Please send help!!
We tried our apple champagne we made for new years but it was pretty flat.
We made it simply from pressed apple juice as per Mother Earth's article;
had lots of bubbles in the gallon jug, but when we transferred it to the 750
ml bottles, the tons of bubbles were in the syphon and we lost the syphon a
few times because of all the bubbly... is there a way to "fix" the
flatness? I read a couple of old articles (i.e. early 1900's) that spoke of
putting some sugar in the bottle then the apple "juice" after the first
fermentation and then wiring down the corks; would this work and how much
sugar should we use? It sure was a pain to try to get the juice into the
bottles!

We're new to all this and really don't understand all the ins and outs of
the different chemicals, etc. The Mother Earth article was nice and simple,
and I'm sure all our great grandparents/grandparents on the farm did stuff
like this!

On Jan 3, 11:28*am, "Cathy Boer" wrote:
Please send help!!
We tried our apple champagne we made for new years but it was pretty flat.
We made it simply from pressed apple juice as per Mother Earth's article;
had lots of bubbles in the gallon jug, but when we transferred it to the 750
ml bottles, the tons of bubbles were in the syphon and we lost the syphon a
few times because of all the bubbly... *is there a way to "fix" the
flatness? *I read a couple of old articles (i.e. early 1900's) that spoke of
putting some sugar in the bottle then the apple "juice" after the first
fermentation and then wiring down the corks; would this work and how much
sugar should we use? *It sure was a pain to try to get the juice into the
bottles!

We're new to all this and really don't understand all the ins and outs of
the different chemicals, etc. *The Mother Earth article was nice and simple,
and I'm sure all our great grandparents/grandparents on the farm did stuff
like this!

Cathy,
I don't know a thing about how you made this so really can't answer
the question other than to tell you sparkling wine is not something
you start out making, it's usually something you gravitate to after
making some wines.

If your cider was fermented (and it sounds like it was) the amount of
sugar left in it will determine how carbonated it gets. If you are
not absolutely sure how much sugar was left in it adding sugar could
become an issue, the cap could blow off if there is too much or the
bottle could blow up if it's not the right kind of bottle.

I'm not trying to blow you off or sound fatalistic, I'm just saying
this can get out of control pretty easily.

For the pressure to develop you need sugar and live yeast in the
bottle and you need temperatures between say 70F and 85F. If it's too
cold the yeasts rest, too hot they die. 4gm/l of sugar will develop 15
pounds of pressure.

Send a link to the article and maybe we can help a bit more.

Here is a link to making sparkling wine:

http://home-winemaker.com/chapter-20.htm


Joe

"Cathy Boer" wrote in message
news:I28fj.25646$wy2.11693@edtnps90...
Please send help!!
We tried our apple champagne we made for new years but it was pretty flat. We
made it simply from pressed apple juice as per Mother Earth's article; had
lots of bubbles in the gallon jug, but when we transferred it to the 750 ml
bottles, the tons of bubbles were in the syphon and we lost the syphon a few
times because of all the bubbly... is there a way to "fix" the flatness? I
read a couple of old articles (i.e. early 1900's) that spoke of putting some
sugar in the bottle then the apple "juice" after the first fermentation and
then wiring down the corks; would this work and how much sugar should we use?
It sure was a pain to try to get the juice into the bottles!

We're new to all this and really don't understand all the ins and outs of the
different chemicals, etc. The Mother Earth article was nice and simple, and
I'm sure all our great grandparents/grandparents on the farm did stuff like
this!


To get "sparkling" cider, you ferment the cider till it stops fermenting (the
gravity stops dropping - usually around S.G.=1.000. Then add sugar, bottle and
cap and wait. IIRC, I used 1/2 teaspoon per 12oz bottle, or maybe 2/3 cup for a
5 gallon batch.

Google "hard cider recipe" for a lot more info.

Bob

You're lucky. My still apple wine (which I added sorbate to) is
fizzy.

Now I have to drink it all young, before the corks start popping.

"Madalch" wrote in message
...
You're lucky. My still apple wine (which I added sorbate to) is
fizzy.

Now I have to drink it all young, before the corks start popping.

You could re-bottle it in beer or champaigne bottles. I don't think cider is as
sensitive to oxygen damage as other things like beer and wine.