Good information! Answered my question, Ill still finish my nail polisher 😀 i feel its more in the skin, but Ill keep it for last for wine press to prevent contamination my other buckets
This is my first year of (fruit) wine making, and this video nicely sums up everything I've learned this year. Thankfully I got good advice and haven't made these mistakes. This felt like a review class to consolidate my 101 year. Thank you!
Wow, I don't usually subscribe to channels. But I give credit where it's due, you sir are very knowledgeable in the wine making process. You also helped me save my 1st cabernet sauvignon wine which I just started this past Saturday. Yesterday night, I began to smell that "eggy" smell. I usually have used EC1118 for wine making, but this time I used RC212 which was recommended for a cabernet sauvignon over the EC1118. I had added only 3 tsp of DAP, was afraid to add the whole 6 tsp for a 6gal batch. I did aerate my wine very well, I made a yeast starter using my stir plate. My temp was between 72-74F. So I was stumped as to why I was getting this smell. Found your video on this issue. I dissolved another 3 tsp of DAP & added it to the wine, gave it a stir & "VIOLA", today, no more stinky egg smell!! This is only my 4th batch of wine ever made. My previous wines were "testing the grounds" type; apple & concord grape juice, didn't want to screw up expensive wine grape juice kit on my 1st attempt lol. Thanks for the info, you rock 👍
I’m making a cab sav, Merlot, Syrah blend. I got fresh grapes and was able to manage primary with enough oxygen in open top buckets with a tea towel covering and punching down two to three times a day with nutrients added at 1/3 sugar. I pitched malo right after pressing but and hadn’t added any potassium metab. Malo was slow to start so I warmed the wine a bit by moving from the basement to top floor ~66f to ~72. That seemed to get things started a bit more, but or vigorous. I also added wine stix oak staves for malo, but after a couple months I was pretty concerned about the lack of protection. I was noticing some discoloration on the oak ( a tiny tip was poking above the surface). I added half the recommended dose of potassium metab to 6 gallons (1/16 tsp) to try and provide some protection while also not inhibiting malo that was underway. Should I be worried about geranium smells? Or is that only a concern with potassium sorbate?
Sounds like you are on the right track. As long as everything smelled okay when you made your 1/16 tsp k Mets addition, then I wouldn't worry too much. Make sure that everything is topped up completely though since you are relatively vulnerable. If using carboys, top up to the skinny part of the neck. Use a store bought wine if you need to. You don't need to worry about the geranium. That is only with the potassium sorbate. It is very common to add potassium metabisulfite before malolactic fermentation (right when you get the grapes). It generally very low or gone by the time primary fermentation is over but the co2 and tannin will provide some protection. After malo is when you should really hit it again with SO2 but a small addition in the middle won't hurt if you were concerned.
This year I made 14 gallons of Pinot noir from grapes, and had about a half a gallon leftover, so I put it in a gallon jug with a sealed lid (not the best idea, I know). After 2 months, I tasted the wine in the gallon jug and it had a noticeable off aroma. Based on the common off aromas, I would describe it as mousy, though my family members disagree (I get all different responses). To me, mousy makes the most sense because I read there is an oxidative pathway to get this smell rather than by spoilage organisms, which makes sense because I have very good hygiene practices, and this wine was sitting half full of air for a few months. My question for you is: do you have any suggestions on how to learn the smells of the different flaws/faults, or is this just something you have to learn when it happens? I want to make sure what happened to the half gallon was due to oxidation and not spoilage bacteria, otherwise the 14 gallon is next.
this is my first time to make wine I had been through the proceso I hope at the right way but I have a question when is the right time to bottle the wine thank very much
Hey there, do you ever use campden tablets? Just wondering if one tablet usually gets you 10 ppm. Trying to gauge how many are typically used before bottling a 6 gallon carboy.
I don't use them anymore just because they are such a pain to crush up. They are just tablet form of either sodium metabisulfite or potassium metabisulfite depending on which ones you buy so there really isn't any difference other than the process of adding them. One tablet at 550mg will add about 13.5ppm of SO2 to 6 gallons if potassium metabisulfite and a little more if sodium metabisulfite since it is 67% SO2 vs 57%. Since you will oxidize a little SO2 out during any wine process that exposes to air, the 10ppm calculation is pretty good for a ballpark. If you end up making more wine, you can switch over to powder and a scale to save a little hassle. Not knowing your pH or current SO2 level, id say to use 5 or 6 tablets on 6 gallons to be safe. As long as you are below the sensory threshold, then it is better to have a little extra than not enough.
The Home Winemaking Channel wow super helpful and detailed! I am always scared to use potassium metabisulfate, but have read multiple places to use 1 campden table per gallon. Thanks a ton for verifying that I will not be over doing it. Can you add it the night before you bottle or is better to do it further in advance?
