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FAQ-Vintner's Reserve

Question: What causes hydrogen sulfide (HS2) contamination (rotten egg smell)?
Answer:

There are many things that can cause hydrogen sulfide contamination, all are preventable: • Too much sulfites, usually the result of grapes being dusted with too much sulfur during the growing season. • Lack of proper nutrients (nitrogen, yeast hulls) during fermentation. • Yeast combining with various forms of sulfur. • Bacterial contamination due to poor sanitation techniques. That being said, here are the things you can do to prevent H2S contamination: • Add proper amounts of sulfites to wine. • If making wine from scratch (not from a kit), add a proper amount of yeast nutrient (#8334) prior to pitching yeast. • Use proper yeast for the wine you’re making, and make sure it has not passed the expiration date or gotten too hot in storage. • Maintain sanitary conditions for your equipment and must (especially prior to pitching yeast)....Click to Read full Answer

Question: How do I add berries to my wine?
Answer:

Freezing the berries first concentrates the sugar, breaks down the cell walls and aids the pectic enzyme considerably. Thaw completely, then cull through the berries, discarding any unsound ones and removing any stems and greenery. Chop them roughly and put in a sterilized nylon straining bag tied closed. Crush them with your hands inside the primary. Ferment 7-10 days, gently squeeze, and discard. Continue fermentation as instructed with your kit....Click to Read full Answer

Question: Why Blend Wines?
Answer:

There are several reasons a home winemaker might want to utilize blends. A good example is to blend a wine that is too dry with one that is too sweet to create a more balanced wine. In this instance, the two wines should be similarly based, both Merlot's, for example. You may also want to blend wines to create a new flavor profile, integrating complexities from varying bases. Blending grape and non-grape wines can yield some interesting and delicious results. It is the ultimate way of creating a new flavor profile. In most cases, the grape wine will predominate, both because it brings body to the blend and because fruit flavors seem to blend better with grape than the other way around. Another way of saying this is that grape wines tend to absorb a fruity character from non-grape wines, but non-grape wines tend to lose their fruitiness to grape wines. With a little experimentation and patience, blending is easy to do....Click to Read full Answer

Question: Is testing the pH of my wine that important?
Answer:

When a vintner makes a wine from juice concentrate testing for acid or pH levels really isn’t that important because the juice is pretty well balanced from the manufacturer. Unless you know you are using an out of balance water, there is very little reason to have to do any testing. For those that are making wine from fresh/frozen fruit then testing becomes a very important thing to do because fresh fruit will have levels that differ from season to season, and can be highly acidic. Testing your wine isn’t very hard, or expensive. You can use test strips for testing pH levels, or a pH pen is a better option. pH pens give you a more accurate reading, and are very helpful when you are adjusting the levels. The reason for testing your wine is because if your pH or acid levels are off you can end up with a dull, or flat, tasting wine. Or, you can end up with a wine with a “bite” to it. If you take the time to balance the wine you will find that you end up with a much better flavor, and a wine that people can’t stop talking about. ...Click to Read full Answer

Question: I just racked my wine and it stinks like rotten eggs! Can I fix it? HELP!
Answer:

