wine query

[Big Al]

I am doing a California Connoiser wine and I feel the instructions could be better.
It does not mention at what point to get the OG reading. Now when there is about 2 litres in the Demi John it states to add the Oak to the wine then
top upto the 4/5 liters mark. It is at this point I take the reading but I feel that the oak floating on top of the wine would interfere with the OG reading.

Is this the case or am I just being paranoid?

[mctoon]

IMO i dont think it will effect it that much so not to worry,, Hope im not breaking any rules here but for any wine querys i google "wines at home", a very helpful forum, not as helpful as this forum though

[KevP]

IMO i dont think it will effect it that much so not to worry,, Hope im not breaking any rules here but for any wine querys i google "wines at home", a very helpful forum, not as helpful as this forum though

I dont think Jim would mind the plug, and he'd no doubt agree the other forum was better for wine making.

[Big Al]

Another query I have when it comes to doing wine is the amount of sediment on the bottom.
When I am syphoning the wine out into another Demi John, does it matter if I end up suctioning up some of the sediment?
As the last time I made a batch I lost close to half a litre of wine as I was trying desperately not to suction up the sediment.

Any help would be appreciated on this other wine related query I have

[mrbenbod]

The amount of sediment varies.
The main reason for racking the wine is to remove it from the sediment so ideally you don't want to syphon any.
It's frustrating when there is a large amount of sediment.

[moobli]

what wine and how are you making it to produce that amount of sediment
a way round this is to over make a batch of wine and any that dont go into the dj save in a capped bottle then after racking and re racking you have some must/juice to make up the loss
i get 6 wine bottles clear out of a gallon dj

[grumpysod]

IMO i dont think it will effect it that much so not to worry,, Hope im not breaking any rules here but for any wine querys i google "wines at home", a very helpful forum, not as helpful as this forum though

I think the 2 forums complement each other quite nicely, Lockwood1956 who runs winesathome is also a member of jbk and has been known to refer people from there to here for advice on beer

[Big Al]

The wine I am making is a California Connoisseur, and it is a chardonnay Semillon.
I make it up in a demi john and the kit makes upto 4.5l.

think I got 5 1/2 bottles last time. Going to try and see if I can figure out a way of getting as much wine out as I can with minimal sediment.

[sparky Paul]

Another query I have when it comes to doing wine is the amount of sediment on the bottom.
When I am syphoning the wine out into another Demi John, does it matter if I end up suctioning up some of the sediment?

Make sure you are using a syphon with some sort of cup or upturn on the bottom, to prevent sediment being drawn in. I never have a problem with the sediment using an auto-syphon, and leave very little of the liquor after tilting the bucket towards the end of syphoning. Then again, I always make the 5 gallon kits... the one gallon kits are always going to be prone to losses.

Filtering the wine before bottling gives it a very nice professional appearance - I use a cheap Harris filter which works well for me, with a little patience.

You can take the OG anytime after the kit is made up to the full volume - before adding any floaty bits obviously makes the reading easier.

[Big Al]

I do have an up turn on the end of my syphon but have managed to only loose about 200ml of wine this time so getting better at it.
Plus I only really do the small kits, so the wife can get a taste for what she likes you see. Once she decides on 1, I might just bight the bullet and make a large batch up and store in the garage.

Also Am i right in thinking, if I was to make a batch of red up, would this improve with age the longer I left it in the garage?