In several comments you say to add pot mets, and variations of potassium metabisulfate (K-META) before fermentation. My understanding of K-META is that it should be added after fermentation has been completed or to stop simple sugars from continuing to ferment. I understand that sodium metabisulfate (S-META) should be added at the beginning to create a clean slate, then start fermentation. S-META essentially won't linger in the pre ferment base thus allow the correct yeast to populate. In addition a boil up to 175f could be used instead of S-META or in combination for the person who is extra cautious. What are your thoughts on this? Is this correct in your opinion?
Potassium Metabisulfite and Sodium Metabisulfite will both achieve the same result in that they are both adding sulfur dioxide to the wine. The difference is that one will leave behind residual potassium and the other will leave behind residual sodium. The amounts are of sodium or potassium are REALLY low, so it probably doesn't really make a difference either way. Potassium will usually drop out as Potassium Bitartrate when it combines with acids in the wine. Sodium will probably stay around. If you are already struggling with high pH in the wine, you could maybe lean towards the S-Meta, to preserve as much acid as possible, but the difference would likely not be measurable. If using S-Meta, keep in mind that it is 67% sulfite by weight, vs 57% for k-meta which will slightly change your calculations. To prevent re-fermentation you would use K-Sorbate (Potassium Sorbate/Sorbic Acid). Neither K-Meta, S-Meta, or K-Sorbate will actually stop an active fermentation unless the dose is extremely high. But the sorbate will coat the yeast cells, and inhibit the ability of the cell to bud and multiply. So the wine needs to be crystal clear, with a very low yeast cell count for the K-Sorbate to be effective. It is very effective though when done right. As for the boiling/pasteurizing, it I normally wouldn't recommend it for most wines, as it can convert the fresh fruity aromas and flavors into more cooked flavors. With something like apple wine, that is a route that can work well. You could also do it on something like a concord if you are trying to replicate the cooked taste of Manischewitz/Kosher wine, but I would still sulfite a bit before going in bottle.
I’m just getting into wine making and found your channel. Very interesting and informative. Looks like you might be a Pittsburgh guy (I see the Rivertown logo, (R.I.P) guy which is cool.
I am looking for how much K-meta to add to the must during cold soak. I usually co-ferment with MLF, but I do not want to add too much sulfite and harm the malolactic bacteria. Or maybe I should just do MLF after the yeast are done fermenting. Advice?
My wine I'm making out of frozen cherries is still bubbling sbout every 5 sec. and it is day 7 of primary fermentation. It's a 5 gal bacth. Should I rack it to secondary or let it go ya think
I gave my carboys a sniff today (it's been 6 weeks since they moved in from the bucket). 2 smelt good, 2 smelt not bad, but just weak. I had a 5th carboy that, due to headspace, developed a mycoderma infection and got discarded. Could this weak smell be due to low level mycoderma or should I stop worrying so much? It's my first time.
Hello we bought a winemaking kit form artful winemakers and bought the wine from winelovers pak i made it with artful directions then finding out the winelovers pak can make 30 bottles I followed teh directions to artful so it sonly makes 12 bottles how do i make the full 30 bottles from my wine since its time to bottle help id appreciate if you can tell me what to do thanks.
I am getting that nail polish remover smell from my mead. It is a good possibility that I oxygenated it, but it looks to be fermenting still. Could that smell go away if it is still off gassing?
Hi, I am first time home brewer. There is a white flaky material floating in my secondary fermentation. I understand it is mold. Please advise me what can i do.
I am currently in the process of making 2 gallons of Petite Syrah. I used a yeast starter and nutrient throughout the fermentation. Towards the end of the fermentation, it developed an egg odor (seems like hydrogen sulfide). I aerated it by stirring and left the top open for the rest of the fermentation (I think that it wasn’t getting enough oxygen). That solved the problem until I racked it into two 1-gallon carboys (its been 24 hours - pretty fresh - still bubbling). When I open the top, the egg odor is there, but it actually dissipates within a few seconds. It is moderate - not too overwhelming but detectable before it quickly dissipates. Is this normal? Any suggestions? Great videos by the way - you were one of the sources that started me on winemaking.
Hey any luck did this ever fix. Now that it's been a year do you have advice? I am on my first batch and am getting a smell. Read the yeast might be over working and to add an extra tsp of nutrient that helped maybe a little but still got the smell. I am on 3rd day of fermentation.
Is it bottled yet? It is probably just a little fizzy still from all the CO2 released during fermentation. It can be degassed before bottling. If it is bottled it likely had a little residual sugar and was not stabilized properly so has fermented in bottle a bit. It could also have undergone malolactic fermentation in the bottle if it had a little remaining malic acid and inadequate SO2. If it is just the slightest bit of CO2, it can occur from bottling too cold for a wine intended to be served at a warmer temp. A cold liquid will hold a lot more CO2 which will release as it warms up.
