Hi,
I am based in the South of the UK and myself and my wide are trying to
turn our grapes into wine - but it doesn't seem to be going as
expected!!

we have grown and picked our red wine grapes a week or so ago - I
can't remember what types the grapes were but they are red and they
are German (I think).

7 days ago we crushed the grapes and added yeast and a campden tablet.
We have stirred regularly (twice a day - except the first day because
we forgot...) and left the mix of pulped grapes and bits to do its
stuff.

Today we took the must from the fermentation barrel and filtered it
through muslin etc to get the solids out. We have put it into
demijohns and were trying to get a SG reading.

The "liquid" we have ended up with is a bit syrupy and the hydrometer
quite happily sank and would stay down if pushed, it would also stay
up if pulled. the best reading I got off it was 1025. Its not tar like
consistency but its a bit thicker than water...

I am a little worried that we have done something wrong... should the
liquid after filtering and squeezing the solids be more like a water
consistency? If it is syrupy can I dilute with water to thin it a
little?

We need to add all the bits to get fermentation going now but should
we be getting the consistency right first - or is what we have normal
- or should we filter the liquid again to thin it? I think its sugar
and yeast next when we seal the demijohns and put the fermentationb
traps on.

We have a book "first steps in wine making" by CCJ Berry but its not
much help - its hard to find what we should be doing and when we
should do it (its not structured very well IMHO!)



Help!!
"In this world you can be either very very smart or very very pleasant. For
years I was smart.. I recommend pleasant". The wisdom of Elwood P. Dowd
Remove "removethis." to email

what was the time frame between adding the campden tab (and how many tabs
did you add) and the yeast? The SO2 (campden) can kill the yeast. How much
juice are you dealing with?

"Grunt" > wrote in message
...
> Hi,
> I am based in the South of the UK and myself and my wide are trying to
> turn our grapes into wine - but it doesn't seem to be going as
> expected!!
>
> we have grown and picked our red wine grapes a week or so ago - I
> can't remember what types the grapes were but they are red and they
> are German (I think).
>
> 7 days ago we crushed the grapes and added yeast and a campden tablet.
> We have stirred regularly (twice a day - except the first day because
> we forgot...) and left the mix of pulped grapes and bits to do its
> stuff.
>
> Today we took the must from the fermentation barrel and filtered it
> through muslin etc to get the solids out. We have put it into
> demijohns and were trying to get a SG reading.
>
> The "liquid" we have ended up with is a bit syrupy and the hydrometer
> quite happily sank and would stay down if pushed, it would also stay
> up if pulled. the best reading I got off it was 1025. Its not tar like
> consistency but its a bit thicker than water...
>
> I am a little worried that we have done something wrong... should the
> liquid after filtering and squeezing the solids be more like a water
> consistency? If it is syrupy can I dilute with water to thin it a
> little?
>
> We need to add all the bits to get fermentation going now but should
> we be getting the consistency right first - or is what we have normal
> - or should we filter the liquid again to thin it? I think its sugar
> and yeast next when we seal the demijohns and put the fermentationb
> traps on.
>
> We have a book "first steps in wine making" by CCJ Berry but its not
> much help - its hard to find what we should be doing and when we
> should do it (its not structured very well IMHO!)
>
>
>
> Help!!
> "In this world you can be either very very smart or very very pleasant.
> For
> years I was smart.. I recommend pleasant". The wisdom of Elwood P. Dowd
> Remove "removethis." to email

what was the time frame between adding the campden tab (and how many tabs
did you add) and the yeast? The SO2 (campden) can kill the yeast. How much
juice are you dealing with?

"Grunt" > wrote in message
...
> Hi,
> I am based in the South of the UK and myself and my wide are trying to
> turn our grapes into wine - but it doesn't seem to be going as
> expected!!
>
> we have grown and picked our red wine grapes a week or so ago - I
> can't remember what types the grapes were but they are red and they
> are German (I think).
>
> 7 days ago we crushed the grapes and added yeast and a campden tablet.
> We have stirred regularly (twice a day - except the first day because
> we forgot...) and left the mix of pulped grapes and bits to do its
> stuff.
>
> Today we took the must from the fermentation barrel and filtered it
> through muslin etc to get the solids out. We have put it into
> demijohns and were trying to get a SG reading.
>
> The "liquid" we have ended up with is a bit syrupy and the hydrometer
> quite happily sank and would stay down if pushed, it would also stay
> up if pulled. the best reading I got off it was 1025. Its not tar like
> consistency but its a bit thicker than water...
>
> I am a little worried that we have done something wrong... should the
> liquid after filtering and squeezing the solids be more like a water
> consistency? If it is syrupy can I dilute with water to thin it a
> little?
>
> We need to add all the bits to get fermentation going now but should
> we be getting the consistency right first - or is what we have normal
> - or should we filter the liquid again to thin it? I think its sugar
> and yeast next when we seal the demijohns and put the fermentationb
> traps on.
>
> We have a book "first steps in wine making" by CCJ Berry but its not
> much help - its hard to find what we should be doing and when we
> should do it (its not structured very well IMHO!)
>
>
>
> Help!!
> "In this world you can be either very very smart or very very pleasant.
> For
> years I was smart.. I recommend pleasant". The wisdom of Elwood P. Dowd
> Remove "removethis." to email

If i send you a file can you open a zip file.

