Exactly one week later, almost
> to the minute, the gravity was about 30. The instructions said that
> gravity should be about 10 or less by now. I put the carboy on my
> workbench and put a space heater underneath and have raised the temp
> to about 74 F over the last 24 hrs. I get foam that comes and goes.
> At one moment there's some foam, later the top is covered in foam,
> then there's no foam. It tastes good, similar to a vodka sour. The
> must is very opaque.
>
> Can I assume that my lack of attenuation was/is due to the ferment
> temp of 68 deg? It said I should keep it around 68-75. It's still
> bubbling away, hopefully still fermenting and not stuck/offgassing.
> Is it supposed to be very opaque? Instructions say to rack after it
> reaches 10 or less. Should I rack anyway or leave it until it's more
> attenuated? It looks like grapefruit juice but tastes pretty darn ok.
> As this is my first batch I have no benchmarks and need veteran
> experience.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Kevin

"Dan" > wrote in message >...
> I'm just trying to comprehend the "tastes pretty darn ok" remark. I admit I
> can eliminate a 28 day kit maybe 2 to 3 months after it's start, but Kevin,
> you've got guts to be consuming at this stage! LOL!
>
> Good luck to you though, you sound like you're going in the right direction!
>
> "Kevin" > wrote in message
> om...
> > Brew King Vintner's Reserve Reisling. Pitched yeast, OG of 84
> > Ferment temp was a steady 68 deg. F. Exactly one week later, almost
> > to the minute, the gravity was about 30. The instructions said that
> > gravity should be about 10 or less by now. I put the carboy on my
> > workbench and put a space heater underneath and have raised the temp
> > to about 74 F over the last 24 hrs. I get foam that comes and goes.
> > At one moment there's some foam, later the top is covered in foam,
> > then there's no foam. It tastes good, similar to a vodka sour. The
> > must is very opaque.
> >
> > Can I assume that my lack of attenuation was/is due to the ferment
> > temp of 68 deg? It said I should keep it around 68-75. It's still
> > bubbling away, hopefully still fermenting and not stuck/offgassing.
> > Is it supposed to be very opaque? Instructions say to rack after it
> > reaches 10 or less. Should I rack anyway or leave it until it's more
> > attenuated? It looks like grapefruit juice but tastes pretty darn ok.
> > As this is my first batch I have no benchmarks and need veteran
> > experience.
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Kevin


Thanks, as a homebrewer I've tried my beer at all stages. I tried to
get my wife to sample the wine but she said she'd "drink no wine
before it's time" Here's what I've done so far: I fermented in a
6.5 gal carboy. I left it two weeks. I racked today into a plastic
pail. Gravity is about .996 or so. I plan to leave it in the pail
for 7 days then rack into a 5 gal carboy. I will add the SO2 into the
carboy and rack onto it, not using the sorbate. I will add the
isinglass at that time too. I will let it age then for 3 months or so
then bottle. Does anyone see any faults in this???????????

I'm a wine newbie so I'm trying not to deviate from the directions but
the directions seem to call for one racking then bottling and I'm
going for two rackings and bulk aging in the 5 gal carboy before
bottling. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF I'M SCREWING UP!!!!

You fermented in a carboy but now that it is done you've
put it into an open pail? I would have thought the reverse
would have been the technique or ferment it and leave it in
the carboy, racking out into the pail and back into the carboy
to get it off the lees.

In any case, get it out of the pail fast and under an airlock.
Oxidation is the bane of all wine. If there is alot of dissolved
CO2 then you should be able to give the carboy a few swirls to
release the CO2 and displace the oxygen in the air space. If not,
you need to top up or distribute the wine into smaller containers
with little air space.

Once the wine is under an airlock and out of possible touch with
oxygen, then you can sit back for a few weeks before stabilizing
and ensuring it is dry and then either bulk aging or degassing
and bottling.