@@TheHomeWinemakingChannel Thanks for the reply. Really liking your channel by the way. It is still in the carboy and has been bulk aging for about 10 months and has been racked 4 time's. Do you think I should degas? Thanks
I created vinegar but turned alcohol after a month and I thought it is spoiled and can’t get vinegar out of it again so, this alcohol now was sweet taste though less sugary taste in it even after a month so, I lid tight alcohol... In days later turn little acidic than sugary so I am now adding tea spoon sugar to maintain wine from to maintain it’s alcoholic level... So, now 2 tea sugar in it I stored in a refrigerator...? ?!! .... I don’t know what I am doing...?? I should have let that alcohol turning slowly acidic.... So, acidic means it now turned into vinegar? Can I use that same alcohol lid slightly open to make a vinegar or it will be a spoiled one?
Sir if i add half of recommended yeast amount, can the fermentation stuck? Can i add crushed grapes to keep the fermentation going normally? I am asking this bcoz yeast is very costly.
My first ever homemade wine is a Shiraz made from fresh juice. There is something about it, however, that I'm not finding enjoyable but I can't quite pinpoint what that is. It has plenty of flavor, but I really need to search for it. At first smell and taste i get a very slight sulfur aroma and taste. Then I get a stale wine taste, followed by the fruity characteristics, and then an unpleasant bitter taste that I'm not used to in a wine. Having said that, I did aerate it for about 1/2 hour with a wine whip according to anything I could find on the internet, and I gave it three 1/4 teaspoon treatments of Pot. Met. throughout the entire process. One treatment 24 hours prior to pitching the yeast. Once following the first racking, and one more treatment prior to bottling. The directions for SO2 were obtained from the EC Kraus website. Any ideas where I might have went wrong?
I read quite a bit info on EC Kraus web pages and hated the idea of adding sulfites as much as they indicated. I think it was every 3 months... Bah. I do pretty good without using any K-META after Fermentation. Usually I use juice. Now last year I made my first attempt at pumpkin wine. I saved fresh pumpkin after Halloween, in a bucket I let the pumpkin mellow at 76f for 2 weeks in water with a ton of sugar. You know precess, bottle, got to a year later. Was gonna show it off at Thanksgiving. It gave me the midnight shits 2 nights in a row. I think I will save it to use on the lawn for dead spots where my dog has peed. Keep the good info coming!
It is going to be hard to compare a Shiraz from juice to a store bought Shiraz made from grapes. Since you aren't getting the seed and skin contact time with the juice, you can end up with a thin, wimpy wine. The flash extraction that they use to get the color can also add cooked flavors, plus who knows how bad those grapes look going in. I think they reserve the unacceptable grapes for the juice a lot of times. Sometimes the juice can start bubbling before it gets to you also, and who knows what yeast or bacteria is causing the bubbling. Could get lucky but it could also be a less desirable strain. If you are going to make red wine from fresh juice and it is being trucked any distance before it gets to you, I would suggest getting a nicer wine kit instead. With the kit, you are starting from a clean slate and you can do some tricks to pump it up like adding a little less water. But eventually I would recommend making your reds from grapes and your white wines from fresh juice if you can.
Also, not sure what the bitter taste is. Could be a biproduct of the acid adjustment that they made to the juice. If the grapes were way off they may have added a lot of potassium bicarbonate, resulting in excess potassium. Or if they were off in the other direction they may have added citric acid since it is cheaper than tartaric acid... But should never be added to a red wine.
I'm a bit confused. I am doing a 6 gallon batch of merlot must with Red Star Premier Rouge. I added yeast nutrient and kicked up fermentation temp to 82F, and have been doing punchdowns 3-5 times a day. On day 3, I dropped temp to 71F and still doing punchdowns. I'm getting aroma of hot alcohol, but I can't tell if it's alcohol I'm smelling, or ethyl acetate. SG was 1.101 and currently at 1.014. Is this normal to smell hot alcohol? I'm not sure it's quite nail polish remover, but smells close. Am I doing punchdowns too often, which may have over-aerated? I have the lid on the bucket, but just sitting on top loosely.
l am a big fan of your channel can i have u opinion for making pomegranate wine regarding 1-OG 2-ph 3-acid content of must--and u tips? thanks ,DR/Wilson from EGYPT.
Hi! I would probably target a starting pH in the 3.1-3.3 range and finish around 3.2-3.4 for something like that, and 20-22 degrees brix which would probably be around 1.080 to 1.090 sg ballpark but check me in that conversion... I like to work in brix which is percent sugar by weight and makes the math a little easier for adjustments and alcohol calculations. I would specifically try to prevent malolactic fermentation with a pomegranate or it could get weirdly buttery. Then you can choose if you want to back sweeten or keep it as a crisp dry wine.
Keep the wine appropriately sulfited with potassium metabisulfite once fermentation is complete. I have an article on my website smartwinemaking.com going into the details about managing sulfites. If you had a pH of about 3.3, you would want to maintain about 25-30ppm of free SO2. Since it readily binds and oxidizes, you may want to over shoot a bit and target more like 40ppm.
I think so. The yeast is really going to town on the sugars in the juice and producing CO2, just like they would with bread. I have the same thing happening now on my first batch.
To stop a fermentation, the best way is to "cold crash" the wine, or chill it to about 30F. This will stall the yeast out, and allow it to settle to the bottom. Once settled, you can rack the wine off or the yeast and add potassium metabisulfite and potassium sorbate to prevent any rogue yeast from multiplying and restarting a fermentation.
