First Sparkling Wine Experiment

[goldseal]

I have a couple of Wine No.1's, started a few days ago, using Apple/Grape juice which was approaching its sell-by date, and half a sachet of K1V-1116 - I used the other half for my port, and I'm a cheapskate so I wanted to use it up rather than opening a fresh sachet of something else.

I have decided to use one of the DJs to make my first sparkling wine. I'm hoping this will work out OK - the yeast should tolerate the alcohol. I just hope the lees are nice and compact.

I'm following Karl's tutorial. The SG is down to 1.002 now. I know this is fractionally higher than the recommendation but it's now or never for bottling - I'm away for a couple of days.

So, I'm armed with my wine, my sugar, some champagne/cava bottles which are all over the minimum weight, some cages and stoppers. What can possibly go wrong?

[lockwood1956]

You may not need any sugar if bottling at that gravity, there may be enough residual sugar to carbonate it....

[goldseal]

OK - how do I tell? Should I just bottle it?

[Duffbeer]

Or maybe just half a teaspoon.

[goldseal]

OK, half it is.

I'll send you photos of the wine-soaked front room if it all goes wrong

[Rich]

If it's just 6 bottles.. they should fit into a big primary bucket. (incase they break.. much easier to not have to clean up the whole front room)

[goldseal]

If it's just 6 bottles.. they should fit into a big primary bucket. (incase they break.. much easier to not have to clean up the whole front room)

Cracking idea (no pun intended).

Probably a bit stronger than the cardboard box they are currently in

EDIT: Done - that fermenter you loaned me at Grapefest has come in handy again, Bob

[goldseal]

Sitrep: NOTHING has exploded .....




... yet.

[rjb222]

One tip to carbonating with yeast and sugar. When you reach the right point in the carbonation put the whole works in the fridge and get things good and cool this will help stop over carbonating.

[goldseal]

Please define 'the right point'

[Richard S]

Please define 'the right point'

Fizzyish, come on Pete, thought you would have known that one.

[goldseal]

How am I supposed to tell?

I'm waiting for the lees to compact.

Yours
Confused of Hereford

[rjb222]

Sorry Pete myself got way layed yesterday. I am no certain how to tell with a sparkling wine. With beer its is a dirty job you need to monitor things very carefully and test I know I know It is not a fun job but some times we have to look past the dreaded manflu and test the product.

[goldseal]

Well, it looks like fermentation has stopped - no visible signs anyway.

This is my very first batch, so it's an experiment.

Are you suggesting that I should open one bottle now, to see what level of carbonation I have?

[Duffbeer]

Don't open any yet Pete, the carbonation of wine can take a little time.
First thing to check is the wire cage, is it becoming taught ie hard to turn, proving pressure on the stopper ?
I wouldn't consider opening any of it until you've dis gored the sediment and allowed it to rest for a few months.
Sparkling wines are a slow process and very much like home made beer, you never know the result until cork popping time, over carbonated, under carbonated, wrong style of wine.
But if you play with it enough, you should get it right eventually, many of my first efforts turned out flat or the wrong style of wine for carbonation.
Last year I took a commended at the National and a third at the Yorkshire Federation show with my sparkling wines.
I also recollect we toasted 'grapegest 08' with one.