Day 15!

We're in business, folks!  0.994!  

I'm glad I cleaned and sanitized everything yesterday so I could focus on racking the wine today.  I siphoned the wine from the carboy to the bucket, carefully, trying not to make a mess.  I then brought the carboy up to the tub to wash it, cleanse it, and sanitize it.  I meant to take a pic of all the sediment left in the carboy (there was a lot!), but I totally forgot.  Just trust me, there was quite a bit!  

I cleaned it out with my cleansing brush, sanitized it along with the auto-siphon and tubing, and took them all back down with me.

This process REALLY makes me wish I had another carboy because I would've been done a lot sooner.  Nonetheless, I siphoned all of the wine back into the cleaned and sanitized carboy...all while fighting with the tubing.  I would have put the bucket on the table to let gravity help me, but it was just too heavy.  Plus I needed to save my strength to lift the carboy!  

Once I got all the wine back into the carboy, I was left with quite a large space at the top, and a lot of gas.  I attached my degasser to my power drill and went to degassing and, again, not making a mess or a wine volcano!

I was able to get a lot of the gas out (I hope enough!), then I added the potassium metabisulfite, mixed it up, then added the liquigel and siligel, in their proper order, and mixed a little more.  After adding everything needed, I needed to top off the wine to within 2" of the top of the carboy, which took two bottles of finished white wine, as recommended by the instructions.  

Thanks to these bottles for contributing to the effort!

I mixed a little more just to make sure everything was combined.  

Before I put in the extra wines, I did manage to get a little taste just to see how everything is coming along.  My assessment is that it is still very green, but it absolutely has potential!  

So now there's more waiting, at least 7-10 days to allow the wine to clarify enough to start putting it into bottles, which I still need more of!  I only have about 10, so it sounds like I'll need to start either start drinking or asking for donations!  Or maybe both! :)

Happy wine-making! 🍷

Day 14!

Well, I totally figured that my wine would be done with its primary fermentation by today, but it's not quite ready.  

I cleaned and sanitized everything I could, then went to check on my wine.  

Against the side of my wine thief, it looks like it's ready, but the specific gravity is right at 0.998, which is 0.002 too high.  I'm hoping it just needs one more day to get to 0.996 or lower.  If not, I may have to consult my wine experts and see what I can do!  

Come on, wine!  Hurry up and be ready! :)

Favorite Wineries

One of my favorite places in the world (or at least the parts of the world that I've seen so far), is wine country in California--Napa and Sonoma.  I love the culture, the people, but I dislike how much it costs to visit (BOO).  If I'm ever rich and famous, I will absolutely have a house and a vineyard up in the area somewhere.

Mayo Family Winery - One of my absolute favorites.  They have a tasting room like no other--the Reserve Room.  They employ a chef (Hi, Clayton!), who makes food that compliments wines of the Mayo Family Winery.  It is such a great idea, I'm not sure why more wineries don't take this approach.  Every time I go to Sonoma/Glen Ellen, this is on my list of stops, and I usually like to try new wineries when I go there.  Totally unique and totally worth every penny.

Ferrari-Carano - I love this winery, too.  The tasting room is really nice and I don't think I've ever had a bad wine from this place.  It's also very affordable and the wines compliment all types of food.  You've probably seen their Siena, which is exceptional for such an inexpensive wine.

Benziger Family Winery - I've actually got a vine at this winery!  I probably will never reap the benefits of that vine, but that's ok.  This is one of the first wineries I ever visited when I first started enjoying wine.  I learned about their biodynamic methods when I was in college (and yes, I took a wine-tasting class in college and actually got credit for it!), and it was so interesting that I had to come visit.  I encourage you to go to their site and learn about biodynamic wines, it's a pretty cool idea.

Cakebread Cellars - I think lots of people enjoy this wine.  Each of the wines that I've tasted has such depth and character, they're truly an experience in each bottle.  I tend to hoard these wines because they're just that good and I always want to have some on hand, just in case!  If you ever go to this one, pay the extra money for the reserve tasting.  Absolutely worth it.

I hope you get to visit these wineries and love them as much as I do!  They're very special to me and are part of the reason I was inspired to make my own wine.  I can't wait to go back for a visit.

Some Pinterest Interests!

Recently, Chimney Rock Winery started a contest on Pinterest encouraging participants to creatively post pins on a Holiday in Napa Valley board with a chance to win a trip to Napa.

Yes, please.

I'm already addicted to Pinterest, so this is a fun project...even though I probably won't have much of a chance to win.  That's ok!

Here's my Pinterest board if you want to take a gander: Amy's Napa Valley Holiday 

The status of the wine-making process:  same as yesterday, just waiting on the primary fermentation to complete its process--get to 0.996 Specific Gravity or less.  The CO2 has really died down a lot, which is a good thing, because it was rather pungent!

For my next batch, hopefully it will be a little warmer and I'll be able to put the carboy outside in my garage to avoid the smell in my apartment!