Don

> Thanks, as a homebrewer I've tried my beer at all stages. I tried to
> get my wife to sample the wine but she said she'd "drink no wine
> before it's time" Here's what I've done so far: I fermented in a
> 6.5 gal carboy. I left it two weeks. I racked today into a plastic
> pail. Gravity is about .996 or so. I plan to leave it in the pail
> for 7 days then rack into a 5 gal carboy. I will add the SO2 into the
> carboy and rack onto it, not using the sorbate. I will add the
> isinglass at that time too. I will let it age then for 3 months or so
> then bottle. Does anyone see any faults in this???????????
>
> I'm a wine newbie so I'm trying not to deviate from the directions but
> the directions seem to call for one racking then bottling and I'm
> going for two rackings and bulk aging in the 5 gal carboy before
> bottling. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF I'M SCREWING UP!!!!

(Don S) wrote in message om>...
> You fermented in a carboy but now that it is done you've
> put it into an open pail? I would have thought the reverse
> would have been the technique or ferment it and leave it in
> the carboy, racking out into the pail and back into the carboy
> to get it off the lees.
>
> In any case, get it out of the pail fast and under an airlock.
> Oxidation is the bane of all wine. If there is alot of dissolved
> CO2 then you should be able to give the carboy a few swirls to
> release the CO2 and displace the oxygen in the air space. If not,
> you need to top up or distribute the wine into smaller containers
> with little air space.
>
> Once the wine is under an airlock and out of possible touch with
> oxygen, then you can sit back for a few weeks before stabilizing
> and ensuring it is dry and then either bulk aging or degassing
> and bottling.
>
> Don
>
Don: Thanks for the reply. It is in a pail but it is also under an
airlock. I fermented first in a carboy as it was my first wine I
wanted to see it fermenting. It fermented down to about .996 in 2
weeks and I wanted to get it off the lees at this time. As the instr.
said to rack it and not worry about topping up I thought I could put
it in a bucket (7.5) gal w/o worrying, for a week then I'd go into my
5 gal carboy with SO2, no sorbate, for several months. Is this a plan
or am I missing something? Thanks again.

Kevin,
At all times except at the very beginning of fermentation
you need to think about what is protecting your wine from
oxidation. If the wine is in a carboy, fully fermented and
you open it up then you are introducing oxygen. If it's not
topped up and you have a 6" air space then you've introduced
that much more oxygen compared to a 1/2" air space.

You've put the wine into a bucket with an airlock but there's
probably a 4" or more air space across the total diameter
of the bucket. Since the wine is not producing CO2 in any
great quantity (or at all) nothing is displacing that oxygen.
Get it into a topped up carboy.

If it had gone into the bucket under an airlock while still
fermenting it would fairly quickly displace the oxygen with
CO2 from the fermentation. However the speed of the fermentation
would decide how much oxygen exposure the wine would get.
However I don't think of a bucket with a lid as being very
air tight, I could be wrong though.

Don

> Don: Thanks for the reply. It is in a pail but it is also under an
> airlock. I fermented first in a carboy as it was my first wine I
> wanted to see it fermenting. It fermented down to about .996 in 2
> weeks and I wanted to get it off the lees at this time. As the instr.
> said to rack it and not worry about topping up I thought I could put
> it in a bucket (7.5) gal w/o worrying, for a week then I'd go into my
> 5 gal carboy with SO2, no sorbate, for several months. Is this a plan
> or am I missing something? Thanks again.

"Ray" > wrote in message . com>...
> Don is right. Get it back into the carboy under an airlock. The bucket is
> not good at this stage. For one thing, they are notorious for not sealing
> well such that the airlock is really doing nothing. But the real killer is
> that there is just too much head space no mater how much you fill it. A
> carboy may have 1 inch of head space but since the neck is small, that is
> very little air. If you have only 1/4 in of head space in your bucket there
> will be many times more air in it. During primary, air is beneficial to
> must. But as the must turns to wine, air becomes damaging. At the stage
> you are at now, it will ruin the wine in short order.
>
> Ray
>
Thanks for all your help. Here's what I've done. I racked into a 5
gal carboy, added the SO2 and the isinglass, put my racking cane into
the carboy, attached the cane to my cordless drill and stirred all for
about 2-3 min's and attached the airlock.