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is the rotten egg odor you smell, and it usually forms at the end of fermentation. Most home winemakers won’t notice a smelly problem until the first racking. If you do smell rotten eggs, the quicker you can act, the better your chances of saving the wine. If it is too long a time before you treat the wine, hydrogen sulfide will react with other carbon compounds in the wine to create mercaptans, and later into disulfides. These are extremely difficult to remove from your wine once they are present, so the faster you can detect and treat your wine for hydrogen sulfide, the better. Many sources suggest that you add copper sulfate to your wine, but Midwest advises against this. While a very, very, VERY small amount of copper sulfate will take care of your H2S problem, it is poisonous. Big wineries use copper sulfate, but Midwest suggests a kinder, gentler approach, using chemicals that most winemakers already have on hand. First, measure the level of sulfites in your wine using the SO2 Test Kit (#8262). If the wine is deficient, treat the wine to 50 p.p.m. sulfites. Next, rack the wine two or three times, making sure to splash it around a lot as the wine is transferred between vessels. This aeration introduces oxygen to the wine, and will help counteract the hydrogen sulfide. Replace the airlock, and let it sit overnight. This should take care of the problem in most cases, but if it still stinks, perform these extra steps: Buy a piece of copper flashing from from a home supply store. Hold the piece of copper in the neck of the carboy while the wine is being racked, so that the wine runs over the copper surface and into the carboy. Fine and/or filter the wine. By now, that stinkiness should be greatly reduced. If you STILL detect a smell, try gelatin finings (#8330) in the amount stated on the package. After fining, we suggest running the wine through a filter. The Vinebrite Filter (#7145) is fairly inexpensive, and works pretty well. If you’ve done all this to no avail, you could try using copper sulfate. But BE CAREFUL! Add NO MORE than 0.5 ml per gallon. Afterward, be sure to fine the wine with bentonite (#8310) or Sparkolloid (#8363) according to package instructions. Either of these will remove the copper sulfate. Then filter to remove the fining agent....Click to Read full Answer

Question: Why does it take so long for my wine to be drinkable? I want it now!
Answer:

Wine kits are ready to bottle in 28 or 45 days. This does NOT mean that they are ready to drink. If you really, really can’t wait, the minimum time before a kit tastes good is about one month after bottling. This is long enough for the wine to get over the shock of bottling, and begin opening up to release its aromas and flavors. Three months is much better, and the wine will show most of its character at this point. For most whites, however, and virtually all reds, at least six months is needed to smooth out the wine and allow it to express mature character. Heavy reds will continue to improve for at least a year, rewarding your patience with a delicious bouquet....Click to Read full Answer

Question: Do you carry anything but boxed wine kits?
Answer:

Sometimes you just want to be able to experiment when making wine. Ingredient kits are great because they include everything, and are very easy to make. However, maybe you want to make a blend, or you just want something different. Midwest offers a couple different options for those that want to expand their wine making horizons. If you still want to make a grape wine, try Alexander’s canned juice concentrate. They come in many different varieties and allow you to make all of one type of wine, or you can blend them to your liking. They are made like the kit boxes, but they do not have any other ingredients. So make sure you have the yeast, metabisulphite, etc. on hand before you make these wines. One can is good for 3 gallons of wine. If you want 6 gallons, then use two cans for best results. The directions are right on the can. Maybe you want to branch out even further on your wine making abilities. Try making a fruit wine....Click to Read full Answer

Question: What is the correct acid level for wines? How do I adjust the acid level up or down?
Answer:

The following are guidelines for the desired acid levels in various types of wines. Individual tastes may vary, so make adjustments according to your own palate: Dry White Wine—0.65 % - 0.75 % Sweet White Wine—0.70 % - 0.85 % Dry Red Wine—0.60 % - 0.70 % Sweet Red Wine—0.65 % - 0.80 % These figures represent total acidity as a percentage by volume, known as the titratable acidity, or T.A. for short. You may test the acidity of your wine using the Acid Testing Kit (#8220) or a pH meter (# 6436)....Click to Read full Answer

Question: I’m allergic to sulfites. Can I make wine without them?
Answer:

The amount of sulfite in a homemade wine is roughly 1/6 to 1/8 of the amount compared to a store bought bottle of wine. Some people believe that they are allergic to sulfites, and want to leave them out of their kits. While this is their option, it’s a bad idea. True sulfite allergies are extremely rare, and if someone has a reaction to drinking wine, it’s almost always due to some other cause. Besides, yeast make sulfites themselves during fermentation, so no wine can ever be sulfite-free, no matter what. Without the added sulfites, the kit will oxidize and spoil very rapidly. It will probably start to go bad in less than 4 weeks, and be undrinkable in less than three months. Also, if the sulfite is left out, but the sorbate is added, the wine could be attacked by malolactic bacteria, which will convert the sorbate into the compound hexadienol, which smells like rotting geraniums and dead fish. The bottom line is this: if you do not add the sulfite to the kit, neither Midwest, nor Winexpert can guarantee the wine, so think carefully before you choose not to add it....Click to Read full Answer

