With my first kit nearing completion of fermentation I thought I'd start a new one using a different fermentation vessel. With my first kit I used a VinClasse 5 Litre Fermentation Bucket, I thought I'd use a Plastic 5 Litre Demi John to be able to compare the results. From ease of use to wine results.
Day 1
As with my first kit, I sterilised all my equipment in VinClasse Cleaner Steriliser as per instructions. I poured some of this solution into the Plastic Demi-John and swilled it around the inside every few minutes for 15 minutes (it was already new and clean)
This kits' instructions were clear and easy to follow to make up the must. However, as a novice I would have found it helpful to have a list of Required Equipment before I started sterilising as when it came to adding the Sugar I didn't have a Funnel sterilised! Having made my first Kit in a Fermenting Bucket it hadn't crossed my mind to do so . . . but I wont make that mistake again! Another faux pas I made was to try and add the Sugar before the Funnel was completely dry . . . Oops! Not catastrophic, just annoying.
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| Day - 1 Solomon Grundy |
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| Day 1 - Solomon Grundy |
Anyhow, once the ingredients were added to the Demi-John, all I had to do was shake it up until the Sugar was fully dissolved, add the sachets of Wine Yeast, Acid Regulator and Nutrient, give it another shake then voila! All ready to fit Cap with Air lock. Place in a warm place to ferment. It started fermenting pretty much straight away which was impressive.
I noted the temperature daily (there is a temperature strip on the side of the Demi-John) and it was consistently 24°c. The Must was bubbling away nicely for the first 5 days.
Fermentation had ceased, and the Air lock had stopped bubbling. As per instructions I took an Hydrometer reading, it read 994 (the instructions stated to add STABILISER if under 995)
Added Stabiliser and shook vigorously at intervals for 2hours as recommended to DEGAS. This whole process was clean and easy, with the cap on the Demi- John.
I added the 'Add Back' Sachet (Cherry Concentrate) plus the Kieselsol Sachet (Clearing Agent) as instructed and left over night.
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| Day 6 - Degassing |
Day 7
I added the 'Chitosan' Sachet (Another Clearing Agent/ Finings)
On reading up about this I found that Kieselsol and Chitosan are both Clearing Agents that work together to help clump the microscopic yeast cells together so that they fall to the bottom of the demi-john, leaving the wine clear. I left for a day or so as instructed.
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| Day 7 - Clearing |
Time to 'Rack Off' the Wine. Now the instructions just said to syphon the wine off into a clean demi-john taking care not to suck up any of the sediment . . . easier said that done (not having done it before) Time to think it through logically . . .
I Sterilised all equipment that I thought I'd need :
.........and rinsed in cold running water. When sterilising the syphon tubes I took care to ensure that the inside of the tubes where fully immersed in the sterilising solution, rinsed, then swung around outside to get rid of excess water.
Racking Off
I attached the Rigid Syphon Tube to one end of the Syphoning Tube then carefully placed it in the Demi John that held the wine, I attached the Plastic Syphon Tap to the other end to stop flow when needed . I placed the empty/clean demi -john on a stool (at a level that was lower than the wine demi-john. To start the wine flowing from one vessel to the other I sucked until the flow started. This was easy to do. Note: Need to hold empty vessels as lighter and prone to tipping up!
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| Day 8 - Racking Off |
The Instruction leaflet gives guidelines as to how much sugar to add according to taste. As suggested I measured out ½ the suggested amount as you can always add more but you can't take it away if too sweet ! After tasting I decided not to add the remaining sugar, it was sweet enough for me.
Bottling
I sterilised 6 Wine Bottles, the rest of the equipment used was already sterilised from shortly before. I set up the syphoning method as before, but this time found it easier to put the Bottles on the floor for fear of them falling off the stool and smashing, yep it nearly happened!
I used the Syphoning Tap to regulate wine flow but found it quite difficult to use when trying to steady the bottle at the same time. I abandoned this tool and resorted to pinching the tube.
How Full to Fill the Wine Bottle?
There appears to be conflicting views as to how much gap to leave between the Wine and the Cork when bottling. The average consensus seems to be around 1″ to 1½″.
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| Day 8 - Bottling |
I found this simple gadget easy to use, especially once I found the 'How to use a Hand Corker' link on the Balliihoo Web Site! Initially I had tried using it on the kitchen work surface but found it tricky to get any weight behind it. I then tried putting the bottle on the floor and standing over the hand corker which I found much easier.
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| Day 8 |
Conclusion
On the whole I found the 'Solomon Grundy Cherry Kit' simple to use and the results were quick and pleasing. I followed the instructions to the 't' so that I could give objective feed back.
I liked using the Plastic Demi-John as it was like making a 'one pot' recipe and was easy to shake the ingredients when instructed. It was also really easy to see what was going on with all the various processes eg. Fermentation, Clearing etc without disruption.
Once bottling had taken place I did notice there was a small amount of sediment at the bottom of each bottle. If I'd have had more experience I probably would have 'racked off' again, but wanted to follow instructions.
Taste Reviews
Rachel: " Light, fruity and suprisingly tasted of cherries! :o) I love cherries so it's a winner in my eyes. Not particularly strong but very moreish! "
Paul: " Tasted of cherries . . .Slept well :o)"
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