Stephen Sg.
"Grunt" > wrote in message
...
| Hi,
| I am based in the South of the UK and myself and my wide are trying to
| turn our grapes into wine - but it doesn't seem to be going as
| expected!!
|
| we have grown and picked our red wine grapes a week or so ago - I
| can't remember what types the grapes were but they are red and they
| are German (I think).
|
| 7 days ago we crushed the grapes and added yeast and a campden tablet.
| We have stirred regularly (twice a day - except the first day because
| we forgot...) and left the mix of pulped grapes and bits to do its
| stuff.
|
| Today we took the must from the fermentation barrel and filtered it
| through muslin etc to get the solids out. We have put it into
| demijohns and were trying to get a SG reading.
|
| The "liquid" we have ended up with is a bit syrupy and the hydrometer
| quite happily sank and would stay down if pushed, it would also stay
| up if pulled. the best reading I got off it was 1025. Its not tar like
| consistency but its a bit thicker than water...
|
| I am a little worried that we have done something wrong... should the
| liquid after filtering and squeezing the solids be more like a water
| consistency? If it is syrupy can I dilute with water to thin it a
| little?
|
| We need to add all the bits to get fermentation going now but should
| we be getting the consistency right first - or is what we have normal
| - or should we filter the liquid again to thin it? I think its sugar
| and yeast next when we seal the demijohns and put the fermentationb
| traps on.
|
| We have a book "first steps in wine making" by CCJ Berry but its not
| much help - its hard to find what we should be doing and when we
| should do it (its not structured very well IMHO!)
|
|
|
| Help!!
| "In this world you can be either very very smart or very very pleasant.
For
| years I was smart.. I recommend pleasant". The wisdom of Elwood P. Dowd
| Remove "removethis." to email

If i send you a file can you open a zip file.

Stephen Sg.
"Grunt" > wrote in message
...
| Hi,
| I am based in the South of the UK and myself and my wide are trying to
| turn our grapes into wine - but it doesn't seem to be going as
| expected!!
|
| we have grown and picked our red wine grapes a week or so ago - I
| can't remember what types the grapes were but they are red and they
| are German (I think).
|
| 7 days ago we crushed the grapes and added yeast and a campden tablet.
| We have stirred regularly (twice a day - except the first day because
| we forgot...) and left the mix of pulped grapes and bits to do its
| stuff.
|
| Today we took the must from the fermentation barrel and filtered it
| through muslin etc to get the solids out. We have put it into
| demijohns and were trying to get a SG reading.
|
| The "liquid" we have ended up with is a bit syrupy and the hydrometer
| quite happily sank and would stay down if pushed, it would also stay
| up if pulled. the best reading I got off it was 1025. Its not tar like
| consistency but its a bit thicker than water...
|
| I am a little worried that we have done something wrong... should the
| liquid after filtering and squeezing the solids be more like a water
| consistency? If it is syrupy can I dilute with water to thin it a
| little?
|
| We need to add all the bits to get fermentation going now but should
| we be getting the consistency right first - or is what we have normal
| - or should we filter the liquid again to thin it? I think its sugar
| and yeast next when we seal the demijohns and put the fermentationb
| traps on.
|
| We have a book "first steps in wine making" by CCJ Berry but its not
| much help - its hard to find what we should be doing and when we
| should do it (its not structured very well IMHO!)
|
|
|
| Help!!
| "In this world you can be either very very smart or very very pleasant.
For
| years I was smart.. I recommend pleasant". The wisdom of Elwood P. Dowd
| Remove "removethis." to email

If i send you a file can you open a zip file.

