Ok Im new and have 1 kit an Aus Shriaz currently bulk aging. I started my
second, an Island Mist Symphony kit last night and missed the part of just
using the one juice bag. I added both bags, that "F-Pack" with the other.
Measured the SG and it was 1.065 and the directions said it should be
closer to 1.04-1.05 ish. So I knew i did something wrong. Well little too
late now so i pitched the yeast and covered and put my airlock on. 12 hrs
later it has slowly started to bubble anyways.... So have I totaly
destroyed a kit or will this be more like the Symphony style wine, dry and
higher alochol than the intended "Cooler" drink. Personally I'd rather have
a real wine but anyone know what this might turn out like?

wrote:
> Ok Im new and have 1 kit an Aus Shriaz currently bulk aging. I started my
> second, an Island Mist Symphony kit last night and missed the part of just
> using the one juice bag. I added both bags, that "F-Pack" with the other.
> Measured the SG and it was 1.065 and the directions said it should be
> closer to 1.04-1.05 ish. So I knew i did something wrong. Well little too
> late now so i pitched the yeast and covered and put my airlock on. 12 hrs
> later it has slowly started to bubble anyways.... So have I totaly
> destroyed a kit or will this be more like the Symphony style wine, dry and
> higher alochol than the intended "Cooler" drink. Personally I'd rather have
> a real wine but anyone know what this might turn out like?


It will probably be fine. Just carry on as instructed
until you get to the step where you were intended to add the
F-pack, after stablising. At this point, hie yourself down
to your local homebrew shop and pick up some "wine
conditioner". Add enough of this to the batch to get the
sweetness back to where you like it, then fine, rack and
bottle just as if nothing were wrong. You'll still have
most of the fruit flavour, at little more alcohol, but quite
drinkable wine.

Cheers
Les

Thanks for the info. I also just got this response back from Winexpert
.... Yes, the addition of the f-pack will cause the wine to start with a
higher s.g. and have a higher alcohol content then its profile. It will also
cause the yeast stress – it contains sorbate which controls the yeast
population. The yeast often overcomes this problem with a little extra time.
You need to keep the yeast happy – keep it warm - 74 degrees is nice. Give
the wine a really vigorous stir once today to a froth. Do not rack it until
it reaches 1.010 – it may take longer then the instructions state.
We will give you instructions on sweetening it up at stabilizing so it will
taste as per its profile.

One way you can still end up with an off-dry wine is by stopping the
fermentation early. The most effective way I know how to do that is to
put the fermenting must in a refrigerator (in airlocked container) when
the must SG has dropped to appropriate level. You might consider adding
appropriate amount of potassium sorbate as a fermentation inhibitor. At
the same time you do that, you may consider dosing the must with
potassium metabisulfite (K-Meta) to about 100-125 ppm free SO2 to
further inhibit the yeast.

To determine the right time to put the must in the refrigerator... use
one of the potential alcohol calculators you can find on the internet.
Using this one:
http://www.grapestompers.com/calculations.htm

and assuming the SG is measured between 60F and 70F... looks like
stopping your fermentation at 0.96-0.97 SG would yield a wine between 14
and 15% alcohol... with some residual sugar left.

Gene

Leslie Gadallah wrote:

> wrote:
>
>> Ok Im new and have 1 kit an Aus Shriaz currently bulk aging. I
>> started my
>> second, an Island Mist Symphony kit last night and missed the part of
>> just
>> using the one juice bag. I added both bags, that "F-Pack" with the
>> other.
>> Measured the SG and it was 1.065 and the directions said it should be
>> closer to 1.04-1.05 ish. So I knew i did something wrong. Well
>> little too
>> late now so i pitched the yeast and covered and put my airlock on. 12
>> hrs
>> later it has slowly started to bubble anyways.... So have I totaly
>> destroyed a kit or will this be more like the Symphony style wine, dry
>> and
>> higher alochol than the intended "Cooler" drink. Personally I'd
>> rather have
>> a real wine but anyone know what this might turn out like?
>
>
>
> It will probably be fine. Just carry on as instructed until you get
> to the step where you were intended to add the F-pack, after
> stablising. At this point, hie yourself down to your local homebrew
> shop and pick up some "wine conditioner". Add enough of this to the
> batch to get the sweetness back to where you like it, then fine, rack
> and bottle just as if nothing were wrong. You'll still have most of the
> fruit flavour, at little more alcohol, but quite drinkable wine.
>
> Cheers
> Les

Please ignore my previous post.... too much happy grape juice while
writing nonsense. I'd like to see anyone get the final SG below 0.990
<GRIN>
Gene

gene wrote:
> One way you can still end up with an off-dry wine is by stopping the
> fermentation early. The most effective way I know how to do that is to
> put the fermenting must in a refrigerator (in airlocked container) when
> the must SG has dropped to appropriate level. You might consider adding
> appropriate amount of potassium sorbate as a fermentation inhibitor. At
> the same time you do that, you may consider dosing the must with
> potassium metabisulfite (K-Meta) to about 100-125 ppm free SO2 to
> further inhibit the yeast.
>
> To determine the right time to put the must in the refrigerator... use
> one of the potential alcohol calculators you can find on the internet.
> Using this one:
> http://www.grapestompers.com/calculations.htm
>
> and assuming the SG is measured between 60F and 70F... looks like
> stopping your fermentation at 0.96-0.97 SG would yield a wine between 14
> and 15% alcohol... with some residual sugar left.
>
> Gene
>
> Leslie Gadallah wrote:
>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Ok Im new and have 1 kit an Aus Shriaz currently bulk aging. I
>>> started my
>>> second, an Island Mist Symphony kit last night and missed the part of
>>> just
>>> using the one juice bag. I added both bags, that "F-Pack" with the
>>> other.
>>> Measured the SG and it was 1.065 and the directions said it should be
>>> closer to 1.04-1.05 ish. So I knew i did something wrong. Well
>>> little too
>>> late now so i pitched the yeast and covered and put my airlock on.
>>> 12 hrs
>>> later it has slowly started to bubble anyways.... So have I totaly
>>> destroyed a kit or will this be more like the Symphony style wine,
>>> dry and
>>> higher alochol than the intended "Cooler" drink. Personally I'd
>>> rather have
>>> a real wine but anyone know what this might turn out like?
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> It will probably be fine. Just carry on as instructed until you get
>> to the step where you were intended to add the F-pack, after
>> stablising. At this point, hie yourself down to your local homebrew
>> shop and pick up some "wine conditioner". Add enough of this to the
>> batch to get the sweetness back to where you like it, then fine, rack
>> and bottle just as if nothing were wrong. You'll still have most of
>> the fruit flavour, at little more alcohol, but quite drinkable wine.
>>
>> Cheers
>> Les

"gene" > wrote in message
...
> Please ignore my previous post.... too much happy grape juice while
> writing nonsense. I'd like to see anyone get the final SG below 0.990
> <GRIN>
> Gene
>
Oh, I have gone below 0.990. I have been down to 0.986. But never down to
0.970! That would be a trick.

Ray