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Here’s a question I received the other day that I found very interesting and am interested to hear how you would respond:

Hoping you can help me. I’ve been making grape juice for quite some time and have used your regular mason jars to store the juice and poured directly in the jar while hot then sealed with the jar lid.

I would like to store the juice in some type of wine bottle using cork or bartop finish. My question is, will I have an issue pouring hot grape juice in the wine bottle then use the cork or bartop finish to seal it. Usually when I pour the grape juice in the mason jar I’ll hear the pop sound of the lid then I know the bottle is sealed and can be preserved.

I hope I’ve made sense.

Thanks,

M.

My understanding is that carboys and wine bottles aren’t tempered and therefore not heat resistant. This means that the glass can potentially crack or shatter (and hurt anyone close by) when hot water is added to them.

I’ve also mentioned in earlier posts that you can now buy clear plastic carboys (see my “Winemaking Designer Carboys” post) and these you definitely need to be careful that you don’t add boiling water to them to clean them out.

Here’s proof from one of my readers:

So what do you think? Would you add hot water/juice to your wine bottles or carboy?

I’m curious to hear what your thoughts are so please leave a comment!

- Scott “The Wine Making Guy”

I received the following email this week from J.V.:

Scott,

I recently bottled my wine after 28 days of secondary fermentation. The wine was clear of sediment and had a good underlining taste, however it was very gassy. Can you tell what I did wrong? Or should it be like this?

Thanks - JV

Here’s my response:

Hey Jason,

Good question. If you find that your wine is very gassy then my question to you is what you did to degas your wine after the secondary fermentation was finished and you moved to the clarifying and stabilizing stage. This is typically when you and a clearing agent and sorbate to kill the fermentation. This is also when you should be stirring for several minutes to get all of the carbon dioxide out of your wine must. You can either use a spoon or a “Fizzex”, which is a tool you attach to your drill. It looks like this.

One step I also use is introducing a vacuum in the carboy and sucking out the CO2 that way. I have found that it works really well and really smooths out your wine.

I also did a video on this method that is worth checking out:

At this point if you find that your wine is too gassy (and you’re not enjoying it) then you might considering dumping it all out and degassing it, let it sit then re-bottle. Ultimately you need to let it go flat in the same way you would if you left a bottle of pop/soda over night and let all of the CO2 escape.

Make sense?

- Scott

If you have some advice for J.V. feel free to include it in your comments below!

I mentioned in my email last week that I purchased one of those Tap-A-Draft kegging systems for carbonating beer and wine coolers and here are some initial thoughts:

1) I like how it fits nicely in my fridge - not quite like a beer tap at the pub but close enough!

2) I’m a little disappointed in the level of carbonation that you get with the system to be perfectly honest. I like a little more “bubbly” in my beer and to me it tastes a little flat.

3) Each bottle contains the equivalent of 15 bottles of beer so I only have a pint once in a while. You need to add a new CO2 cartridge to dispense the beer and one thing I’ve noticed is that if you let the beer sit in the fridge for a few days between pours you lose the pressure and need to add another CO2 cartridge (this makes sense as the CO2 will dissolve into the beer). At $13 per package of 8 or so cartridges it gets pretty expensive as you are constantly putting in new cartridges.

To increase the level of carbonation in your beer you can “prime” the container by adding some sugar (i.e. as you would if carbonating your beer in the bottle), which is what I plan on trying next. Note that you need a special cap for the plastic bottle, which has a one-way valve so that the bottle doesn’t “blow up” if the pressure gets to be too large.

4) I actually did a taste test this evening where I tried the bottled version of the beer against the Tap-A-Draft version and I noticed that the bottled version had much nicer, creamy taste then the Tap-A-Draft, tasted a little more complex and definitely had more “fizz” to it.

(Note that I did enjoy both so perhaps I’m just being overly picky …

Anyhoo, just some quick thoughts for you on how things are going with my new “toy”as I know some of you were asking me what I thought about it. I’ll be blogging more about it in the coming weeks and would be interested in hearing what your comments are especially if you have one.