Stephen Sg.
"Grunt" > wrote in message
...
| Hi,
| I am based in the South of the UK and myself and my wide are trying to
| turn our grapes into wine - but it doesn't seem to be going as
| expected!!
|
| we have grown and picked our red wine grapes a week or so ago - I
| can't remember what types the grapes were but they are red and they
| are German (I think).
|
| 7 days ago we crushed the grapes and added yeast and a campden tablet.
| We have stirred regularly (twice a day - except the first day because
| we forgot...) and left the mix of pulped grapes and bits to do its
| stuff.
|
| Today we took the must from the fermentation barrel and filtered it
| through muslin etc to get the solids out. We have put it into
| demijohns and were trying to get a SG reading.
|
| The "liquid" we have ended up with is a bit syrupy and the hydrometer
| quite happily sank and would stay down if pushed, it would also stay
| up if pulled. the best reading I got off it was 1025. Its not tar like
| consistency but its a bit thicker than water...
|
| I am a little worried that we have done something wrong... should the
| liquid after filtering and squeezing the solids be more like a water
| consistency? If it is syrupy can I dilute with water to thin it a
| little?
|
| We need to add all the bits to get fermentation going now but should
| we be getting the consistency right first - or is what we have normal
| - or should we filter the liquid again to thin it? I think its sugar
| and yeast next when we seal the demijohns and put the fermentationb
| traps on.
|
| We have a book "first steps in wine making" by CCJ Berry but its not
| much help - its hard to find what we should be doing and when we
| should do it (its not structured very well IMHO!)
|
|
|
| Help!!
| "In this world you can be either very very smart or very very pleasant.
For
| years I was smart.. I recommend pleasant". The wisdom of Elwood P. Dowd
| Remove "removethis." to email

Hi Grunt,

Sorry to hear of your difficulties. It is hard to give too much advice
without knowing more about your situation. Here's my suggestions based on
what you've said:

It sounds like fermentation stopped prematurely, which would account for the
1.025 SG and the syrupy character of the must. Don't be too concerned about
the consistency. Right now your main priority is to get the fermentation
started again so you can ferment to dryness. It's possible that your yeast
did not have enough nutrient, so you should add Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP)
or other yeast nutrient, and add another packet of yeast (if you add the dry
yeast directly, sprinkle it carefully on the top of the must, but don't
stir). Don't add anything else right now, and make sure the ambient
temperature is not too hot or cold. Fermentation should begin in a day and
continue for several days to completion. Check the SG each day to monitor
progress. To get an accurate SG reading, don't test directly in the
fermenter - carefully extract *liquid* from the fermenter, put in a
cylindrical vessel, and use the hydrometer there to get a reading.

Hope this helps. Best regards.

Gary

http://home.carolina.rr.com/winemaking/


"Grunt" > wrote in message
...
> Hi,
> I am based in the South of the UK and myself and my wide are trying to
> turn our grapes into wine - but it doesn't seem to be going as
> expected!!
>
> we have grown and picked our red wine grapes a week or so ago - I
> can't remember what types the grapes were but they are red and they
> are German (I think).
>
> 7 days ago we crushed the grapes and added yeast and a campden tablet.
> We have stirred regularly (twice a day - except the first day because
> we forgot...) and left the mix of pulped grapes and bits to do its
> stuff.
>
> Today we took the must from the fermentation barrel and filtered it
> through muslin etc to get the solids out. We have put it into
> demijohns and were trying to get a SG reading.
>
> The "liquid" we have ended up with is a bit syrupy and the hydrometer
> quite happily sank and would stay down if pushed, it would also stay
> up if pulled. the best reading I got off it was 1025. Its not tar like
> consistency but its a bit thicker than water...
>
> I am a little worried that we have done something wrong... should the
> liquid after filtering and squeezing the solids be more like a water
> consistency? If it is syrupy can I dilute with water to thin it a
> little?
>
> We need to add all the bits to get fermentation going now but should
> we be getting the consistency right first - or is what we have normal
> - or should we filter the liquid again to thin it? I think its sugar
> and yeast next when we seal the demijohns and put the fermentationb
> traps on.
>
> We have a book "first steps in wine making" by CCJ Berry but its not
> much help - its hard to find what we should be doing and when we
> should do it (its not structured very well IMHO!)
>
>
>
> Help!!
> "In this world you can be either very very smart or very very pleasant.
For
> years I was smart.. I recommend pleasant". The wisdom of Elwood P. Dowd
> Remove "removethis." to email

Hi Grunt,

Sorry to hear of your difficulties. It is hard to give too much advice
without knowing more about your situation. Here's my suggestions based on
what you've said:

It sounds like fermentation stopped prematurely, which would account for the
1.025 SG and the syrupy character of the must. Don't be too concerned about
the consistency. Right now your main priority is to get the fermentation
started again so you can ferment to dryness. It's possible that your yeast
did not have enough nutrient, so you should add Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP)
or other yeast nutrient, and add another packet of yeast (if you add the dry
yeast directly, sprinkle it carefully on the top of the must, but don't
stir). Don't add anything else right now, and make sure the ambient
temperature is not too hot or cold. Fermentation should begin in a day and
continue for several days to completion. Check the SG each day to monitor
progress. To get an accurate SG reading, don't test directly in the
fermenter - carefully extract *liquid* from the fermenter, put in a
cylindrical vessel, and use the hydrometer there to get a reading.

Hope this helps. Best regards.