Question: Why do I need to stir my wine when adding stabilizers and fining agents?
Answer:

When it comes time to stabilize and fine the wine, it has to be stirred vigorously enough to drive off all of the CO2 that has accumulated during fermentation. This is because the dissolved gas will attach to the fining agents, preventing them from settling out. You need to stir hard enough to make the wine foam, and keep stirring until it will no longer foam. Only then will the gas be driven off so the fining agents can work their magic. The Whip Wine Degasser (#G9100) is the perfect tool for this....Click to Read full Answer

Question: Do I need to use preservatives in my wine?
Answer:

Preservatives (sulfites) are an important part of wine making. Don’t worry about adding them to your home-made wine. Not only do they keep wine from developing infections, they also keep the wine from oxidizing. If you are concerned about the use of sulfites in wine read on!...Click to Read full Answer

Question: How do I fix a stuck fermentation?
Answer:

By definition, a stuck fermentation is a fermentation that has stopped before all the available sugar in the wine has been converted to alcohol and CO2. If the bubbles in your airlock slow down before your wine has reached terminal gravity (usually 1.000 or lower), you may have a stuck fermentation. Were you to give up on the wine at this point, it would taste semi-sweet and pretty bad. Not to worry, there are ways to fix this. Before we get into how to fix it, let’s make sure that you have a stuck fermentation. Here are a couple of ways to check:...Click to Read full Answer

Question: How can I prevent a stuck fermentation?
Answer:

There are a few simple things you can do to ensure that you never have a stuck fermentation. First, just make sure your fermentation area is between 65 and 75 °F. Make sure that your equipment is properly cleaned and sanitized. Always use fresh yeast, and make sure you are using the yeast called for in the recipe. Don’t use any old packet you have laying around. Hydrating your yeast before pitching also helps, but make sure that you pitch the yeast within 20 minutes of hydration. Adding yeast nutrient (#8334) before pitching the yeast gives the yeast nourishment so that it will stay healthy throughout the fermentation process. Use 1 teaspoon per gallon. Lastly, aerate the must by vigorously stirring it just prior to pitching the yeast. Yeast needs oxygen to begin fermentation....Click to Read full Answer

Question: What is the basic process of making wine?
Answer:

Kit, or concentrate, wine making is a lot easier than you might think. The kits today come with pretty much everything that you need to make a great wine on your first try. They come with the yeast, metabisulphite, bentonite, potassium sorbate, and chitosan. All you have to do is provide the water and equipment. Each kit can have slightly different items to add, so make sure to read the directions that come with your kit to make sure you add everything at the correct time. But, these directions will give you a basic understanding of how the wine making process works.

Sanitation- clean and sanitize all of your equipment like your wine turning out depends on it, because it does.
Combine the Ingredients- follow the instructions that come with the kit.
Fermentation- In 24 to 72 hours your wine will start to ferment, bubbles with begin in the airlock.
Bottling- At this point you have a decision to make. The wine has produced all the alcohol, and should be clear enough to bottle. Some people prefer to allow the wine to age in the bottle. Some people prefer the wine to age in the carboy longer as you tend to get a more consistent batch of wine.

Learn to taste your wine at every step of the process. If you like your wine with a lot of kick, 6 weeks might be fine for you. But, most people like to wait longer for their wine to age and mellow. Try it in the carboy, try it at bottling, and try it 1 to 2 months after bottling. This will help build your knowledge on how a wine progresses as it gets older. The nice thing is that if the wine tastes a bit strong to you now, give it a month or two and it will be that much better.