Now what? Is this where the bulk aging comes in? Do I rack again
while it's aging? If so, when? Please give me a time frame from here
to consumption. It's a Reislign from Brew King.

As a side note, I'm going to stick with kits so is it better to buy
the most expensive kit possible? I like whites however, I might buy a
red or two for storage.

Yes, now you bulk age. I find that the Riesling kits I have made do not
need a long aging. I like it young and fruity.

Kit price: Personally I find the mid price kits are significantly better
than the cheaper ones. The high price kits are sometimes worth the extra
cost and sometimes not. But that is me.

Ray

"Kevin" > wrote in message
m...
> "Ray" > wrote in message
. com>...
> > Don is right. Get it back into the carboy under an airlock. The bucket
is
> > not good at this stage. For one thing, they are notorious for not
sealing
> > well such that the airlock is really doing nothing. But the real killer
is
> > that there is just too much head space no mater how much you fill it. A
> > carboy may have 1 inch of head space but since the neck is small, that
is
> > very little air. If you have only 1/4 in of head space in your bucket
there
> > will be many times more air in it. During primary, air is beneficial to
> > must. But as the must turns to wine, air becomes damaging. At the
stage
> > you are at now, it will ruin the wine in short order.
> >
> > Ray
> >
> Thanks for all your help. Here's what I've done. I racked into a 5
> gal carboy, added the SO2 and the isinglass, put my racking cane into
> the carboy, attached the cane to my cordless drill and stirred all for
> about 2-3 min's and attached the airlock.
>
> Now what? Is this where the bulk aging comes in? Do I rack again
> while it's aging? If so, when? Please give me a time frame from here
> to consumption. It's a Reislign from Brew King.
>
> As a side note, I'm going to stick with kits so is it better to buy
> the most expensive kit possible? I like whites however, I might buy a
> red or two for storage.

"Ray" > wrote in message . com>...
> Yes, now you bulk age. I find that the Riesling kits I have made do not
> need a long aging. I like it young and fruity.
>
> Kit price: Personally I find the mid price kits are significantly better
> than the cheaper ones. The high price kits are sometimes worth the extra
> cost and sometimes not. But that is me.
>
> Ray
>
> "Kevin" > wrote in message
> m...
> > "Ray" > wrote in message
> . com>...
> > > Don is right. Get it back into the carboy under an airlock. The bucket
> is
> > > not good at this stage. For one thing, they are notorious for not
> sealing
> > > well such that the airlock is really doing nothing. But the real killer
> is
> > > that there is just too much head space no mater how much you fill it. A
> > > carboy may have 1 inch of head space but since the neck is small, that
> is
> > > very little air. If you have only 1/4 in of head space in your bucket
> there
> > > will be many times more air in it. During primary, air is beneficial to
> > > must. But as the must turns to wine, air becomes damaging. At the
> stage
> > > you are at now, it will ruin the wine in short order.
> > >
> > > Ray
> > >
> > Thanks for all your help. Here's what I've done. I racked into a 5
> > gal carboy, added the SO2 and the isinglass, put my racking cane into
> > the carboy, attached the cane to my cordless drill and stirred all for
> > about 2-3 min's and attached the airlock.
> >
> > Now what? Is this where the bulk aging comes in? Do I rack again
> > while it's aging? If so, when? Please give me a time frame from here
> > to consumption. It's a Reislign from Brew King.
> >
> > As a side note, I'm going to stick with kits so is it better to buy
> > the most expensive kit possible? I like whites however, I might buy a
> > red or two for storage.


It was fairly cloudy today when I racked but it's cleared up
considerably, not crystal clear but translucent anyway. There's a
noticeable layer of lees (trub for you beer guys) on the bottom of the
carboy. How long should I let it sit on this? Temp tonight is 70-71
deg according to the strip therm on the carboy.

