Hi again folks:

Well, my first batch of wine seems to be coming along nicely. For the
record, it's a Vinters Reserve Savignon Blanc, bought all the tools and such
along with the wine kit from a local brewing centre.

At first I thought it might be too cold for the yeast to get going, but go
it did. The carboy is currently cooling off in the basement after I mixed in
the sulphite and sorbate.

I've read in a few places that stirring/shaking it around daily will help it
clear better. True or false? My instructions that came with the kit said
just let it sit around for eight days. Also, is longer than eight days
better? Make the wine clear better?

Last question regards extra tools. Dear Husband is making something up to
me, and I'm thinking I want a bottle tree and a sulphiting dish that
squirts the sanitizing solution up into my bottles. Worthwhile investments?
They're about $20 each here.

I've been looking in the classifieds for folks who could be wanting to get
rid of their stuff, but haven't found much, with the exception of a corker
at a yard sale for $1.

Thanks!

KD

"KD" > wrote in message >...
> Hi again folks:
>
> Well, my first batch of wine seems to be coming along nicely. For the
> record, it's a Vinters Reserve Savignon Blanc, bought all the tools and such
> along with the wine kit from a local brewing centre.
>
> At first I thought it might be too cold for the yeast to get going, but go
> it did. The carboy is currently cooling off in the basement after I mixed in
> the sulphite and sorbate.
>
> I've read in a few places that stirring/shaking it around daily will help it
> clear better. True or false? My instructions that came with the kit said
> just let it sit around for eight days. Also, is longer than eight days
> better? Make the wine clear better?
>
> Last question regards extra tools. Dear Husband is making something up to
> me, and I'm thinking I want a bottle tree and a sulphiting dish that
> squirts the sanitizing solution up into my bottles. Worthwhile investments?
> They're about $20 each here.
>
> I've been looking in the classifieds for folks who could be wanting to get
> rid of their stuff, but haven't found much, with the exception of a corker
> at a yard sale for $1.
>
> Thanks!
>
> KD

KD -
I wouldn't try shaking a full carboy, and I doubt that stirring would
hasten the clearing process. If you're following the kit
instructions, you should have stirred it up plenty when adding the
sorbate and fining agent (isinglass or chitosan, in the kits I've
done). Just have some patience - it'll clear in a couple of weeks.

A bottle tree is nice, if you do enough bottles to warrant one. I
have one that holds 80 bottles, which is nice when I get a big bunch
of empty bottles to clean (2-3 times/yr).

If that corker is a floor corker (usually Portuguese (red) or Italian
(green)), grab it fast! They are definitely worth having, since cork
experts seem to recommend putting the corks in dry, and using a hand
corker is pretty tough that way. I've had a Portuguese floor corker
for two years now, and would rather part with one of my kids than that
beauty :-). If you're going to keep making wine, you'll definitely
want one (even if it costs money!).

I don't usually do anything to sanitize my bottles (just clean them).
Sometimes if I'm feeling extra fussy, I rinse them with sulphite
solution, just before bottling. But even that goes pretty fast,
unless you're bottling a heck of a lot.

Mostly what I spend money on now is more carboys - I never seem to
have enough, somehow . . .

Happy fermenting --

Doug

> "KD" > wrote in message
>...
> > The carboy is currently cooling off in the basement after I mixed in
> > the sulphite and sorbate.

If the wine is dry there was no need to add the sorbate, which IMO alters
the taste in a way I don't like.

Next time you'll know.

Tom S

me, and I'm thinking I want a bottle tree and a sulphiting dish that
> squirts the sanitizing solution up into my bottles. Worthwhile investments?
> They're about $20 each here.
>

I found both pretty good and use them regularly. If I had to pick one of the 2
only, I would pick the dish that squirts the sanitizing solution, but the tree
is nice to have at bottling time as well.