Taking Samples and SG readings

[GrillMonkey]

I'm very new to this and will be starting a wine this evening (if I can get to the home brew shop before it closes).

The question I have is how often do you take a SG reading. I'm worried that if I remove the airlock to take a sample would the oxygen spoil the wine?

As I said, I'm very new to this and sorry if it's a dumb question

[Duffbeer]

You should take a reading to start with known as the original gravity, this will determine the potential alcohol acheivable, then as fermentation slows ie airlock slows down usually 4 to 5 days then we need to be checking the gravity again and when a reading of 1.010 or near is acheived you then need to rack off the gross lees to a secondary fermenting vessel where it should remain untill ferment has ceased and again noted by a finishing gravity of 0.998 or less and the same over a couple of days.
Try not to worry about oxigen contact at this point, the yeast in it's early stages needs oxigen to multiply and the vigorous co2 being explelled will keep it protected. Oxidisation occurs usually when the finished wine has been exposed to air for long periods, the main culprit being d/j's not being topped up correctly and a lack of sulphite.

[NorthernWiner]

Like Duff said, don't worry about oxygen while it's fermenting. In fact, the only thing I put over the fermenting bucket is a clean towel.

And since a hydrometer floats, you can leave it right in the bucket if you like.

[fatbloke]

Like Duff said, don't worry about oxygen while it's fermenting. In fact, the only thing I put over the fermenting bucket is a clean towel.

And since a hydrometer floats, you can leave it right in the bucket if you like.

I prefer to make sure that my wines/meads are sealed against potential air ingress - but I've heard, quite often, the "towel over the bucket" trick, especially for the first part of the fermentation process.

If you want, you can always get a sample jar i.e. a tall slim (often glass) jar that takes about 200 to 300 mls of liquid and is the ideal "gauge" and height to float a hydrometer in - but you have to syphon a little wine into it.

Another way is called a "wine thief". It's a long(ish) cylindrical tube with a valve on the end. You put your hydrometer in it, then lower it (the wine thief) into the demi-john/bucket/whatever, there is a small pointed piece that you touch against the bottom/side of the fermentor, which allows wine to fill the tube to a level so you can read the gravity numbers from the hydrometer.

You then just lower "it" back into the fermenter and touch the pointed bit against the lip or side and the wine goes back into the fermenter.

It's handy if you're concerned with air/oxidation type contamination, less likely to cause bubbles/air etc etc and tends to be quite convenient to keep clean/sanitised. They're not dear. I think mine cost me about 3 or 4 quid.

Here's a picture of what the one I use looks like though it looks like they want a bit more than what I paid for mine.

regards

JtFB

[Duffbeer]

John, please try not to confuse the thread, you may be anal regarding oxidisation, but you shouldn't make others the same.
It is a fact that their is little or no chance of oxidisation whilst ferment is vigorous, the co2 produced protects the must, the actual fact is the yeast needs oxigen in the early stage of ferment know as the aerobic stage, we mearly need to keep airborn particles and fly's etc from entering.