> It was fairly cloudy today when I racked but it's cleared up
> considerably, not crystal clear but translucent anyway. There's a
> noticeable layer of lees (trub for you beer guys) on the bottom of the
> carboy. How long should I let it sit on this? Temp tonight is 70-71
> deg according to the strip therm on the carboy.

Providing you have it in the carboy and topped up or
fermentation was still proceeding enough to displace the
oxygen with CO2 you can leave it for two weeks or more.
It can depend on the type of wine. Read this page:

http://members.tripod.com/~BRotter/Surlie.htm

After that if fermentation is complete and yoy have not
added the potassium meta then you can do that when racking
to a new carboy (or back into the pail and again back into
the carboy). At that point you can consider bulk aging, which
is to just keep it topped up, protected from serious sun
light and sitting there for a few months.

Search on Google Groups for any of the above topics in rcw
and you will have some good reading.

Don

(Don S) wrote in message . com>...
> > It was fairly cloudy today when I racked but it's cleared up
> > considerably, not crystal clear but translucent anyway. There's a
> > noticeable layer of lees (trub for you beer guys) on the bottom of the
> > carboy. How long should I let it sit on this? Temp tonight is 70-71
> > deg according to the strip therm on the carboy.
>
> Providing you have it in the carboy and topped up or
> fermentation was still proceeding enough to displace the
> oxygen with CO2 you can leave it for two weeks or more.
> It can depend on the type of wine. Read this page:
>
> http://members.tripod.com/~BRotter/Surlie.htm
>
> After that if fermentation is complete and yoy have not
> added the potassium meta then you can do that when racking
> to a new carboy (or back into the pail and again back into
> the carboy). At that point you can consider bulk aging, which
> is to just keep it topped up, protected from serious sun
> light and sitting there for a few months.
>
> Search on Google Groups for any of the above topics in rcw
> and you will have some good reading.
>
> Don

Don: Thank you for your replys. Here's a synoposis of my activity to
date:

Fermented in a 6.5 gal carboy for 2 weeks due to lower initial temps.
Racked to 7 gal bucket for about 3-4 days, gravity about .996.
Racked to 5 gal carboy, added SO2, isinglass, degassed.
One day later (today), cleared up very nicely, layer of "dusty" yeast
on bottom and sides near bottom.

Issues:

My dealer threw up big red flags about the omission of the sorbate
How long to leave in carboy? He says 3-4 weeks then bottle.

Questions:

Can I leave on lees longer, say, 2-3 months w/o further messing?
Should I rack after 3-4 weeks then bulk age up to 3 months?
Should I follow my dealer's advice?

It's a Brew King Reisling.

Thanks,

Kevin

Kevin,
I don't think you typically leave a Reisling on the lees
so you probably want to rack it off them in a week or two.

You fermented dry so there's no need for the sorbate as
long as there is no flavour or juice pack to add back in.
Caveat though, some hydrometers are inaccurate. Mine is
out by 0.004, if yours is out by 0.006 or more than your
wine is not dry. There should be some papers with it to
tell you the zero temperature. You could test it and
consider that and the temperature at which you tested
your wine to see if it really dry. It probably is so it's
not really necessary.

I don't think you need the sorbate, perhaps others will
chime in here with their opinions as well. It probably
won't hurt though so if you decide to use it, don't sweat
it.

Rack it off the lees in a week or two, if need be, back to
the pail and then back to the carboy, top it up with
water (if it's only a small amount) or a similar wine
(prefered and a good excuse to buy a bottle) and then
let it sit in the carboy for anywhere up to a year. Yes
a year. Anything between 2 or 3 months and that time will
be a good bulk aging. Protect it from light and temperature
swings the same as you would the finished product.

If you go 6+ months you probably don't need to degass again.
After 2 or 3 months you probably should.

Add 1/4 tsp of potassium meta at bottling time and your done.