According to the place I bought it from they can’t seem to keep them in stock as they’re so popular so I’m definitely not the only one who owns one !

So stay tuned for more …

- Scott

Here are some other discussions on the Web about the Tap-A-Draft that I have found:

When you Rate this:

Did you know that sulphite is not strong enough to kill bacteria and therefore is of no use in beermaking?

I typically make wine and therefore use a metabisulphite solution to clean my equipment and to date have had no issues with my batches. I should point out though that I’m pretty fussy about keeping my equipment clean, especially when storing it between batches!

I was surprised to read in the cleaning instructions that came with the Brew House beer kit from RJ Spagnols that sulphites shouldn’t be used to clean beer making equipment as they can’t kill bacteria, which will alter the taste of the beer and also opens up the possibility that you’ll get sick from your beer - not good!

I have to say though that I was quite impressed with the cleaning instructions that they included with the kit as they give four cleaning options: Trisodium Phosphate (aka T.S.P. - i.e. the stuff you clean your walls with before you paint them), Diversol (aka Sani-Brew - i.e. the pink solution commonly used in beer/wine making), Bleach (i.e. aka the stuff you use to whiten your shirts) and Iodophor (aka Iodine).

My personal preference is Sani-Brew as it has bleach in it (so I know it’s a good disinfectant) and works well when removing stains from your equipment (especially for your primary - great when you are brewing several different types of wines/beers out of the same container).

Here’s a the page on RJ Spagnol’s website that goes into greater detail about cleaning your equipment as well as the differences between four types of cleansers that they recommend. Definitely worth checking out (even if to serve as a refresher):

www.RJSjspagnols.com/resource_view.asp?HandoutID=44

I realize that cleaning your equipment is one of the least favourite jobs when making beer or wine but consider this interesting thought from RJ Spagnols:

“If you get tired of scrubbing and sanitizing, remember: lapses in sanitation are responsible for 90% of all homebrewing failures. You can avoid them.”

- Scott “The Wine Making Guy”

I was recently reading a monthly newsletter I get from one of the local wine making supply shops I frequent and came across a new cool “toy” I HAD to get and try out - a plastic clear carboy.

These carboys are made by “Better-Bottle” (www.Better-Bottle.com) and seem to have an OEM relationship with RJ Spagnols.

This new carboy caught my attention for a number of reasons:

1) It’s made up of the same material (PET) that is used in regular water cooler bottles so I knew my wine wouldn’t get a plastic taste to it. They are also almost “unbreakable” (mind you so was the Titanic) and can be cleaned with hot water.

PET = polyethylene terephthalate

2) At 1.5 lbs it is about 1/10th the weight of the equivalent glass carboy so wouldn’t hurt the back as much when I move a full carboy around.

3) It is clear (unlike the current opaque plastic carboys - which stain from what I hear) so you can see how well your wine is clearing.

4) Cost wise it is about the same as a glass carboy ($24.99)

5) The wider neck makes it even easier to clean the a a regular carboy.

Note: Due to the increased size of the neck you’ll have to use a size 10 bung for the airlock.

I’ve quizzed wine making shop owners about what they see as the main drawbacks to using this new plastic carboy is that it tends to scratch on the inside when using a carboy brush. Apart from that it appears to be pretty equivalent to a glass carboy.

I haven’t used it yet so would be interested in hearing from you if you have one and your experiences with it.

If you have used it before please let me know via the “comments” option below!

- Scott

Home Wine Making Blog: “On many occasions we have been asked this simple question, ‘Should a fermenter be sealed with an air-lock during the first few days of fermentation, or should it be left open, exposed to the air?’

This question arises because there is so much conflicting information floating around in books, on the internet and in other places as to which method is correct. In fact, even our own website recommends just covering the primary fermentation with a thin towel, while the box ingredient kits we sell recommend using an air-lock.