@@shyambiswas7352 yes it can kill most strains of wild yeast if dosed high enough. Many wine yeasts (also found in the wild) have a very high tolerance to SO2. If the fermentation is established it would be very difficult to stop with SO2 alone. You are more likely to stress the yeast and cause hydrogen sulfide formation than to totally stop it. If chilled though, the yeast will go dormant and fall out of suspension, allowing you to separate the wine from most of the yeast. With a low cell count, potassium sorbate is your friend, as it will coat the cells and prevent budding/multiplication. When using Sorbate you should always sulfite accordingly to prevent any malolactic fermentation from kicking off. If malolactic fermentation occurs in the presence of potassium sorbate (Sorbic acid), it will create an undesirable geranium smell.
Methanol is not really a problem with wine fermentations. Though some is produced naturally as any seeds or stems ferment in the must, it is such a miniscule amount. Less than 250 parts per million vs 130,000 parts per million give or take for ethanol. Methanol is more of an issue in distillations where all of the methanol could be concentrated into first bottles that come off of the still (the "heads").
Thank you for sharing the Wine flaws. I made my first batch of wine from Mangoes. I followed all your instructions and took special care of sanitization. One friend recommended using the cheesecloth to cover the jar for the first 2-3 days of pitching yeast and then later used airlock. Please comment if it is ok to do that? The pectinase enzyme did a great job, as the wine fermented pretty clear (thanks to your video on it). The OG and FG were 1.096 and 1.005 respectively, so the ABV came about 12% (pretty good I guess). I am running into an issue of a burning sensation (a bit like when you chug vodka/spirit) during my first sample tasting. The wine smells nice, clean, and fresh. No vinegar, rotten eggs, or cabbage smell. I am no expert in tasting wine, but to me, it tastes ok, just a little tart, but still wine-like. The only issue is it gives a warm feeling in the back of the throat and while going down the throat. What did I do wrong or could have done better? Is it mango? I did add citric acid to maintain the acidity of the must, add some tannins in the form of black tea, and maintain the 50ppm of SO2. It was my first batch and is making me hopeless, for my next batch with grapes. Is the burning sensation a bad thing? Please help!
You are welcome! I would suggest checking out my video about back sweetening a wine. A mango wine has very little tannin to contribute to the mouth feel of the wine so you might notice the alcohol a bit more and it just might not present itself well dry. 1.005 is not completely dry but it still may need a big more sugar. If you are not accustomed to drinking wine, the alcohol may take a bit to get used to. The other thing it could be is too much acid, which can cause an acid reflux line sensation. If you can get your hands on a pH meter, check the pH. Anything below about 3.0 can be a little aggressive. A little potassium bicarbonate or calcium carbonate can reduce the acid to an acceptable level.
@@TheHomeWinemakingChannel Thank You for the prompt response. I added about 4oz. of resins and 2 tablespoons of black tea extract for the reason that mangoes are very low on tannins. Still, I don't see much mouthfeel or astringency. Can I use 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon of Acacia catechu powder (high on tannin) now after fermentation and third rack? How long, after wine tannin and before bottling should I let it sit to get some mouthfeel? The wine came out very light in color, just like white wine or more like champagne in color. I will check the acidity tomorrow. I have watched all your videos; they are all great. I am not inclined to back sweeten as it already a bit tart and decently sweet to my taste, but would not mind to back sweeten if it can help to reduce the burning sensation in the throat.
Yep! And you can treat it pretty much the same. If a hard cider/apple wine goes through mololactic fermentation, it is bad news. Since most of the acid is malic, you can be left with a cider that smells like old milk. And worse yet, it can start a chain reaction. As the pH climbs from all that malic acid converting to lactic acid, it becomes very vulnerable to bacterial spoilage and oxidation. So you could then have old milk with a hint of nail polish remover... Not good!
Depending on the additives it will probably be fine. You can also double the wine to bring it back to normal. If it is sulfite it will gradually react and oxidize which will reduce the levels. Unless you are a more experienced taster you will likely not percieve any difference at 2x the SO2.
Good information! Answered my question, Ill still finish my nail polisher 😀 i feel its more in the skin, but Ill keep it for last for wine press to prevent contamination my other buckets
This is my first year of (fruit) wine making, and this video nicely sums up everything I've learned this year. Thankfully I got good advice and haven't made these mistakes. This felt like a review class to consolidate my 101 year. Thank you!
Wow, I don't usually subscribe to channels. But I give credit where it's due, you sir are very knowledgeable in the wine making process.
You also helped me save my 1st cabernet sauvignon wine which I just started this past Saturday. Yesterday night, I began to smell that "eggy" smell. I usually have used EC1118 for wine making, but this time I used RC212 which was recommended for a cabernet sauvignon over the EC1118. I had added only 3 tsp of DAP, was afraid to add the whole 6 tsp for a 6gal batch. I did aerate my wine very well, I made a yeast starter using my stir plate. My temp was between 72-74F. So I was stumped as to why I was getting this smell. Found your video on this issue. I dissolved another 3 tsp of DAP & added it to the wine, gave it a stir & "VIOLA", today, no more stinky egg smell!! This is only my 4th batch of wine ever made. My previous wines were "testing the grounds" type; apple & concord grape juice, didn't
want to screw up expensive wine grape juice kit on my 1st attempt lol.