Gary

http://home.carolina.rr.com/winemaking/


"Grunt" > wrote in message
...
> Hi,
> I am based in the South of the UK and myself and my wide are trying to
> turn our grapes into wine - but it doesn't seem to be going as
> expected!!
>
> we have grown and picked our red wine grapes a week or so ago - I
> can't remember what types the grapes were but they are red and they
> are German (I think).
>
> 7 days ago we crushed the grapes and added yeast and a campden tablet.
> We have stirred regularly (twice a day - except the first day because
> we forgot...) and left the mix of pulped grapes and bits to do its
> stuff.
>
> Today we took the must from the fermentation barrel and filtered it
> through muslin etc to get the solids out. We have put it into
> demijohns and were trying to get a SG reading.
>
> The "liquid" we have ended up with is a bit syrupy and the hydrometer
> quite happily sank and would stay down if pushed, it would also stay
> up if pulled. the best reading I got off it was 1025. Its not tar like
> consistency but its a bit thicker than water...
>
> I am a little worried that we have done something wrong... should the
> liquid after filtering and squeezing the solids be more like a water
> consistency? If it is syrupy can I dilute with water to thin it a
> little?
>
> We need to add all the bits to get fermentation going now but should
> we be getting the consistency right first - or is what we have normal
> - or should we filter the liquid again to thin it? I think its sugar
> and yeast next when we seal the demijohns and put the fermentationb
> traps on.
>
> We have a book "first steps in wine making" by CCJ Berry but its not
> much help - its hard to find what we should be doing and when we
> should do it (its not structured very well IMHO!)
>
>
>
> Help!!
> "In this world you can be either very very smart or very very pleasant.
For
> years I was smart.. I recommend pleasant". The wisdom of Elwood P. Dowd
> Remove "removethis." to email

You probably started at an SG of 1.085 to 1.100. Did you take a readinge
then? If so it has dropped about rigth and I would say your fermentation is
going just fine. My guess is that your meathod of pressing the must through
the muslin somehow yielded a lot of very fine pulp passing through as well.
If this is the case, don't worry about it. It will settle out during
secondary. Just watch it and when it really stopes fermenting you will
probably have a lot of sediment. Do not let it set on this very long. I
would rack off of it within a week or 2 of finishing fermentation. I think
everything will be fine.

Also, Berry is an excellent source for fruit wines but not that great for
grape wines. You might consider a copy of "From Vines To Wine" by Cox.

Ray

"Grunt" > wrote in message
...
> Hi,
> I am based in the South of the UK and myself and my wide are trying to
> turn our grapes into wine - but it doesn't seem to be going as
> expected!!
>
> we have grown and picked our red wine grapes a week or so ago - I
> can't remember what types the grapes were but they are red and they
> are German (I think).
>
> 7 days ago we crushed the grapes and added yeast and a campden tablet.
> We have stirred regularly (twice a day - except the first day because
> we forgot...) and left the mix of pulped grapes and bits to do its
> stuff.
>
> Today we took the must from the fermentation barrel and filtered it
> through muslin etc to get the solids out. We have put it into
> demijohns and were trying to get a SG reading.
>
> The "liquid" we have ended up with is a bit syrupy and the hydrometer
> quite happily sank and would stay down if pushed, it would also stay
> up if pulled. the best reading I got off it was 1025. Its not tar like
> consistency but its a bit thicker than water...
>
> I am a little worried that we have done something wrong... should the
> liquid after filtering and squeezing the solids be more like a water
> consistency? If it is syrupy can I dilute with water to thin it a
> little?
>
> We need to add all the bits to get fermentation going now but should
> we be getting the consistency right first - or is what we have normal
> - or should we filter the liquid again to thin it? I think its sugar
> and yeast next when we seal the demijohns and put the fermentationb
> traps on.
>
> We have a book "first steps in wine making" by CCJ Berry but its not
> much help - its hard to find what we should be doing and when we
> should do it (its not structured very well IMHO!)
>
>
>
> Help!!
> "In this world you can be either very very smart or very very pleasant.
> For
> years I was smart.. I recommend pleasant". The wisdom of Elwood P. Dowd
> Remove "removethis." to email

Um... they went in at the same time, but there was fementation
happening afterwards so maybe I got lucky there?

I have 1 demijohn with about 7 pints (Imperial) and another with about
3 pints.

In the 7 pint I added about 26 oz of sugar and in the 3 pint
propotionally less.
I have added the disulphate and yeast to both now and they are
fermenting - loads of bubbles coming through the traps.

Any advice based on this?