Some Useful Information During Fermentation

So I don't have much of an update on my wine during this part of the fermentation process (it's just bubbling away, exuding CO2 throughout my apartment...), but I do want to share some wine-making information that I've researched.  I've found it useful and maybe you will too!

How To Make Wine - This is a pretty helpful blog that has a basic approach to making wine.  It goes into making different fruit wines, not just grapes.  It's also a way to make wine in a little cheaper way if you don't have access to getting a starter kit put together or if you don't have access to the actual wine kit.

GrapeStompers - This site is neat because it has a recipe for jalapeño wine!  How cool is that?  Lots of other things, too, like dandelion wine and elderberry wine.

How Wine Is Made - This has a nice illustration of how wine is made in a commercial winery.  Maybe I'll get there someday!

Wine-Making Real Estate in the Caribbean - Yes, please.  :)

How Wine-Making Processes Affect Wine's Flavor - This article could come in handy later on once I'm on my own and playing with different things that can affect how my wine will taste.

Hope you enjoy this information!

Day 5!

Today was the day there was a bit more excitement in the wine-making world.  Or at least in my wine-making world!  I completed my first racking today!  It was a little messy and a lot of work, but it's done and well on its way to making some high-class wine (haha).

I started, as usual, by cleaning and sanitizing all my equipment.  There was quite a bit more today than the last few days, though.  In addition to the hydrometer, thermometer, and stirring spoon, I needed to clean the measuring cup, a spoon, an airlock and bung, my auto-siphon, tubing, and of course, the carboy.

It was a little cumbersome and I spilled some of the water, but I didn't make as much of a mess as I thought I would!  That came later... :)

After all the cleaning and sanitizing, I took everything I needed downstairs.  I took my readings and I'm not sure if I waited too long, but the Specific Gravity was lower than the instructions range (1.040-1.050).

Temperature: 75 degrees Fahrenheit
Specific Gravity: 1.030

I'll have to see how this plays out, but I think as long as the SG is going down, it should be ok (I hope!).  Maybe on future kits I'll know what is the better course of action, but I'm just learning now.

I got my packet of yeast nutrient and some cold water, mixed them together until the nutrient dissolved, then poured it into the wine.  I stirred everything up to get everything re-suspended, and it was time to get that wine into the carboy.

I'm really digging the auto-siphon deal.  It made life way simpler, even though it did take a good 10 minutes to get all of the wine from the bucket into the carboy.

The whole time I was thinking it looked like pineapple juice...

The last little bit was a surprise...I wasn't paying attention and then all of a sudden the carboy was overflowing!  Hello, mess!  It wasn't much, thank goodness, but it was enough that I had to use about 30 select-a-size paper towels.  Oopsie!

I then filled up my airlock, put it in the bung, and put it in the carboy.  It's really fizzy right now, so it's quite fragrant in my apartment.  I'm hoping that doesn't last too long, lol.  I don't need to be smelling like wine fumes any more than I already do. ;)

So now we wait.  The blog will be on a bit of a hiatus until there's more to do, which should be between days 9-14.  At that point, if the SG is 0.996 or less, I will do a second racking from the carboy, to the bucket, back to the carboy, and dissolve the clarifying chemicals to start clearing up this pineapple juice! :)

Day 4!

Just a quick update today!  Nothing too big to report, but I think it might be time for my wine's first racking tomorrow!

Temperature: 74 degrees Fahrenheit
Specific Gravity: it bobbed between 1.050 and 1.054

Since the hydrometer was bobbing around a little above 1.050, I decided that I should leave the wine to ferment another day, just to be sure it'll be down in the right range for racking.

Tomorrow should be exciting! :)

Day 3!

I love how this part of my day has become the bright spot.  It gives me something to look forward to, which is something I haven't had in a while!  I actually look forward to cleaning and sanitizing my equipment and going down to see how my wine is doing.

And what a lovely aroma I came downstairs to.  The yeast scent has mostly subsided, now it just smells like a wine cave (if you've ever been in one, you'll know that scent I'm talking about).

My wine greeted me today with some nice bubbles:

Bubblebubblebubblebubblebubblebubblebubble...

I give the wine a quick stir and took the stats again today.  It seems everything is coming along nicely!

Temperature:  74 degrees Fahrenheit
Specific Gravity: 1.076

Hopefully it will reach the right specific gravity soon (between 1.040 and 1.050), then I will be able to rack the wine into my carboy!  Can't wait!

See you tomorrow! :)

Day 2!

After work today, my alarm went off to let me know it was time to stir my must and get my daily specific gravity reading (haha, as if I'd forget!).

I cleaned and sanitized the equipment again and went downstairs to get my readings:

Temperature: 74 degrees F
Specific Gravity: 1.100
Notes: The specific gravity actually went up in the first 24 hours, which means my yeast is alive and thriving (I think!).  It was also talking to me when I opened the lid! (hah)  It was foamy and slightly bubbly (tiny bubbles), and some of the yeast was grouped up on the side of the bucket.  From what I've read, this is normal behavior (yay!), so I stirred it up to re-suspend the yeast.  It also smelled slightly yeasty, but not much.  It actually reminded me of the smell in wine caves with a touch of yeast.