Thanks for the info, you rock 👍
Thanks Mr. Busta Nut!
I’m making a cab sav, Merlot, Syrah blend. I got fresh grapes and was able to manage primary with enough oxygen in open top buckets with a tea towel covering and punching down two to three times a day with nutrients added at 1/3 sugar. I pitched malo right after pressing but and hadn’t added any potassium metab. Malo was slow to start so I warmed the wine a bit by moving from the basement to top floor ~66f to ~72. That seemed to get things started a bit more, but or vigorous. I also added wine stix oak staves for malo, but after a couple months I was pretty concerned about the lack of protection. I was noticing some discoloration on the oak ( a tiny tip was poking above the surface). I added half the recommended dose of potassium metab to 6 gallons (1/16 tsp) to try and provide some protection while also not inhibiting malo that was underway. Should I be worried about geranium smells? Or is that only a concern with potassium sorbate?
Sounds like you are on the right track. As long as everything smelled okay when you made your 1/16 tsp k Mets addition, then I wouldn't worry too much. Make sure that everything is topped up completely though since you are relatively vulnerable. If using carboys, top up to the skinny part of the neck. Use a store bought wine if you need to. You don't need to worry about the geranium. That is only with the potassium sorbate. It is very common to add potassium metabisulfite before malolactic fermentation (right when you get the grapes). It generally very low or gone by the time primary fermentation is over but the co2 and tannin will provide some protection. After malo is when you should really hit it again with SO2 but a small addition in the middle won't hurt if you were concerned.
Could you have more visuals? Also, what are the indicators like easily identify? Great vids.
Fantastic information. Subscribed!
great video. Nice Les Paul custom in the background.
This year I made 14 gallons of Pinot noir from grapes, and had about a half a gallon leftover, so I put it in a gallon jug with a sealed lid (not the best idea, I know). After 2 months, I tasted the wine in the gallon jug and it had a noticeable off aroma. Based on the common off aromas, I would describe it as mousy, though my family members disagree (I get all different responses). To me, mousy makes the most sense because I read there is an oxidative pathway to get this smell rather than by spoilage organisms, which makes sense because I have very good hygiene practices, and this wine was sitting half full of air for a few months. My question for you is: do you have any suggestions on how to learn the smells of the different flaws/faults, or is this just something you have to learn when it happens? I want to make sure what happened to the half gallon was due to oxidation and not spoilage bacteria, otherwise the 14 gallon is next.
this is my first time to make wine I had been through the proceso I hope at the right way but I have a question when is the right time to bottle the wine thank very much
Hey there, do you ever use campden tablets? Just wondering if one tablet usually gets you 10 ppm. Trying to gauge how many are typically used before bottling a 6 gallon carboy.
I don't use them anymore just because they are such a pain to crush up. They are just tablet form of either sodium metabisulfite or potassium metabisulfite depending on which ones you buy so there really isn't any difference other than the process of adding them. One tablet at 550mg will add about 13.5ppm of SO2 to 6 gallons if potassium metabisulfite and a little more if sodium metabisulfite since it is 67% SO2 vs 57%. Since you will oxidize a little SO2 out during any wine process that exposes to air, the 10ppm calculation is pretty good for a ballpark. If you end up making more wine, you can switch over to powder and a scale to save a little hassle. Not knowing your pH or current SO2 level, id say to use 5 or 6 tablets on 6 gallons to be safe. As long as you are below the sensory threshold, then it is better to have a little extra than not enough.
The Home Winemaking Channel wow super helpful and detailed! I am always scared to use potassium metabisulfate, but have read multiple places to use 1 campden table per gallon. Thanks a ton for verifying that I will not be over doing it. Can you add it the night before you bottle or is better to do it further in advance?
In several comments you say to add pot mets, and variations of potassium metabisulfate (K-META) before fermentation. My understanding of K-META is that it should be added after fermentation has been completed or to stop simple sugars from continuing to ferment. I understand that sodium metabisulfate (S-META) should be added at the beginning to create a clean slate, then start fermentation. S-META essentially won't linger in the pre ferment base thus allow the correct yeast to populate.
In addition a boil up to 175f could be used instead of S-META or in combination for the person who is extra cautious.
What are your thoughts on this? Is this correct in your opinion?