Grunt

On Sun, 7 Nov 2004 20:02:48 -0500, "Tom" > wrote:

>what was the time frame between adding the campden tab (and how many tabs
>did you add) and the yeast? The SO2 (campden) can kill the yeast. How much
>juice are you dealing with?
>
>"Grunt" > wrote in message
...
>> Hi,
>> I am based in the South of the UK and myself and my wide are trying to
>> turn our grapes into wine - but it doesn't seem to be going as
>> expected!!
>>
>> we have grown and picked our red wine grapes a week or so ago - I
>> can't remember what types the grapes were but they are red and they
>> are German (I think).
>>
>> 7 days ago we crushed the grapes and added yeast and a campden tablet.
>> We have stirred regularly (twice a day - except the first day because
>> we forgot...) and left the mix of pulped grapes and bits to do its
>> stuff.
>>
>> Today we took the must from the fermentation barrel and filtered it
>> through muslin etc to get the solids out. We have put it into
>> demijohns and were trying to get a SG reading.
>>
>> The "liquid" we have ended up with is a bit syrupy and the hydrometer
>> quite happily sank and would stay down if pushed, it would also stay
>> up if pulled. the best reading I got off it was 1025. Its not tar like
>> consistency but its a bit thicker than water...
>>
>> I am a little worried that we have done something wrong... should the
>> liquid after filtering and squeezing the solids be more like a water
>> consistency? If it is syrupy can I dilute with water to thin it a
>> little?
>>
>> We need to add all the bits to get fermentation going now but should
>> we be getting the consistency right first - or is what we have normal
>> - or should we filter the liquid again to thin it? I think its sugar
>> and yeast next when we seal the demijohns and put the fermentationb
>> traps on.
>>
>> We have a book "first steps in wine making" by CCJ Berry but its not
>> much help - its hard to find what we should be doing and when we
>> should do it (its not structured very well IMHO!)
>>
>>
>>
>> Help!!
>> "In this world you can be either very very smart or very very pleasant.
>> For
>> years I was smart.. I recommend pleasant". The wisdom of Elwood P. Dowd
>> Remove "removethis." to email
>

"In this world you can be either very very smart or very very pleasant. For
years I was smart.. I recommend pleasant". The wisdom of Elwood P. Dowd
Remove "removethis." to email

Hi Stephen,
yes I can access zip files - the email address is
as in the posting header but remove
..removethispart

see my other answers in thois thread for more info on progress and
probable mistakes made!
cheers
Grunt

On Mon, 8 Nov 2004 01:39:53 -0000, "Stephen SG"
> wrote:

>If i send you a file can you open a zip file.
>
>Stephen Sg.
>"Grunt" > wrote in message
...
>| Hi,
>| I am based in the South of the UK and myself and my wide are trying to
>| turn our grapes into wine - but it doesn't seem to be going as
>| expected!!
>|
>| we have grown and picked our red wine grapes a week or so ago - I
>| can't remember what types the grapes were but they are red and they
>| are German (I think).
>|
>| 7 days ago we crushed the grapes and added yeast and a campden tablet.
>| We have stirred regularly (twice a day - except the first day because
>| we forgot...) and left the mix of pulped grapes and bits to do its
>| stuff.
>|
>| Today we took the must from the fermentation barrel and filtered it
>| through muslin etc to get the solids out. We have put it into
>| demijohns and were trying to get a SG reading.
>|
>| The "liquid" we have ended up with is a bit syrupy and the hydrometer
>| quite happily sank and would stay down if pushed, it would also stay
>| up if pulled. the best reading I got off it was 1025. Its not tar like
>| consistency but its a bit thicker than water...
>|
>| I am a little worried that we have done something wrong... should the
>| liquid after filtering and squeezing the solids be more like a water
>| consistency? If it is syrupy can I dilute with water to thin it a
>| little?
>|
>| We need to add all the bits to get fermentation going now but should
>| we be getting the consistency right first - or is what we have normal
>| - or should we filter the liquid again to thin it? I think its sugar
>| and yeast next when we seal the demijohns and put the fermentationb
>| traps on.
>|
>| We have a book "first steps in wine making" by CCJ Berry but its not
>| much help - its hard to find what we should be doing and when we
>| should do it (its not structured very well IMHO!)
>|
>|
>|
>| Help!!
>| "In this world you can be either very very smart or very very pleasant.
>For
>| years I was smart.. I recommend pleasant". The wisdom of Elwood P. Dowd
>| Remove "removethis." to email
>

"In this world you can be either very very smart or very very pleasant. For
years I was smart.. I recommend pleasant". The wisdom of Elwood P. Dowd
Remove "removethis." to email

Hi Stephen,
yes I can access zip files - the email address is
as in the posting header but remove
..removethispart

see my other answers in thois thread for more info on progress and
probable mistakes made!
cheers
Grunt

On Mon, 8 Nov 2004 01:39:53 -0000, "Stephen SG"
> wrote:

