My first batch of homemade wine. Help.? - Wine & Drinks Forums

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Author	Message
LadyWoman Members 770 posts Location: Virgin Islands (u.s.) Occupation: Usher Age:	#379155 2008-05-20 13:57 GMT
	I did everything according to the recipe. Used the right ingredients. My problem is that this is day 8 and at day 5 I was supposed to transfer the wine into the secondary fermenter according to a specific S.G. It was right on target but it did have kind of a sour smell. It wasn't really strong but noticeable. The part of the instructions I was worried about was that everyday you had to stir and check the S.G. and that exposes it to air. I've heard of wine being oxidized but if the directions say for me to do that then I didn't think there'd be a problem. Anyways, it's a strawberry wine recipe but was told to use a specific amount of 100% strawberry juice. I've left it alone for a couple of days now and haven't checked. It is kind of a murky color but from what I've read, it seams that it's supposed to be that way. But the smell was my worry. Thanks in advance!


TotallyChilled Members 750 posts Location: Saint Lucia Occupation: Electrical engineer Age:	#379156 2008-05-20 14:02 GMT
	never made strawberry, have to let me know, the sour smell does give it away for turning to vinegar.

DownUnder Members 789 posts Location: Cook Islands Occupation: Flautist Age:	#379157 2008-05-20 14:08 GMT
	Sounds like you have a crummy recipe. I've made cranberry wine from store-bought cranberry juice and corn sugar. I mixed everything up, put in 1/2 envelope of champagne yeast, capped it with a fermentation lock, and it took 30 days to finish the fermentation process. Stirring your strawberry wine daily just doesn't sound right.

Nicki Members 872 posts Location: Dominica Occupation: Janitor Age:	#379158 2008-05-20 14:19 GMT
	when brewing anything - it doesn't have a right on smell during the processs. A little sour could be just the strawberries. Your kind of committed to it. Keep the agitation to a minimal though. to keep the air out. Oxidizing just ruins the clarity. But the microbes in the air(some of them will be wild yeast spores) will infect the wine and give you the vinegar. That is why you keep the stirring to a minimum and the CO2 given off by the fermentation will drive off the microbes moreso than "let them land"on the juice. I would be apt to push it over to the secondary now regardless of what the SG says just so it doesn't sit out in the open anymore and add a bit more sugar to get the process going again abit, get a (water trap breather on it) forgot the name of it, so it can drive out that excess air space so it will be sterile within. Then I would feel much better for awhile.

LighteningBolt Members 831 posts Location: Uganda Occupation: Medic Age:	#379159 2008-05-20 14:57 GMT
	Hey! I'm also making wine for the first time.. and it's strawberry wine! what a coincidence! It's been about 2 months since I started making it, I have racked it twice and noticed that there was a bit of a rancid taste to it. I did not have a fermentation lock secured onto my carboys, this would have prevented oxidation (it allows the carbon dioxide produced during fermentation to escape while preventing oxygen from entering your container). Well, from what I figure, it doesn't have to do with your stirring but rather whether or not you covered your container during the fermentation process. Taste it, see how it is.

SomeOne Members 854 posts Location: Guyana Occupation: Servant Age:	#379160 2008-05-20 15:04 GMT
	HELLO MADE STRAWBERRY WINE FROM FRESH DID YOU ADD 2 X TEA SPOON POTASSIUM SORBET WHEN YOU GOT TO SG THIS KILLS THE YEAST SO STOPS THE FERMENTATION (IF KILLED AT SAME SG EACH TIME THE SWEETNESS REMAINS THE SAME THIS WILL BE CONSTANT WHAT EVER WINE YOU MAKE) (TO MAKE STRONGER ADD MORE SUGAR AT THE SECOND FERMENT STAGE BY DILUTING SUGAR IN HOT WATER AND LET IT COOL AND ADD TO TOP UP AND BREW TO SAME SG) LEAVE FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS AND WINE WILL CLEAR SYPHON INTO ANOTHER DEMIJOHN TOP UP AND AIRLOCK LEAVE FOR 2 DAYS SYPHON AND FILTER INTO ANOTHER DEMI JOHN TOP UP POUR INTO BOTTLES AND CORK 1 DEMI JOHN SHOULD MAKE 6 BOTTLES IF SG HAS GONE BELOW BEFORE YOU KILL THIS MEANS THAT MORE OF THE SUGAR HAS TURNED TO ALCOHOL IF REQUIRED YOU CAN ADD A TEASPOON OF SUGAR TO A GLASS OF WINE IF NOT TREAT AS WINE VINEGAR AND USE IT TO COOK THAT WAS WHAT I DID

Species Members 854 posts Location: Micronesia Occupation: Researcher Age:	#379161 2008-05-20 22:40 GMT
	When you stirred, did you just shift the liquid around or did you splash air into the wine? If you got oxygen in there, you might have screwed up the batch. Another possibility is that your procedures for sanitation left something to be desired. Either way, there is nothing you can do now. When the wine is finished, taste it. If it's good, either rack it to another container to settle and clear, save it for use as vinegar, or pour it out and chalk it up to experience.