When do you have to bottle your wine before it goes bad?

[catfishhoward]

I made 10 different 1 gallon wine recipes from the Winemaker’s Recipe Hand book. All 10 wine gallons have hit the S.G. of 1.000 so I racked them all into new gallon jugs and I degassed each for 5 minutes, I wasn’t sure if I needed to degas or not, but I did? At this stage the book recommends to let them sit for 2 months before sweetening and filling bottles (I’m looking for a sweet wine I love Franzia Chillable Red in the box).

My main question is can I let them sit until Christmas so I can have the family help me sweeten and bottle them and maybe rack 1 more time before then since I see a lever of yeast on the bottom still? I was told after you open a bottle of wine it starts to go bad so what is stopping my wine from going bad wright now? Will the yeast smell go away with time or after another rack?

 

[catfishhoward]

I just realized that this forum is for beer is there a wine area for this question or could someone recommend a site?

 

[davidabcd]

I just realized that this forum is for beer is there a wine area for this question or could someone recommend a site?

Yes, just click "forums" at the top. good luck

 

[Yooper]

You should rack the wine every 60 days if there are ANY lees (sediment) in the vessel, and sooner if there is 1/4 inch or more. Top up, so there is no headspace, with a similar wine (commercial wine).

Before you bottle, stabilize with campden and sorbate at the last racking, let it sit at least 5 days, sweeten to taste and let it sit at least 3-5 days, then you can bottle.

 

[catfishhoward]

Thanks, if i put commercial wine in to fill it up does it have to be a dry wine or could I put Franzia Chillable Red in or will that start the fermenting up again?

 

[abdominousabel]

You can add potassium sorbet which will cause the yeast to stop reproducing, then transfer the wine and then you can add as much sugar as you want (to taste) this is called back sweetening. The yeast will be left in the fermentor and the yeast that make it to your bottle are just not enough to ferment all the sugar without reproduction. But remember it’s your creation, you can add whatever you’d like, document it, and go from those results.(as long as it’s safe)