I found the link below for any issues that may arise or if anything starts to look or smell funny.  Could come in handy, but I hope I don't have to use it too much.

Wine Kit First Aid

Until tomorrow! :)

Day 1!

Ok ok, so it took me a little while to get started.  My weekends have just been too crazy busy...or at least that's my story and I'm sticking to it! :)

Back in early October, my parents bought my birthday presents for me: a starter kit of wine-making equipment as well as a wine kit to make a French-style Chardonnay by Mosti Mondiale in their Vinifera Noble line.  The varietal is the Bourg Royal Blanc.

I carefully re-watched the DVD that covers the process from FineVineWines.com so I could make sure to get all the details down pat, and I re-read the instructions from the kit to see if there were any nuances that shouldn't be overlooked (there were a few contradictions, but I think I figured them out).  I finally got my confidence up and decided it was time to clean and sanitize my equipment.

I decided to use the tub since I figured I'd surely be making a mess (and I definitely know I would've been discouraged from continuing if something as silly as spilling 6 gallons of water happened--that would've been a big oopty-oop).  Before I cleaned or sanitized anything, I started by figuring out if my bucket and spigot were leak-resistant (thanks to Carl for the advice, as always), loaded the 6 gallons of water into the bucket, and voila!  No leaks (yes, I know you can see water under the spigot in the picture, but trust me, it wasn't leaking...anymore...)!  I was ready to clean.

I used the B-Brite Cleanser that came in my starter kit, and it absolutely made everything very slippery, just as the guy in the video said it would.  It seems to be a pretty mild cleanser though, no chlorine or anything, and it didn't dry out my hands at all like I was expecting it to.

A delicate balancing act after cleansing...very surprised my clumsy self didn't break the thermometer or hydrometer.  Yay me!  

I used the metabisulphite powder to sanitize my equipment, but I did not use the full 2 oz to 1 gallon like it says.  Since it's actually the fumes from the solution that sanitize the equipment (and the guy in the video only used about 1/3 of his solution), I used 1/2 oz in 32 oz of warm water, dumped it into the bucket, and set all my equipment I was going to use inside.  I covered the bucket with its lid and waited about 15 minutes for everything to get good and sanitized...and oh boy what a lovely aroma was waiting for me under that lid after said 15 minutes.  Enchanting sulfur bouquet.  It brought back some olfactory memories from an old apartment with bad plumbing, but luckily I could just pour it right down the drain.

To be honest, with so much concern about cleansing and sanitizing, I was a little surprised that the instructions didn't say to use gloves or anything.  With the nastiness that some people have on their hands these days, touching any part of what was cleansed and then sanitized would be shot to hell with one bump of a finger or hand.  But who am I to question...  It did clean the bucket pretty well though, just look at the yucky leftover cleaner water (I saved it just in case I forgot to clean something..it's still good!  It's still good!).  Definitely don't want any of that in my wine!

I was almost ready for start dumping everything in the bucket.  I read over my instructions again and saw that I needed to rehydrate my yeast and put my bentonite into warm water while I put everything together.  I heated up some water in my electronic water boiler (thanks, Mom!), tested the temperature with my thermometer and waited for it to cool down to 109 degrees Fahrenheit, then I put the yeast in and set my timer for 15 minutes.

Then it was time for the must!  Technically speaking, the grape juice is called 'must' until the yeast is added, then it is legally called 'wine.'  I gathered up all my cleansed and sanitized equipment I moved everything else downstairs where I planned on keeping the wine while it fermented in its bucket (it's too cold outside right not to keep in my garage).  I then pulled out the juice bag from the box.  A very unappetizing bag to say the least, lol.  And don't worry, that dark stuff at the bottom of the bag is just sediment.  Also unappetizing, but necessary. :)

It opened up with ease using my handy dandy church key and I poured it into the bucket (while also checking for leaks...whew...none to be seen!).  It smelled absolutely wonderful while I was pouring it out of the bag--so fruity and concentrated..grapy goodness.  I poured in additional water to the 23 L line, then added the bentonite and rehydrated yeast.

I meant to take some pictures of the yeast and bentonite before I poured them into the bucket...buuutttt...yeah, I got too excited and forgot, so here's the aftermath!

After a quick stir, I took a hydrometer reading and its specific gravity was 1.090, which means it'll end up around the 12% alcohol mark.

And behold, the finished product thus far!  Yes, it's cloudy...no, it probably doesn't taste very good right now...but it's a work in progress.  Give me about 3 months and it'll be my super awesome first attempt at making my own wine. :)  A first step in much greater things to come! (Maybe!)

On a side note...a little hard to see, but someone decided to snoop in the box, as is her way.  Don't worry, though, I had already taken the must out, so no kitty-contamination. :)