>If i send you a file can you open a zip file.
>
>Stephen Sg.
>"Grunt" > wrote in message
...
>| Hi,
>| I am based in the South of the UK and myself and my wide are trying to
>| turn our grapes into wine - but it doesn't seem to be going as
>| expected!!
>|
>| we have grown and picked our red wine grapes a week or so ago - I
>| can't remember what types the grapes were but they are red and they
>| are German (I think).
>|
>| 7 days ago we crushed the grapes and added yeast and a campden tablet.
>| We have stirred regularly (twice a day - except the first day because
>| we forgot...) and left the mix of pulped grapes and bits to do its
>| stuff.
>|
>| Today we took the must from the fermentation barrel and filtered it
>| through muslin etc to get the solids out. We have put it into
>| demijohns and were trying to get a SG reading.
>|
>| The "liquid" we have ended up with is a bit syrupy and the hydrometer
>| quite happily sank and would stay down if pushed, it would also stay
>| up if pulled. the best reading I got off it was 1025. Its not tar like
>| consistency but its a bit thicker than water...
>|
>| I am a little worried that we have done something wrong... should the
>| liquid after filtering and squeezing the solids be more like a water
>| consistency? If it is syrupy can I dilute with water to thin it a
>| little?
>|
>| We need to add all the bits to get fermentation going now but should
>| we be getting the consistency right first - or is what we have normal
>| - or should we filter the liquid again to thin it? I think its sugar
>| and yeast next when we seal the demijohns and put the fermentationb
>| traps on.
>|
>| We have a book "first steps in wine making" by CCJ Berry but its not
>| much help - its hard to find what we should be doing and when we
>| should do it (its not structured very well IMHO!)
>|
>|
>|
>| Help!!
>| "In this world you can be either very very smart or very very pleasant.
>For
>| years I was smart.. I recommend pleasant". The wisdom of Elwood P. Dowd
>| Remove "removethis." to email
>

"In this world you can be either very very smart or very very pleasant. For
years I was smart.. I recommend pleasant". The wisdom of Elwood P. Dowd
Remove "removethis." to email

Thanks Gary,
see my other postings for info and progress.

I'm glad you said not to worry about the consistency - I didn't want
to wind up with wine jam!!

Unfortunately my hydrometer jar bit the bullet yesterday, I forgot to
hold onto it whilst trying to spin off bubbles - today I have washed
the kitchen floor on some rather hacked off instructions from my
better half!!

The fermentation in both demijohns seems to be going very vigourously!
fascinating to watch - better than a fish tank - and you can drink it
later (possibly!)

Grunt

On Mon, 08 Nov 2004 02:21:06 GMT, "Gary" >
wrote:

>Hi Grunt,
>
>Sorry to hear of your difficulties. It is hard to give too much advice
>without knowing more about your situation. Here's my suggestions based on
>what you've said:
>
>It sounds like fermentation stopped prematurely, which would account for the
>1.025 SG and the syrupy character of the must. Don't be too concerned about
>the consistency. Right now your main priority is to get the fermentation
>started again so you can ferment to dryness. It's possible that your yeast
>did not have enough nutrient, so you should add Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP)
>or other yeast nutrient, and add another packet of yeast (if you add the dry
>yeast directly, sprinkle it carefully on the top of the must, but don't
>stir). Don't add anything else right now, and make sure the ambient
>temperature is not too hot or cold. Fermentation should begin in a day and
>continue for several days to completion. Check the SG each day to monitor
>progress. To get an accurate SG reading, don't test directly in the
>fermenter - carefully extract *liquid* from the fermenter, put in a
>cylindrical vessel, and use the hydrometer there to get a reading.
>
>Hope this helps. Best regards.
>
>Gary
>
>http://home.carolina.rr.com/winemaking/
>
>
>"Grunt" > wrote in message
...
>> Hi,
>> I am based in the South of the UK and myself and my wide are trying to
>> turn our grapes into wine - but it doesn't seem to be going as
>> expected!!
>>
>> we have grown and picked our red wine grapes a week or so ago - I
>> can't remember what types the grapes were but they are red and they
>> are German (I think).
>>
>> 7 days ago we crushed the grapes and added yeast and a campden tablet.
>> We have stirred regularly (twice a day - except the first day because
>> we forgot...) and left the mix of pulped grapes and bits to do its
>> stuff.
>>
>> Today we took the must from the fermentation barrel and filtered it
>> through muslin etc to get the solids out. We have put it into
>> demijohns and were trying to get a SG reading.
>>
>> The "liquid" we have ended up with is a bit syrupy and the hydrometer
>> quite happily sank and would stay down if pushed, it would also stay
>> up if pulled. the best reading I got off it was 1025. Its not tar like
>> consistency but its a bit thicker than water...
>>
>> I am a little worried that we have done something wrong... should the
>> liquid after filtering and squeezing the solids be more like a water
>> consistency? If it is syrupy can I dilute with water to thin it a
>> little?
>>
>> We need to add all the bits to get fermentation going now but should
>> we be getting the consistency right first - or is what we have normal
>> - or should we filter the liquid again to thin it? I think its sugar
>> and yeast next when we seal the demijohns and put the fermentationb
>> traps on.
>>
>> We have a book "first steps in wine making" by CCJ Berry but its not
>> much help - its hard to find what we should be doing and when we
>> should do it (its not structured very well IMHO!)
>>
>>
>>
>> Help!!
>> "In this world you can be either very very smart or very very pleasant.
>For
>> years I was smart.. I recommend pleasant". The wisdom of Elwood P. Dowd
>> Remove "removethis." to email
>