Potassium Metabisulfite and Sodium Metabisulfite will both achieve the same result in that they are both adding sulfur dioxide to the wine. The difference is that one will leave behind residual potassium and the other will leave behind residual sodium. The amounts are of sodium or potassium are REALLY low, so it probably doesn't really make a difference either way. Potassium will usually drop out as Potassium Bitartrate when it combines with acids in the wine. Sodium will probably stay around. If you are already struggling with high pH in the wine, you could maybe lean towards the S-Meta, to preserve as much acid as possible, but the difference would likely not be measurable. If using S-Meta, keep in mind that it is 67% sulfite by weight, vs 57% for k-meta which will slightly change your calculations. To prevent re-fermentation you would use K-Sorbate (Potassium Sorbate/Sorbic Acid). Neither K-Meta, S-Meta, or K-Sorbate will actually stop an active fermentation unless the dose is extremely high. But the sorbate will coat the yeast cells, and inhibit the ability of the cell to bud and multiply. So the wine needs to be crystal clear, with a very low yeast cell count for the K-Sorbate to be effective. It is very effective though when done right. As for the boiling/pasteurizing, it I normally wouldn't recommend it for most wines, as it can convert the fresh fruity aromas and flavors into more cooked flavors. With something like apple wine, that is a route that can work well. You could also do it on something like a concord if you are trying to replicate the cooked taste of Manischewitz/Kosher wine, but I would still sulfite a bit before going in bottle.
@@TheHomeWinemakingChannel fascinating. Thank you.
I’m just getting into wine making and found your channel. Very interesting and informative.
Looks like you might be a Pittsburgh guy (I see the Rivertown logo, (R.I.P) guy which is cool.
I am looking for how much K-meta to add to the must during cold soak. I usually co-ferment with MLF, but I do not want to add too much sulfite and harm the malolactic bacteria. Or maybe I should just do MLF after the yeast are done fermenting. Advice?
Wine turn into vinegar ? How about if adding sugar into on a timely basis?
What is dogridge rootstock?
My wine I'm making out of frozen cherries is still bubbling sbout every 5 sec. and it is day 7 of primary fermentation. It's a 5 gal bacth. Should I rack it to secondary or let it go ya think
Yes, you could rack it. You are probably going to want to squeeze or press out as much as you can from the cherry skins when you do.
I gave my carboys a sniff today (it's been 6 weeks since they moved in from the bucket). 2 smelt good, 2 smelt not bad, but just weak. I had a 5th carboy that, due to headspace, developed a mycoderma infection and got discarded. Could this weak smell be due to low level mycoderma or should I stop worrying so much? It's my first time.
Hello we bought a winemaking kit form artful winemakers and bought the wine from winelovers pak i made it with artful directions then finding out the winelovers pak can make 30 bottles I followed teh directions to artful so it sonly makes 12 bottles how do i make the full 30 bottles from my wine since its time to bottle help id appreciate if you can tell me what to do thanks.
Some of my wine has a musty aftertaste. I usually do wine xpert kits. Usually bulk age for 6 months. Rack 3 times. Any suggestions?
I am getting that nail polish remover smell from my mead. It is a good possibility that I oxygenated it, but it looks to be fermenting still. Could that smell go away if it is still off gassing?
Hi, I am first time home brewer. There is a white flaky material floating in my secondary fermentation. I understand it is mold. Please advise me what can i do.
Is wine that tastes a bit like acetone dangerous? Is it more toxic to the liver/organs?
I am currently in the process of making 2 gallons of Petite Syrah. I used a yeast starter and nutrient throughout the fermentation. Towards the end of the fermentation, it developed an egg odor (seems like hydrogen sulfide). I aerated it by stirring and left the top open for the rest of the fermentation (I think that it wasn’t getting enough oxygen). That solved the problem until I racked it into two 1-gallon carboys (its been 24 hours - pretty fresh - still bubbling). When I open the top, the egg odor is there, but it actually dissipates within a few seconds. It is moderate - not too overwhelming but detectable before it quickly dissipates. Is this normal? Any suggestions? Great videos by the way - you were one of the sources that started me on winemaking.
Hey any luck did this ever fix. Now that it's been a year do you have advice? I am on my first batch and am getting a smell. Read the yeast might be over working and to add an extra tsp of nutrient that helped maybe a little but still got the smell. I am on 3rd day of fermentation.
Slight carbonation in my wine.
What could be the problem?
Thanks
Is it bottled yet? It is probably just a little fizzy still from all the CO2 released during fermentation. It can be degassed before bottling. If it is bottled it likely had a little residual sugar and was not stabilized properly so has fermented in bottle a bit. It could also have undergone malolactic fermentation in the bottle if it had a little remaining malic acid and inadequate SO2. If it is just the slightest bit of CO2, it can occur from bottling too cold for a wine intended to be served at a warmer temp. A cold liquid will hold a lot more CO2 which will release as it warms up.
@@TheHomeWinemakingChannel Thanks for the reply.
Really liking your channel by the way.
It is still in the carboy and has been bulk aging for about 10 months and has been racked 4 time's. Do you think I should degas?
Thanks
I created vinegar but turned alcohol after a month and I thought it is spoiled and can’t get vinegar out of it again so, this alcohol now was sweet taste though less sugary taste in it even after a month so, I lid tight alcohol...
In days later turn little acidic than sugary so I am now adding tea spoon sugar to maintain wine from to maintain it’s alcoholic level...
