Topping up demijohn

[GabrielKnight]

I'm doing 4 separate Belverdale 6 bottle kits, each in a separate demijohn.

I started them a week ago, following all the instructions but only topping up with water to the 3.5L mark so that the fermentation wouldn't rise up in to the airlock.

My 'cunning plan' was to top up to the 4.5L mark when the most fervent fermentation had subsided. However, I now realise my cunning plan didn't consider how I was going to stir the extra litre of water in.

Any suggestions? Swirling the water around now would disturb all the crap at the bottom of the demijohns. Would that affect the fermentation / leave undesirable flavours?

[dedken]

You could use a sanitised spoon. Or you could do as you just suggested. Or you could leave it, eventually any added liquid will disperse of it's own will.

It won't adversely affect fermentation and disturbed sediment will settle down again.

[Geezah]

when the wine is finished, you should decant it in to a fresh, sanitised demijohn, shake the hell out of it to de-gass it along with adding the stabilisers and finings.
This is the best point to add the extra liquid.