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Question: What head space do I need in my secondary when making wine?
Answer:

You’ve got your wine transferred and are ready to add the metabisulphite to your wine. Head space becomes important after you have added the metabisulphite because you are killing the yeast. Up until now, your wine has been fermenting and that creates a CO2 layer over the wine. This CO2 layer protects the wine from oxidizing, and can help prevent bacteria from floating into the wine. CO2 isn’t much help from protecting the wine from bacteria, but it does help a little. Once you add metabisulphite the yeast starts to be killed off and you lose your CO2 layer. Now your wine is unprotected from oxidizing. You do want a small amount of air to contact the wine because this is what is going to help age the wine. A small amount of air will allow the wine to slowly oxidize, but it will also help the alcohol to mellow and the flavors to blend better. Wine makers get in trouble because they leave a large air gap during this stage, and all of a sudden they end up with a prune juice tasting wine. Not very appealing for most people....Click to Read full Answer

Question: How do I create more tannin flavor in my wine?
Answer:

Tannin is usually added to the must before fermentation begins, but this is not absolutely necessary and, in your case, not even desired. We add it to most of my non-grape wines before fermenting, but often adjust it upward by taste, just before bottling. This can be a delicate process....Click to Read full Answer

Question: I thought Bentonite was a fining agent? What is the advantage of adding it to my wine on the first day?
Answer:

Bentonite is, indeed, a fining agent. Fining is the action of removing particles that make a haze in wine by combining them with materials that bind to them and force them out of suspension, leaving the wine clear and bright. It not only improves a wine’s appearance; it also makes sure that it is stable. Stable means that it won’t change appearance, taste, aroma, or chemical composition while in storage. Midwest suggests that you add bentonite on the first day. The reasons behind it go beyond technology, straight into winemaking philosophy. When bentonite is added on the first day, it disperses through the wine and most settles to the bottom within a few hours. At the end of 48 hours, however, the bentonite is back in circulation. This is because of the process of gas nucleation that the CO2 in the wine is undergoing....Click to Read full Answer

Question: How do I determine the alcohol content of my wine?
Answer:

Simple subtraction. Take a hydrometer reading right before you pitch the yeast into your must (see “How do I take a hydrometer reading?” in FAQs). Make a note of this reading, which should be in the range between 1.060 and 1.120, depending on the recipe and style you are making. After the fermentation is complete, take another hydrometer reading right before you bottle. This reading will usually fall between 0.090 and 1.010, again depending on the style of wine made. Then you simply subtract the second reading from the first, and consult a conversion chart (such as the one found in “First Steps in Winemaking”, or many other winemaking books) to determine the alcohol content. Let’s say that your starting gravity was 1.085, and your terminal gravity was 1.010. This makes a difference of 0.75. Looking this up in the conversion chart will tell you that your wine is 10.4% A.B.V. (alcohol by volume)....Click to Read full Answer

Question: Is my wine ready to bottle?
Answer:

If your wine is clear, stable, and free of CO2, it's ready. Clear means free of particles that could later fall out of suspension and leave a deposit in the bottles. Stable means finished fermenting and with enough sulfites (SO2) present to prevent oxidation and spoiling. Free of CO2 means that although the fermentation may be finished, a wine can still be saturated with carbon dioxide. If it is, it will go into the bottles with the fizziness intact, and depending on the conditions, could expand and push the corks out (or worse, break the bottles), or provide you with the dubious pleasure of drinking a sparkling wine that’s supposed to be still (sparkling Merlot , anyone?). To get rid of CO2, stir your wine....Click to Read full Answer

Question: My wine has no fermentation after 72 hours...
Answer:

You’ve given the yeast a chance to start, but yet you still see nothing. At this point, this isn’t a cause for concern because there are many things that can help get the fermentation process started. Some options are very simple, while others can take some time. It is best to follow these ideas in the order that they are written here so that you do not cause your wine problems by skipping steps. Troubleshooting • Move the wine to a warmer area to see if the yeast doesn’t kick in. Give it 24 hours before you move on to the next step. • Create a yeast starter. To do this you need a packet of yeast, some juice from the fermenter, table sugar, and a glass. Make sure that the glass is sanitized. Add 16 oz. of the juice (2 cups), 1 tablespoon of table sugar, and the yeast to your glass. In roughly 15 minutes to an hour you should notice foam forming on top of the glass. This lets you know that the yeast is active and ready to go. Just pour the active yeast into your fermenter. DO NOT stir the yeast in. • If all else fails you can do what we refer to as a reverse starter. How this works is you start with a normal yeast starter, like the directions above. But instead of pouring the yeast starter into the fermenter, you add a little bit of the juice, or must, to the starter instead. So, you essentially need another fermenter to be able to do this....Click to Read full Answer