So, now 2 tea sugar in it I stored in a refrigerator...? ?!! .... I don’t know what I am doing...??
I should have let that alcohol turning slowly acidic....
So, acidic means it now turned into vinegar?
Can I use that same alcohol lid slightly open to make a vinegar or it will be a spoiled one?
Sir if i add half of recommended yeast amount, can the fermentation stuck? Can i add crushed grapes to keep the fermentation going normally? I am asking this bcoz yeast is very costly.
My first ever homemade wine is a Shiraz made from fresh juice. There is something about it, however, that I'm not finding enjoyable but I can't quite pinpoint what that is. It has plenty of flavor, but I really need to search for it. At first smell and taste i get a very slight sulfur aroma and taste. Then I get a stale wine taste, followed by the fruity characteristics, and then an unpleasant bitter taste that I'm not used to in a wine. Having said that, I did aerate it for about 1/2 hour with a wine whip according to anything I could find on the internet, and I gave it three 1/4 teaspoon treatments of Pot. Met. throughout the entire process. One treatment 24 hours prior to pitching the yeast. Once following the first racking, and one more treatment prior to bottling. The directions for SO2 were obtained from the EC Kraus website. Any ideas where I might have went wrong?
I read quite a bit info on EC Kraus web pages and hated the idea of adding sulfites as much as they indicated. I think it was every 3 months... Bah. I do pretty good without using any K-META after Fermentation. Usually I use juice. Now last year I made my first attempt at pumpkin wine. I saved fresh pumpkin after Halloween, in a bucket I let the pumpkin mellow at 76f for 2 weeks in water with a ton of sugar. You know precess, bottle, got to a year later. Was gonna show it off at Thanksgiving. It gave me the midnight shits 2 nights in a row. I think I will save it to use on the lawn for dead spots where my dog has peed.
Keep the good info coming!
It is going to be hard to compare a Shiraz from juice to a store bought Shiraz made from grapes. Since you aren't getting the seed and skin contact time with the juice, you can end up with a thin, wimpy wine. The flash extraction that they use to get the color can also add cooked flavors, plus who knows how bad those grapes look going in. I think they reserve the unacceptable grapes for the juice a lot of times. Sometimes the juice can start bubbling before it gets to you also, and who knows what yeast or bacteria is causing the bubbling. Could get lucky but it could also be a less desirable strain. If you are going to make red wine from fresh juice and it is being trucked any distance before it gets to you, I would suggest getting a nicer wine kit instead. With the kit, you are starting from a clean slate and you can do some tricks to pump it up like adding a little less water. But eventually I would recommend making your reds from grapes and your white wines from fresh juice if you can.
Also, not sure what the bitter taste is. Could be a biproduct of the acid adjustment that they made to the juice. If the grapes were way off they may have added a lot of potassium bicarbonate, resulting in excess potassium. Or if they were off in the other direction they may have added citric acid since it is cheaper than tartaric acid... But should never be added to a red wine.
@@TheHomeWinemakingChannel Thanks for your expert opinion.
I'm a bit confused. I am doing a 6 gallon batch of merlot must with Red Star Premier Rouge. I added yeast nutrient and kicked up fermentation temp to 82F, and have been doing punchdowns 3-5 times a day. On day 3, I dropped temp to 71F and still doing punchdowns. I'm getting aroma of hot alcohol, but I can't tell if it's alcohol I'm smelling, or ethyl acetate. SG was 1.101 and currently at 1.014. Is this normal to smell hot alcohol? I'm not sure it's quite nail polish remover, but smells close. Am I doing punchdowns too often, which may have over-aerated? I have the lid on the bucket, but just sitting on top loosely.
Thanks. Great tips
l am a big fan of your channel can i have u opinion for making pomegranate wine regarding 1-OG 2-ph 3-acid content of must--and u tips? thanks ,DR/Wilson from EGYPT.
Hi! I would probably target a starting pH in the 3.1-3.3 range and finish around 3.2-3.4 for something like that, and 20-22 degrees brix which would probably be around 1.080 to 1.090 sg ballpark but check me in that conversion... I like to work in brix which is percent sugar by weight and makes the math a little easier for adjustments and alcohol calculations. I would specifically try to prevent malolactic fermentation with a pomegranate or it could get weirdly buttery. Then you can choose if you want to back sweeten or keep it as a crisp dry wine.
@@TheHomeWinemakingChannel thank u v much ,how to prevent ML FERMENTATION
in an easy way.
Keep the wine appropriately sulfited with potassium metabisulfite once fermentation is complete. I have an article on my website smartwinemaking.com going into the details about managing sulfites. If you had a pH of about 3.3, you would want to maintain about 25-30ppm of free SO2. Since it readily binds and oxidizes, you may want to over shoot a bit and target more like 40ppm.
Is it normal during my first few days of primary fermentation that the main smell I'm getting is yeast?
I think so. The yeast is really going to town on the sugars in the juice and producing CO2, just like they would with bread. I have the same thing happening now on my first batch.