"In this world you can be either very very smart or very very pleasant. For
years I was smart.. I recommend pleasant". The wisdom of Elwood P. Dowd
Remove "removethis." to email

Thanks Gary,
see my other postings for info and progress.

I'm glad you said not to worry about the consistency - I didn't want
to wind up with wine jam!!

Unfortunately my hydrometer jar bit the bullet yesterday, I forgot to
hold onto it whilst trying to spin off bubbles - today I have washed
the kitchen floor on some rather hacked off instructions from my
better half!!

The fermentation in both demijohns seems to be going very vigourously!
fascinating to watch - better than a fish tank - and you can drink it
later (possibly!)

Grunt

On Mon, 08 Nov 2004 02:21:06 GMT, "Gary" >
wrote:

>Hi Grunt,
>
>Sorry to hear of your difficulties. It is hard to give too much advice
>without knowing more about your situation. Here's my suggestions based on
>what you've said:
>
>It sounds like fermentation stopped prematurely, which would account for the
>1.025 SG and the syrupy character of the must. Don't be too concerned about
>the consistency. Right now your main priority is to get the fermentation
>started again so you can ferment to dryness. It's possible that your yeast
>did not have enough nutrient, so you should add Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP)
>or other yeast nutrient, and add another packet of yeast (if you add the dry
>yeast directly, sprinkle it carefully on the top of the must, but don't
>stir). Don't add anything else right now, and make sure the ambient
>temperature is not too hot or cold. Fermentation should begin in a day and
>continue for several days to completion. Check the SG each day to monitor
>progress. To get an accurate SG reading, don't test directly in the
>fermenter - carefully extract *liquid* from the fermenter, put in a
>cylindrical vessel, and use the hydrometer there to get a reading.
>
>Hope this helps. Best regards.
>
>Gary
>
>http://home.carolina.rr.com/winemaking/
>
>
>"Grunt" > wrote in message
...
>> Hi,
>> I am based in the South of the UK and myself and my wide are trying to
>> turn our grapes into wine - but it doesn't seem to be going as
>> expected!!
>>
>> we have grown and picked our red wine grapes a week or so ago - I
>> can't remember what types the grapes were but they are red and they
>> are German (I think).
>>
>> 7 days ago we crushed the grapes and added yeast and a campden tablet.
>> We have stirred regularly (twice a day - except the first day because
>> we forgot...) and left the mix of pulped grapes and bits to do its
>> stuff.
>>
>> Today we took the must from the fermentation barrel and filtered it
>> through muslin etc to get the solids out. We have put it into
>> demijohns and were trying to get a SG reading.
>>
>> The "liquid" we have ended up with is a bit syrupy and the hydrometer
>> quite happily sank and would stay down if pushed, it would also stay
>> up if pulled. the best reading I got off it was 1025. Its not tar like
>> consistency but its a bit thicker than water...
>>
>> I am a little worried that we have done something wrong... should the
>> liquid after filtering and squeezing the solids be more like a water
>> consistency? If it is syrupy can I dilute with water to thin it a
>> little?
>>
>> We need to add all the bits to get fermentation going now but should
>> we be getting the consistency right first - or is what we have normal
>> - or should we filter the liquid again to thin it? I think its sugar
>> and yeast next when we seal the demijohns and put the fermentationb
>> traps on.
>>
>> We have a book "first steps in wine making" by CCJ Berry but its not
>> much help - its hard to find what we should be doing and when we
>> should do it (its not structured very well IMHO!)
>>
>>
>>
>> Help!!
>> "In this world you can be either very very smart or very very pleasant.
>For
>> years I was smart.. I recommend pleasant". The wisdom of Elwood P. Dowd
>> Remove "removethis." to email
>

"In this world you can be either very very smart or very very pleasant. For
years I was smart.. I recommend pleasant". The wisdom of Elwood P. Dowd
Remove "removethis." to email

Thanks Ray.
I would agree on the Berry, loads of good stuff on fruit wines, but no
"idiots instructions" for the grapes. The info I need is (probably)
all in there just not in a very obviously accessible layout.

