Additives and what not.

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drunken_opossum

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I have been making various wines over the last few years and I just found this forum a couple of weeks ago... I learned just basic winemaking from my Amish neighbors which is as follows: ferment berries for 5 days stirring once a day.... Strain and add sugar and yeast. Let is perk till it stops. I let it sit in the carboy till it clears naturally .. Back sweeten if needed. ... I add no Additional items. I wash all items with a no rinse cleaner. Out of all the wine I have made only one turned to vinegar .... My question is all these extra items I see being added on here do they change the flavor of the wines you guys make? Do they add addional life to the wine? Thanks for any input shared. D_O
 
drunken_opossum said:
I have been making various wines over the last few years and I just found this forum a couple of weeks ago... I learned just basic winemaking from my Amish neighbors which is as follows: ferment berries for 5 days stirring once a day.... Strain and add sugar and yeast. Let is perk till it stops. I let it sit in the carboy till it clears naturally .. Back sweeten if needed. ... I add no Additional items. I wash all items with a no rinse cleaner. Out of all the wine I have made only one turned to vinegar .... My question is all these extra items I see being added on here do they change the flavor of the wines you guys make? Do they add addional life to the wine? Thanks for any input shared. D_O
Click to expand...

They make for better wine, less faults and longer lasting.
 
"...ferment berries for 5 days stirring once a day.... Strain and add sugar and yeast. Let is perk till it stops..."

If you have fermented for 5 days, like your post says, why would you add yeast afterwards?
 
I meant I soak the berries for five days . I have been making bigger batches as of late and haven't been using them within the year so I'm mainly concerned about shelf life. Thanks
 
drunken_opossum said:
I meant I soak the berries for five days . I have been making bigger batches as of late and haven't been using them within the year so I'm mainly concerned about shelf life. Thanks
Click to expand...

Honestly I couldn't imagine making wine without adding sulfites. Without them is probably good for a year. With them you are good for probably 10 years.
 
Wow, thanks for the info. I am going to do my next batch of elderberry by the books and see the difference it makes. Thanks again, D_O
 
drunken_opossum said:
Anyway.... How long of a shelf life do the additives give the wine?
Click to expand...

I know of a wine maker that does not any potassium metabisulfite. It begins to spoil after a year.

Potassium metabisulfite is also used when you crush your fruit to keep wild yeasts at bay. It allows wine yeast to dominate and control the quality of your wine.
 
But more important that k-meta is the pH and alcohol content. Well maybe not more important, as important. pH is somewhat critical actually.
 

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