Great video!!!
another great one
Sir we can stop yeast fermentation. And
Sir we can Kill wild yeast.
To stop a fermentation, the best way is to "cold crash" the wine, or chill it to about 30F. This will stall the yeast out, and allow it to settle to the bottom. Once settled, you can rack the wine off or the yeast and add potassium metabisulfite and potassium sorbate to prevent any rogue yeast from multiplying and restarting a fermentation.
Sir potassium metabisulphite can Kill wild yeast.
@@shyambiswas7352 yes it can kill most strains of wild yeast if dosed high enough. Many wine yeasts (also found in the wild) have a very high tolerance to SO2. If the fermentation is established it would be very difficult to stop with SO2 alone. You are more likely to stress the yeast and cause hydrogen sulfide formation than to totally stop it. If chilled though, the yeast will go dormant and fall out of suspension, allowing you to separate the wine from most of the yeast. With a low cell count, potassium sorbate is your friend, as it will coat the cells and prevent budding/multiplication. When using Sorbate you should always sulfite accordingly to prevent any malolactic fermentation from kicking off. If malolactic fermentation occurs in the presence of potassium sorbate (Sorbic acid), it will create an undesirable geranium smell.
Sir potassium metabisulphite can kill wild yeast from dough /batter.
If the dough/batter is fermented with dry Instant yeast.
Sir .Thank you very much for the information .
Great video and advice. Keep up the good work.
What About Methanol ?
Methanol is not really a problem with wine fermentations. Though some is produced naturally as any seeds or stems ferment in the must, it is such a miniscule amount. Less than 250 parts per million vs 130,000 parts per million give or take for ethanol. Methanol is more of an issue in distillations where all of the methanol could be concentrated into first bottles that come off of the still (the "heads").
Thank you for sharing the Wine flaws. I made my first batch of wine from Mangoes. I followed all your instructions and took special care of sanitization. One friend recommended using the cheesecloth to cover the jar for the first 2-3 days of pitching yeast and then later used airlock. Please comment if it is ok to do that? The pectinase enzyme did a great job, as the wine fermented pretty clear (thanks to your video on it). The OG and FG were 1.096 and 1.005 respectively, so the ABV came about 12% (pretty good I guess). I am running into an issue of a burning sensation (a bit like when you chug vodka/spirit) during my first sample tasting. The wine smells nice, clean, and fresh. No vinegar, rotten eggs, or cabbage smell. I am no expert in tasting wine, but to me, it tastes ok, just a little tart, but still wine-like. The only issue is it gives a warm feeling in the back of the throat and while going down the throat. What did I do wrong or could have done better? Is it mango? I did add citric acid to maintain the acidity of the must, add some tannins in the form of black tea, and maintain the 50ppm of SO2. It was my first batch and is making me hopeless, for my next batch with grapes. Is the burning sensation a bad thing? Please help!
You are welcome! I would suggest checking out my video about back sweetening a wine. A mango wine has very little tannin to contribute to the mouth feel of the wine so you might notice the alcohol a bit more and it just might not present itself well dry. 1.005 is not completely dry but it still may need a big more sugar. If you are not accustomed to drinking wine, the alcohol may take a bit to get used to. The other thing it could be is too much acid, which can cause an acid reflux line sensation. If you can get your hands on a pH meter, check the pH. Anything below about 3.0 can be a little aggressive. A little potassium bicarbonate or calcium carbonate can reduce the acid to an acceptable level.
@@TheHomeWinemakingChannel Thank You for the prompt response. I added about 4oz. of resins and 2 tablespoons of black tea extract for the reason that mangoes are very low on tannins. Still, I don't see much mouthfeel or astringency. Can I use 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon of Acacia catechu powder (high on tannin) now after fermentation and third rack? How long, after wine tannin and before bottling should I let it sit to get some mouthfeel? The wine came out very light in color, just like white wine or more like champagne in color. I will check the acidity tomorrow. I have watched all your videos; they are all great. I am not inclined to back sweeten as it already a bit tart and decently sweet to my taste, but would not mind to back sweeten if it can help to reduce the burning sensation in the throat.
@@TheHomeWinemakingChannel Can you make a detailed video on wine tasting for beginners?
Hard cider tastes like a light , fruity white wine!
Yep! And you can treat it pretty much the same. If a hard cider/apple wine goes through mololactic fermentation, it is bad news. Since most of the acid is malic, you can be left with a cider that smells like old milk. And worse yet, it can start a chain reaction. As the pH climbs from all that malic acid converting to lactic acid, it becomes very vulnerable to bacterial spoilage and oxidation. So you could then have old milk with a hint of nail polish remover... Not good!
My wine botel in white leayr
I put double the chemicals in my wine to start with what will happen to the wine
Depending on the additives it will probably be fine. You can also double the wine to bring it back to normal. If it is sulfite it will gradually react and oxidize which will reduce the levels. Unless you are a more experienced taster you will likely not percieve any difference at 2x the SO2.
well all this did was scare me : ) but thanks
Great video!