What caused my muscadine wine to turn to vinegar? i only had two & a
half quarts & when i went to check on it a few days ago it had this
thick,slimey grease like film over it.I removed it & it smelt like it
did when i bottled it, today for some reason i checked it again & tasted
it,,it smelled & tasted like vinegar.Why?

Thanks
Willie

ps. I also have five gallons of pear wine fermenting,when i bottle
it,how do i keep it from turning to vinegar?

What did you use for yeast..?

"Willie S" > wrote in message
...
>
> What caused my muscadine wine to turn to vinegar? i only had two & a
> half quarts & when i went to check on it a few days ago it had this
> thick,slimey grease like film over it.I removed it & it smelt like it
> did when i bottled it, today for some reason i checked it again & tasted
> it,,it smelled & tasted like vinegar.Why?
>
> Thanks
> Willie
>
> ps. I also have five gallons of pear wine fermenting,when i bottle
> it,how do i keep it from turning to vinegar?
>

jim,

i used the muscadine's own yeast.
i tried my granddad's recipe, nothing but fruit,water & sugar.

this was my first time makeing wine, hopeing my second batch does
better.


willie

believe me,

Your wine turn into vinegar because you have bacteria there. When you
work without sulphites your fermentation must be fast and effective as
well as, the recipients must be filled as ealry as the fermentation
ends.
Sorry for my english

Willie S ha escrito:

> jim,
>
> i used the muscadine's own yeast.
> i tried my granddad's recipe, nothing but fruit,water & sugar.
>
> this was my first time makeing wine, hopeing my second batch does
> better.
>
>
> willie

Using the natural yeast that grows on the grapes' skin has worked
wonderfully for thousands of years. But it also fails miserably from
time to time.

Commercial wine yeast, which can be less than $1 per package, is
cultivated to start quickly and many are bred as "killers" that
destroy wild yeasts and bacteria. Given the costs (of the yeast AND
the loss of the wine) it's worth buying.

The addition of sulfites helps destroy wild yeasts and bacteria and
also helps preserve the wine. Sulfer has been used for centuries in
winemaking. Sulfite is used sparingly! The general rule is 1/4
TEASPOON at racking time -- I knew a guy who dumped an entire 4 oz
package into 5 gallons of wine, so I caution people on this!

Another thing to consider is sanitation. Everything must be VERY
clean. While commerical cleaners are available, household bleach
works fine. Rinse everything well afterward -- if you can smell
bleach it needs another rinse.

Barrels are an entirely different issue -- I'm not going into that
now.

After that I rinse everything with a mixture of 2oz sodium
metabisulfite mixed in 1 gallon water. No need to rinse with water
afterwards, just shake off whatever will shake off. This solution is
reusable, as long as it's clear and the smell burns your nose hairs
out, it's good. :-)

Bryan


On Thu, 19 Oct 2006 23:39:59 -0500, (Willie S)
wrote:

>
>jim,
>
>i used the muscadine's own yeast.
>i tried my granddad's recipe, nothing but fruit,water & sugar.
>
>this was my first time makeing wine, hopeing my second batch does
>better.
>
>
>willie

Enologico is right, Willie. I think its called Acetobacter bacteria. It
can come from a lot of different places. Fruit flies which carry it on
their feet, dirty or contaminated containers, dirty fruit, so on. Good
luck with your second batch..

"enologico" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> believe me,
>
> Your wine turn into vinegar because you have bacteria there. When you
> work without sulphites your fermentation must be fast and effective as
> well as, the recipients must be filled as ealry as the fermentation
> ends.
> Sorry for my english
>
> Willie S ha escrito:
>
> > jim,
> >
> > i used the muscadine's own yeast.
> > i tried my granddad's recipe, nothing but fruit,water & sugar.
> >
> > this was my first time makeing wine, hopeing my second batch does
> > better.
> >
> >
> > willie
>

Hi Willie,
For wine to turn to vinegar you need exposure to both air and vinegar
bacteria. Both are easy to prevent.

The 5 gallons of pear wine you have now should be in sealed containers
that are full to within ~ 1/2 inch of the top. Most people use
airlocks to seal the containers. The same rule goes at bottling. I
can post generic winemaking instructions but there are lots of sites
that have good instructions for the beginner; try EC Kraus for fruit
wine instructions.

http://www.eckraus.com/

I would recommend use of sulfites as others have posted also, vinegar
cannot exist in even a mildly sulfited environment.


