Wine number 1 question

[Clank007]

Hi,
After being out of the country for a few years I've returned home and found my old login for your excellent website, so I thought I'd retry making wine number 1.

Well, it all looks good in that I've got to the stage where in the tutorial the maker's wine is cloudy so he degasses it. However, mine is crystal clear at the moment. Does this mean I don't need to degass and can just wait another 2 weeks and rack/bottle it?

Simon

[Rich]

Welcome back


It'll still have gas in it, so if it's that clear, I'd rack it off any lees, then degass and let it sit for a a week or two to settle before bottling.

[Clank007]

Hi, thanks for the welcome

Ok I'll degass the wine tonight before the football.....or maybe after it because if we lose then I'll be able to take my frustrations out on shaking the demijohn!

Do you have any tips on degassing without losing some of the wine though please?
When I last degassed I found that every time I let my hand off the opening to let air escape, some of the wine forced it's way out with it. So I tried degassing using a cloth over the end but this just got soaked through with wine too leading to me losing some more.
Simon

[Raptor]

you could bung the DJ then shake a few times, then gently release the bung/pressure.

[SleepyDave]

Rack it into two DJ's so you have plenty of headspace. And make sure the wine is warm enough - it's much easier to get the gas out at 25C (probably not a problem this week!).
I put a VacuVin stopper on mine and pump out a good vacuum before shaking, and again after each good shake.

[Clank007]

Hi, thanks for the tips.
I degassed the wine and the wine became cloudy so this afternoon I added some wine finings from Wilkinsons.

However after adding the contents from sachet A, waiting for an hour and adding the contents of sachet B and stirring well , I read the labels properly to find I'd added enough for 5 gallons of wine rather than the 1 gallon I've been making.
Does this mean I've ruined the wine? ie will it be dangerous to drink it with so much fining liquid in it now?

Cheers
Simon

[rjb222]

Hi, thanks for the tips.
I degassed the wine and the wine became cloudy so this afternoon I added some wine finings from Wilkinsons.

However after adding the contents from sachet A, waiting for an hour and adding the contents of sachet B and stirring well , I read the labels properly to find I'd added enough for 5 gallons of wine rather than the 1 gallon I've been making.
Does this mean I've ruined the wine? ie will it be dangerous to drink it with so much fining liquid in it now?

Cheers
Simon

You will be just fine Simon. The two parts will marry together and become a gel like substance and settle out on the bottom.

[Raptor]

Well I racked/added finings to my #1 wine and it smells of bad eggs. It it sat in another DJ currently in the fining phase. Anyone else get this? Does it disappear?

[rjb222]

Are you asking about the finning agent that smells like bad eggs or is it your wine?

[Raptor]

Are you asking about the finning agent that smells like bad eggs or is it your wine?

seems to be the wine

[Raptor]

silly me just realised I posted on the wrong thread! Sorry!

[rjb222]

No problem. You need to do a splash racking it may take a couple splash racks to get enough oxygen in your wine to rid of the rotten egg smell start racking your wine and make sure that it splashes into the demijohn. If this does not work then you can give the wine a good stirring with a copper rod.

[Raptor]

OK thanks - I have currently racked it to a DJ and it is fining/clearing. Can I then do a couple of splash racks on the same day once it has fined?

[SiSandrine]

If it still smells then I would follow RJB222s instructions right away - don't wait until it has finished clearing.

OK thanks - I have currently racked it to a DJ and it is fining/clearing. Can I then do a couple of splash racks on the same day once it has fined?

[Raptor]

OK I'll re-rack tomorrow when I've got a min. Thanks for the advice.