In article .com>, Doug
> writes
>Alan -
> Just about any general-purpose wine yeast should be fine. I'd wait
>with the sugar until you can measure the S.G., and adjust as necessary
>to the low end of the winemaking range (say, 1.080 or so) since beets
>tend be high in sugar, but it won't register initially as it is bound
>up in the beetroot flesh. Not sure whether pectic enzyme is necessary,
>but it doesn't hurt - I'd add some, just on principle. I wouldn't plan
>on adding much water later on - that just dilutes the wine. Add what
>you need up front, adjust the sugar and acid as needed. Wait until
>fermentation is nearly done (S.G. down to 1.010 or so), then rack into
>gallon jugs. At that point, fermentation should be slow enough that
>you can fill them pretty nearly to the top without much risk of
>overflow.
Thank you Doug. I will check the SG at the start of fermentation,
something I've not done before. Does that mean fermenting on the fruit
pulp from approx. 1.080 down to 1.010 before racking into demi-johns?
>
>There is really no very good way of stopping an active fermentation,
>and I don't think you need to. It will stop when the food source
>(sugar) runs out. Let it ferment dry, wait for it to clear, then add
>sorbate and sweeten as desired at the end of the process.
Thanks again. Could you detail 'sorbate' a little for me, and is there a
possibility of re-activation at the bottling stage by oxygenisation?
--
Alan Gould. North Lincolnshire, UK.