I have just started my first batch of wine. I am using the Island Mist
White Zinfandel kit. I am using the standard plastic 6 gallon pail with a
standard airlock as my primary fermenter. Anyway, it has been about 24
hours and the wine is starting to ferment based on my observation of the
airlock. The directions tell me to check the specific gravity and
temperature on a daily basis until the gravity decreases to 1.010. In order
to do that I need to take the cover off the pail. Is there any special
precautions I should take in doing this and is it a necessity to do it on a
daily basis? Any help getting me through my first batch would be
appreciated.

Two special precautions I can think of.

1. Stir it good each time. This is very beneficial during early stages.

2. Keep fly's away while you are doing this. If you notice any in the area
(they are drawn to the smell of winemaking) use a strong fan which will help
keep them away.

Other than the above the process is easy. I have made the Island Mist
Peach/Apricot Chardonnay a couple of times and it comes out great - very
refreshing. A friend of mine calls it Phoo-Phoo wine but he still drinks
it. Good luck with your batch.

Ray

"Douglas Gaulin" > wrote in message
et...
> I have just started my first batch of wine. I am using the Island Mist
> White Zinfandel kit. I am using the standard plastic 6 gallon pail with a
> standard airlock as my primary fermenter. Anyway, it has been about 24
> hours and the wine is starting to ferment based on my observation of the
> airlock. The directions tell me to check the specific gravity and
> temperature on a daily basis until the gravity decreases to 1.010. In
order
> to do that I need to take the cover off the pail. Is there any special
> precautions I should take in doing this and is it a necessity to do it on
a
> daily basis? Any help getting me through my first batch would be
> appreciated.
>
>

> The directions tell me to check the specific gravity and
> temperature on a daily basis until the gravity decreases to 1.010

Are you transfering over to a secondary fermenter/glass carboy
when you hit 1.010? You can transfer over whenever the more
active part of the fermentation is done and don't necessarily
have to wait for 1.010. I've done more than a few kits in a
carboy from beginning to end with load foaming and slower
yeasts.

Until you hit 1.010 the fermenting must is probably producing
enough CO2 to overcome the opening of the fermenter for
measurements but you probably don't want to go beyond that.
So, it's really a case of not opening the fermenter more than
you have to do and being ready to transfer the must to a carboy
when it hits 1.010 but you don't have to wait until that
measurement. If there's not much foam you can do your SG
readings right in the must with a sanitized hydrometer.

Don

I have always just stuck the hydrometer in the must right at the start--and I
leave it floating in there during the primary fermentation. You can see it
starting to drop once fermentation starts and by the end of the week you are
usually down to where you want to be. I figure why take it out and santize it
each time...it is in the must all the time so what harm can it do?

Works for me anyway.....



>Until you hit 1.010 the fermenting must is probably producing
>enough CO2 to overcome the opening of the fermenter for
>measurements but you probably don't want to go beyond that.
>So, it's really a case of not opening the fermenter more than
>you have to do and being ready to transfer the must to a carboy
>when it hits 1.010 but you don't have to wait until that
>measurement. If there's not much foam you can do your SG
>readings right in the must with a sanitized hydrometer.
>
>Don

I'm about to get going on an Island Mist again, tried the black rasberry
and loved it, now am going to start a strawberry wine. With the first
batch that was made the SG dropped below 1.100, down to somewhere like
..990 in just one day. This didn't seem to affect the wine at all. The
finished product has been well recived by everyone that has tried it.
With the strawberry wine, i have had the thought of increasing the
alcohol, so i'm going to buy some more sugar with my water tonight.

The only thing that i think would hold me back from leaving the
hydrometer in the primary is the fact that it is much harder to read.
At least this is what i think. Please tell me if you have any problems
reading that way, reading in the contaner drives me nuts because the
hydrometer is almost always leaning against the walls.