I did notice that while the juice was in the demijohns, before sugar +
disulphate + yeast was added, and while I was panicing and reading
Berry and writing my query to this NG, that the top inch of the larger
demijohn had cleared down quite a lot. Berry seems to say the same as
you that perhaps we needed 2 or 3 layers of muslin to filter rather
than the one we used, although it did appear to be very effective at
filtering most of the hard stuff.

I am hopeful of avoiding the production of red wine sauce... and
eventually I will kill all the damn vinegar flies that appeared in the
house when we brought the harvested grapes in!! I should add that the
grapes were protected from them but in the day or so between
harvesting and pulping there was mold growth on the woody parts than t
we had to strip out.

Bob


On Mon, 08 Nov 2004 19:33:42 GMT, "Ray Calvert"
> wrote:

>You probably started at an SG of 1.085 to 1.100. Did you take a readinge
>then? If so it has dropped about rigth and I would say your fermentation is
>going just fine. My guess is that your meathod of pressing the must through
>the muslin somehow yielded a lot of very fine pulp passing through as well.
>If this is the case, don't worry about it. It will settle out during
>secondary. Just watch it and when it really stopes fermenting you will
>probably have a lot of sediment. Do not let it set on this very long. I
>would rack off of it within a week or 2 of finishing fermentation. I think
>everything will be fine.
>
>Also, Berry is an excellent source for fruit wines but not that great for
>grape wines. You might consider a copy of "From Vines To Wine" by Cox.
>
>Ray
>
>"Grunt" > wrote in message
...
>> Hi,
>> I am based in the South of the UK and myself and my wide are trying to
>> turn our grapes into wine - but it doesn't seem to be going as
>> expected!!
>>
>> we have grown and picked our red wine grapes a week or so ago - I
>> can't remember what types the grapes were but they are red and they
>> are German (I think).
>>
>> 7 days ago we crushed the grapes and added yeast and a campden tablet.
>> We have stirred regularly (twice a day - except the first day because
>> we forgot...) and left the mix of pulped grapes and bits to do its
>> stuff.
>>
>> Today we took the must from the fermentation barrel and filtered it
>> through muslin etc to get the solids out. We have put it into
>> demijohns and were trying to get a SG reading.
>>
>> The "liquid" we have ended up with is a bit syrupy and the hydrometer
>> quite happily sank and would stay down if pushed, it would also stay
>> up if pulled. the best reading I got off it was 1025. Its not tar like
>> consistency but its a bit thicker than water...
>>
>> I am a little worried that we have done something wrong... should the
>> liquid after filtering and squeezing the solids be more like a water
>> consistency? If it is syrupy can I dilute with water to thin it a
>> little?
>>
>> We need to add all the bits to get fermentation going now but should
>> we be getting the consistency right first - or is what we have normal
>> - or should we filter the liquid again to thin it? I think its sugar
>> and yeast next when we seal the demijohns and put the fermentationb
>> traps on.
>>
>> We have a book "first steps in wine making" by CCJ Berry but its not
>> much help - its hard to find what we should be doing and when we
>> should do it (its not structured very well IMHO!)
>>
>>
>>
>> Help!!
>> "In this world you can be either very very smart or very very pleasant.
>> For
>> years I was smart.. I recommend pleasant". The wisdom of Elwood P. Dowd
>> Remove "removethis." to email
>

"In this world you can be either very very smart or very very pleasant. For
years I was smart.. I recommend pleasant". The wisdom of Elwood P. Dowd
Remove "removethis." to email

"Grunt" > wrote in message
...
> Thanks Ray.
> I would agree on the Berry, loads of good stuff on fruit wines, but no
> "idiots instructions" for the grapes. The info I need is (probably)
> all in there just not in a very obviously accessible layout.
>
> I did notice that while the juice was in the demijohns, before sugar +
> disulphate + yeast was added, and while I was panicing and reading
> Berry and writing my query to this NG, that the top inch of the larger
> demijohn had cleared down quite a lot. Berry seems to say the same as
> you that perhaps we needed 2 or 3 layers of muslin to filter rather
> than the one we used, although it did appear to be very effective at
> filtering most of the hard stuff.
>
> I am hopeful of avoiding the production of red wine sauce... and
> eventually I will kill all the damn vinegar flies that appeared in the
> house when we brought the harvested grapes in!! I should add that the
> grapes were protected from them but in the day or so between
> harvesting and pulping there was mold growth on the woody parts than t
> we had to strip out.
>
> Bob
>
"removethis." to email

One other comment. I have made lots of red wine (as well as others) and I
do not use muslin to filter at this stage. Commercial vineyards do not
either. Just ferment on the skins for a period of time, 5 - 10 days, then
press it. No muslin. It will clear on it's own as it finishes. Red wine
rarely needs any filtering. It is very good about clearing.

Ray