Question: What is the best temperature to ferment my wine?
Answer:

Most Wine ingredient kit instructions tell you to ferment your wine within a specific temperature range. Midwest recommends 65 °F to 75 °F. Yeast thrives at these temperatures, and also likes to be kept at the same temperature until its done doing its work. If the fermentation area is too cool, the wine will ferment very slowly. This will lead to an excess of CO2 gas in the wine, and it may not be ready to stabilize and fine in the expected time frame. Additionally, the fining agents included with Winexpert kits don’t work well at temperatures outside of the 65 °F to 75 °F range. Below 64 °F your wine kit may not clear at all! Since most people keep their house at around 68 °F, just leaving your fermenter at room temperature should work out great....Click to Read full Answer

Question: What can I use to sweeten my wine?
Answer:

It isn’t unusual for a homemade wine to be a little dry because we simply add the yeast and let it ferment. A winery will take measurements throughout the fermentation process and will stop the fermentation when they believe the wine is at the correct sweetness level. If your wine is a bit dry for your liking, then we’ll show you how to sweeten it up.

Wine Conditioner
Grape Concentrate
Sugar
Fruit Juice

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Question: How long should I store a wine before I drink it?
Answer:

Although the concentrate kits can be done quickly, some winemakers elect to store the wine longer before they start to drink it. The reason is because a good wine can become a great wine when you allow it to age. However, this is all a matter of taste to the individual. Some wine drinkers really enjoy a bold, strong, new tasting wine, and others want a very smooth, laid back, easy drinking wine. Try a bottle of your wine from time to time until you are happy with the flavor. There is no set time frame on when you will enjoy the wine that you made.The following are some general considerations for wine storage.

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Question: What wine styles benefit from oaking?
Answer:

Several types of wine lend themselves well to oaking, most notably the Cabernet's, Chardonnay's, Merlot's, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Bordeaux, Chianti, Burgundy, Fume Blanc, Semillon, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Gris, Shiraz, and Pinot Blanc, just to name a few. Generally speaking, German wines are not usually oaked. Depending upon the type of oak used, and the type of wine that is being oaked, a wide variety of desirable complexity can be achieved. In general, the scents of oak are non-fruit aromatics in nature. Oak can add flavors ranging from vanilla and coconut, to aromatic spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. It can even add an earthy or lightly organic tone to wine....Click to Read full Answer

Question: Why do I need to stabilize my wine before bottling? Can I bottle it immediately after it is stabilized, or should I wait ten days?
Answer:

Wine is stabilized to stop fermentation so that remaining yeast do not ferment added or residual sugar after bottling and cause the bottles to explode. After stabilizing, suspended yeast die off and lay down a thin layer of lees. If the wine has been bottled, the lees are trapped and are not only unsightly, but can impart off flavors. Our experience is that the dead yeast cells will precipitate out in 3-7 days. Allowing 10 days offers a 3-day margin of error, ensuring that all the dead yeast precipitates out. The wine is then racked off the lees, sweetened to taste and bottled....Click to Read full Answer

Question: My wine is too dry, the gravity is below 0.990, and tastes pretty lousy. How can I fix it?
Answer:

The first step is making sure the wine is stabilized and will not referment in the bottle. Midwest also suggests adding one crushed Campden tablet per gallon to the wine and let it sit 24 hours before sweetening or bottling--to keep the wine from absorbing oxygen during the process. Next is choosing the method. You can either (1) add sugar, (2) blend with a too-sweet wine, (3) use grape concentrate, or (4) blend with a sweeter juice. The choice is yours. If you add sugar (by far the easier method), boil a measured amount of water and slowly dissolve a double-measured amount of sugar into it. The 2 to 1 by volume ratio is still the best. Sweetening a too-dry wine does not give immediate feedback. It takes a couple of hours to a day for the wine to fully absorb the sugar and integrate it into its character....Click to Read full Answer

Vintner's Reserve

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