4nospam (Insprucegrove) wrote in
:

> I have always just stuck the hydrometer in the must right at the
> start--and I leave it floating in there during the primary
> fermentation. You can see it starting to drop once fermentation
> starts and by the end of the week you are usually down to where you
> want to be. I figure why take it out and santize it each time...it is
> in the must all the time so what harm can it do?
>
> Works for me anyway.....

I never leave the hydrometer in the must. For one thing I have too many
wines going or that need testing to use one on each batch. For another, I
rarely test a wine while it is fermenting unless I am racking it. If it is
fermenting, it is doing fine. Leave it alone.

On adding sugar, remember that one of the nice things about a wine kit is
that everything is balanced. The Island Mist kits are very nice kits for a
balanced, low alcohol wine. If you boost the alcohol up much you are likely
to end with a hot tasting wine that is not as pleasant. But if you do it,
let us know how it comes out.

Ray

"quakeholio" > wrote in message
. 77.203...
> I'm about to get going on an Island Mist again, tried the black rasberry
> and loved it, now am going to start a strawberry wine. With the first
> batch that was made the SG dropped below 1.100, down to somewhere like
> .990 in just one day. This didn't seem to affect the wine at all. The
> finished product has been well recived by everyone that has tried it.
> With the strawberry wine, i have had the thought of increasing the
> alcohol, so i'm going to buy some more sugar with my water tonight.
>
> The only thing that i think would hold me back from leaving the
> hydrometer in the primary is the fact that it is much harder to read.
> At least this is what i think. Please tell me if you have any problems
> reading that way, reading in the contaner drives me nuts because the
> hydrometer is almost always leaning against the walls.
>
>
> 4nospam (Insprucegrove) wrote in
> :
>
> > I have always just stuck the hydrometer in the must right at the
> > start--and I leave it floating in there during the primary
> > fermentation. You can see it starting to drop once fermentation
> > starts and by the end of the week you are usually down to where you
> > want to be. I figure why take it out and santize it each time...it is
> > in the must all the time so what harm can it do?
> >
> > Works for me anyway.....

I went ahead and put the extra sugar in, and that took it from the range
of 1.048-1.052 upto 1.070. I'm looking forward to the final product.

"Ray" > wrote in
m:

> I never leave the hydrometer in the must. For one thing I have too
> many wines going or that need testing to use one on each batch. For
> another, I rarely test a wine while it is fermenting unless I am
> racking it. If it is fermenting, it is doing fine. Leave it alone.
>
> On adding sugar, remember that one of the nice things about a wine kit
> is that everything is balanced. The Island Mist kits are very nice
> kits for a balanced, low alcohol wine. If you boost the alcohol up
> much you are likely to end with a hot tasting wine that is not as
> pleasant. But if you do it, let us know how it comes out.
>
> Ray
>
> "quakeholio" > wrote in message
> . 77.203...
>> I'm about to get going on an Island Mist again, tried the black
>> rasberry and loved it, now am going to start a strawberry wine. With
>> the first batch that was made the SG dropped below 1.100, down to
>> somewhere like .990 in just one day. This didn't seem to affect the
>> wine at all. The finished product has been well recived by everyone
>> that has tried it. With the strawberry wine, i have had the thought
>> of increasing the alcohol, so i'm going to buy some more sugar with
>> my water tonight.
>>
>> The only thing that i think would hold me back from leaving the
>> hydrometer in the primary is the fact that it is much harder to read.
>> At least this is what i think. Please tell me if you have any
>> problems reading that way, reading in the contaner drives me nuts
>> because the hydrometer is almost always leaning against the walls.
>>
>>
>> 4nospam (Insprucegrove) wrote in
>> :
>>
>> > I have always just stuck the hydrometer in the must right at the
>> > start--and I leave it floating in there during the primary
>> > fermentation. You can see it starting to drop once fermentation
>> > starts and by the end of the week you are usually down to where you
>> > want to be. I figure why take it out and santize it each time...it
>> > is in the must all the time so what harm can it do?
>> >
>> > Works for me anyway.....
>
>
>