I made a few gallons apple wines. One from juice and one from cider -
both were good, but here is what I learned. Don't let it go too dry.
When you test it, taste it. Don't let it go down to .998 or less. Try
1.010-1.020 - then stablize and go into bottling. I let mine go all the
way to .998 or less, and now it had to be sweetened before drinking.
As far as loss of wine and topping up, if you want 3 gallons, then I
make 3 gallons and a 750 ML bottle and a 375 ML bottle (using clear
bottles for the last two) and then as I reduce from racking, I use up
the extra wine until I have 3 gallons left. Sometimes if I think it's
going to be a lot of rackings to clear it up, I make 3 gallons and 2-3
750ml bottles. I adjust the recipes for the additional juice. Everything
is proportional in most recipes I've found.

that's my 2 cents,
DAve

J Scott wrote:
> I'm a newbie and about to start my first batch of wine. I would greatly
> appreciate some advice from you guys who have some experience. I'm starting
> out with a 3 gallon batch. I have a pretty good understanding of the
> primary fermentation. Once I finish my primary and move on to subsequent
> rackings, I know I have to monitor specific gravity and etc. using a test
> jar and my hydrometer. My first question is this. If my test jar and
> hydrometer are cleaned with sulfite solution, is there any reason why I
> can't return the wine sample to the carboy provided I keep aeration to a
> minimum? If I shouldn't do this then my next question is about topping up
> to compensate for the loss of wine. After several checks I'm going to have
> less volume over a period of time. If I add water to top up then I'm going
> to be changing my acidity, specific gravity and etc. What would you suggest
> in regards to topping up to eliminate the air space? Thanks so much for the
> suggestions!
>
> By the way... my first wine is going to be apple made with pure juice from
> the store. No additives or preservatives. Any veterans of this method have
> any tips or advice? Thanks!
>
> Jeff
>
>