Joe


Willie S wrote:
> What caused my muscadine wine to turn to vinegar? i only had two & a
> half quarts & when i went to check on it a few days ago it had this
> thick,slimey grease like film over it.I removed it & it smelt like it
> did when i bottled it, today for some reason i checked it again & tasted
> it,,it smelled & tasted like vinegar.Why?
>
> Thanks
> Willie
>
> ps. I also have five gallons of pear wine fermenting,when i bottle
> it,how do i keep it from turning to vinegar?

Thanks everybody for the help so far.

The five gallons of pear wine that is fermenting now is in a five gallon
plastic water jug,filled to within 1inch of overflowing.every three days
i stir & taste it,then i add between half to a cup of sugar to taste.
I'm not wanting a sweet,sweet wine but i'm also not wanting a dry
wine,guess the best way to say it is,,i'll know the "taste" i'm looking
for when i get there lol

How do i know when the fermentation is done? so far its been working for
about three weeks now, it's still bubbling & fizzling when i stir it.

Thanks again for all y'alls help,i'm having fun so far :-)

Willie

ps. is there anyway to return the vinegar back to wine?

Willie,

Last question first -- wine into vinegar is a one way trip.

Now on to the first question: Fermentation continues until the yeast
runs out of sugar to eat, or until it produces enough alcohol to
poison itself. If you continue to feed it sugar it will continue to
ferment until the alcohol level reaches the max for your yeast.

For many commercial wine yeasts the alcohol level will be 14% to 18%
(regular table wine is typically 11% to 12%). If it's a wild yeast or
bread yeast the max alcohol level is probably less, but there's no way
to tell.

You can keep doing what you're until you max the alcohol content. Or
let it ferment dry, then add potassium metabisulfite and potassium
sorbate to prevent a renewed fermentation, and then sweeten to taste.

Bryan



On Fri, 20 Oct 2006 15:20:10 -0500, (Willie S)
wrote:

>
>Thanks everybody for the help so far.
>
>The five gallons of pear wine that is fermenting now is in a five gallon
>plastic water jug,filled to within 1inch of overflowing.every three days
>i stir & taste it,then i add between half to a cup of sugar to taste.
>I'm not wanting a sweet,sweet wine but i'm also not wanting a dry
>wine,guess the best way to say it is,,i'll know the "taste" i'm looking
>for when i get there lol
>
>How do i know when the fermentation is done? so far its been working for
>about three weeks now, it's still bubbling & fizzling when i stir it.
>
>Thanks again for all y'alls help,i'm having fun so far :-)
>
>Willie
>
>ps. is there anyway to return the vinegar back to wine?

Bryan,

Thanks for the info.

How much potassium metabisultite &
potassium sorbate would i need to add.
and how long should i wait to bottle it after i add P/m & p/s?

I'm guessing that out of a five gallon jug w/fruit i should get around
3-4 gallons of wine,,right?

Thanks again
Willie


ps. Sorry for all the Questions,i'm just a noobie. :-)

Willie,
If you rack it carefully you will get at least 4.5 gallons of wine; you
need to let it sit and settle once it's done fermenting. You don't
need to do all that stirring once you quit adding sugar.

You already got good answers from Bryan as to the other questions; as
to the potassium metabisulfite once it's done fermenting let it settle
for a few days and rack it. You will know it's time when the
appearance changes from cloudy to 'clearer'. Add 1/4 TEASPOON to 5
gallons. (That is the biggest mistake people usually make, they add
way too much sulfite because they remember 1/4 but use a tablespoon...)


You want to let it settle out and rack again once it's clear. Once it
looks clean enough for you, add two teaspoons of potassium sorbate
right before you bottle it. The sorbate allows you to sweeten to taste
before you bottle, you can add as much sugar as you want as long as
it's not fermenting at all; sorbate won't stop it from fermenting.

Always keep it topped up like you have it now and add the same amount
of sulfite each rack and you should be good. Don't rack unless you
have a good reason to either.

Joe

Willie S wrote:
> Bryan,
>
> Thanks for the info.
>
> How much potassium metabisultite &
> potassium sorbate would i need to add.
> and how long should i wait to bottle it after i add P/m & p/s?
>
> I'm guessing that out of a five gallon jug w/fruit i should get around
> 3-4 gallons of wine,,right?
>
> Thanks again
> Willie
>
>
> ps. Sorry for all the Questions,i'm just a noobie. :-)

Joe,

Thanks & Thanks to everybody.