One more note, if for some reason it does ferment a bit more
in the bottle because you didn't use sorbate you will have
a gassy wine. Not a great big deal, stir before serving.
Go to Google, click on Groups and then Advanced Search.
Enter rec.crafts.winemaking in the group and sorbate in the
subject. You'll have alot of opinions. Try bulk aging as
well. Don't believe the first one you read, read quite a
few. Honestly, if you go in there you'll be amazed at how
much information there is. I still am.

Good choice on the kit, my wife bought me an RJ Reisling and
I wished she had bought me that one instead. There's something
about a good Reisling that's really offbeat, it's like licking
a rock

Don


>
> Don: Thank you for your replys. Here's a synoposis of my activity to
> date:
>
> Fermented in a 6.5 gal carboy for 2 weeks due to lower initial temps.
> Racked to 7 gal bucket for about 3-4 days, gravity about .996.
> Racked to 5 gal carboy, added SO2, isinglass, degassed.
> One day later (today), cleared up very nicely, layer of "dusty" yeast
> on bottom and sides near bottom.
>
> Issues:
>
> My dealer threw up big red flags about the omission of the sorbate
> How long to leave in carboy? He says 3-4 weeks then bottle.
>
> Questions:
>
> Can I leave on lees longer, say, 2-3 months w/o further messing?
> Should I rack after 3-4 weeks then bulk age up to 3 months?
> Should I follow my dealer's advice?
>
> It's a Brew King Reisling.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Kevin

(Don S) wrote in message om>...
> Kevin,
> I don't think you typically leave a Reisling on the lees
> so you probably want to rack it off them in a week or two.
>
> You fermented dry so there's no need for the sorbate as
> long as there is no flavour or juice pack to add back in.
> Caveat though, some hydrometers are inaccurate. Mine is
> out by 0.004, if yours is out by 0.006 or more than your
> wine is not dry. There should be some papers with it to
> tell you the zero temperature. You could test it and
> consider that and the temperature at which you tested
> your wine to see if it really dry. It probably is so it's
> not really necessary.
>
> I don't think you need the sorbate, perhaps others will
> chime in here with their opinions as well. It probably
> won't hurt though so if you decide to use it, don't sweat
> it.
>
> Rack it off the lees in a week or two, if need be, back to
> the pail and then back to the carboy, top it up with
> water (if it's only a small amount) or a similar wine
> (prefered and a good excuse to buy a bottle) and then
> let it sit in the carboy for anywhere up to a year. Yes
> a year. Anything between 2 or 3 months and that time will
> be a good bulk aging. Protect it from light and temperature
> swings the same as you would the finished product.
>
> If you go 6+ months you probably don't need to degass again.
> After 2 or 3 months you probably should.
>
> Add 1/4 tsp of potassium meta at bottling time and your done.
>
> One more note, if for some reason it does ferment a bit more
> in the bottle because you didn't use sorbate you will have
> a gassy wine. Not a great big deal, stir before serving.
> Go to Google, click on Groups and then Advanced Search.
> Enter rec.crafts.winemaking in the group and sorbate in the
> subject. You'll have alot of opinions. Try bulk aging as
> well. Don't believe the first one you read, read quite a
> few. Honestly, if you go in there you'll be amazed at how
> much information there is. I still am.
>
> Good choice on the kit, my wife bought me an RJ Reisling and
> I wished she had bought me that one instead. There's something
> about a good Reisling that's really offbeat, it's like licking
> a rock
>
> Don
>
>
I was thinking that the sorbate was unnecesary but he was pretty
adamant. I didn't check the gravity when I racked to the carboy but I
do know it was around .996 when I put it into the bucket from the
primary. At that gravity, I'm not worried about renewed ferm.

I' bought a bottle of a French Reisling from Alsace (is that right?)
and I'll use it to top. If I'm going to stick with wine another 5 gal
carboy won't hurt. It's really clearing quite nicely. Thank you for
your help.