Simple Wine Recipe.. Help

[gt_andy]

I made a 2 gal batch of grape wine. I used 2 gallons of Welch's grape juice and added about 4 cups of sugar. Let it ferment for about 3 weeks then bottled. When I transferred from primary to bottle bucket I added potassium sorbate. I added the correct amount as stated on the container for my volume. Then proceeded to bottle. 3 weeks later I have carbonated Wine. Its not bad.... but it isn't what I was going for....

What did I do wrong.

I have the same exact batch going right now and don't want to make the same mistake. What can i do differently to stop fermentation after bottle? Add more potassium sorbate? Or secondary and wait another week in addition to the potassium sorbate? Degas it?

Any info would be helpful.

 

[jc5066]

You need to add nitrate when you add sorbate.

Open and pour all bottles into bucket. Add nitrate & sorbate. Degassed. Re bottle.

 

[z-bob]

You need to add nitrate when you add sorbate.

Open and pour all bottles into bucket. Add nitrate & sorbate. Degassed. Re bottle.

Sulfites (Campden or K-meta) not nitrate.

Then proceeded to bottle. 3 weeks later I have carbonated Wine. Its not bad.... but it isn't what I was going for....

If you *were* going for carbonated wine, it would take longer than 3 weeks. I'm drinking some barely carbonated wine right now that was supposed to be fizzy at the New Year.

 

[jc5066]

Yes, thank you. Brain fart.

 

[Yooper]

sorbate only works with a clear (finished) wine. The wine just wasn't finished enough for bottling.

 

[gt_andy]

sorbate only works with a clear (finished) wine. The wine just wasn't finished enough for bottling.

So I needed to let it go longer in primary?? The gravity was at .097. I assumed it was good to go. I didn't have any bubbles for days. However, I did back sweeten because it was a little dry.


What should I add to stop fermentation before bottling.

I ask this because I have another 2 gal that has been going for 3 weeks now. Its been done fermenting for a while now. I want to bottle it. Should I skip the back sweetening? Should I degas it? Add something then secondary for a week?

I want to get the process down cause I'm going to continuously make this recipe since its good and cheap.

 

[z-bob]

You should rack it to a secondary to get it off the lees. (unless you're doing a style and using a yeast variety where you want it to sit on the lees for a while -- unusual) Give it a couple of weeks in the secondary to drop clearer. I *think* the main purpose of this is to have less sediment in the bottles.

If you really don't want to do a secondary, try using D47 yeast. (I haven't tried it yet, but I've read that it tastes "fruity" if you age the wine on its lees.)

 

[gt_andy]

What works better to kill yeast and stop fermentation after back sweeting? Potassium metabisulphite(PM)? or Potassium sorbate(PS)?

Or would apply best in my situation. I want to bottle this tonight. Or would it be worth while to add the PM or PS in a secondary and wait a week.. then back sweetin?

 

[DoctorCAD]

Neither...high alcohol kills yeast. The only other way is to sterile filter, and you cant do that at home vear easily.

Oh, and were talking months, not weeks.