Even commercial wineries are not consistent in this area. While most wineries will put white wines under an air-lock and expose red wines to air, there are many, many wineries that will do the very opposite.

The reason we recommend leaving the must exposed to air during the primary fermentation is because this method leads a more vigorous fermentation, one that is able to complete more thoroughly and rapidly. Wine kit producers recommend sealing up the primary fermentation with an air-lock because they are more concerned about eliminating any risk of spoilage than providing the fastest fermentation possible.

Spoilage can be of concern on those rare occasion when the fermentation does not start as planned, but if the fermentation takes off in a timely manner, spoilage is of no issue. The activity from the fermentation will easily protect the must by stifling the growth of any unwanted organisms.

So, What Should You Do?

While we do recommend using a thin, clean towel to cover the fermenter during the primary fermentation and nothing more, if you are concerned about your fermentation not starting there is a compromising method you could follow:

When you first pitch the yeast into the must, put an air-lock on the fermenter. After a few hours, once you see that the fermentation has begun–indicated by activity or foam on the surface–you can then take the air-lock off and safely allow air to get to the must. This is, in a sense, giving you the best of both worlds–the protection and an invigorated fermentation.

As A Side Note:

It is important to note that an air-lock should always be used after the must has gone into its secondary fermentation. This usually starts around the fifth or sixth day, or when the first racking is performed. It is about this time you will notice the fermentation’s activity level starting to taper off.”

Natural stoppers are renewable resource: WWF

Mike De Souza, CanWest News Service

Published: Monday, October 22

OTTAWA - The average person probably won’t know what it is when they take a sip of their favourite wine.

In fact, many wouldn’t even notice the mouldy taste, sometimes compared to dirty socks, in their glass. But for wine-tasting experts, who could detect it in concentrations as low as one or two parts per trillion, a small sip would leave a bad taste in their mouths.
“It’s not really a safety issue. It’s not a health issue. It’s a quality issue and it’s costing the industry millions and millions of dollars,” said Dr. George Soleas, a chemist who has spent more than a decade in the Canadian wine industry.

Poor-quality natural corks are the source of the problem, according to industry experts, who blame the faulty stoppers for tainting wine with trichloroanisole (TCA) and ruining some of the best bottles on the market. A recent American industry estimate pegged losses at up to $250 million a year.

But environmentalists are mounting a campaign to defend the natural cork, arguing the alternative solutions have dirty environmental footprints.

“It’s very simple,” said Chantal Menard, a spokeswoman for the World Wildlife Fund in Europe.

“If you use cork, you use a renewable resource, which is not the case for aluminum used in screw caps, and it’s also not the case for oil or petrol, which is used for making synthetic stoppers.”

Natural cork is harvested from the cork oak tree, which grows mainly in European and North African countries such as Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.

Harvesters strip the bark of a mature tree that is at least 25 years old. When done properly, there is no need to cut down trees and the bark grows back in about a decade.

Soleas, also the vice-president of quality assurance at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, concedes that high-quality natural cork is still the best option for wine drinkers who want to store their bottles for a few years. The synthetic and screw caps block oxygen from entering the bottle and allowing the wine to age.
But since most customers consume their wine within a year, he said the Ontario liquor board favours the alternative stoppers to eliminate the risk of TCA tainting and its impact on sales.

Soleas defended the use of alternative closures, noting synthetic stoppers and aluminum screw caps can be recycled.

A peer-reviewed study in 2002 by the Liquor Control Board of Ontario tested 2,400 wines and found that 32 per cent of bottles with a low-grade composite cork closure were tainted with TCA. Six per cent of bottles with high-quality natural corks were found to be tainted, while none of the bottles with synthetic closures or screw caps were.

“Although you don’t often get customer returns, because the majority of the customers don’t know what the smell is, they just don’t like the wine and they’ll never buy it again,” Soleas said.

The tainting problem from natural corks has caused a major shift for wine-makers over the past few years, according to Stephane Rein, a wine industry consultant in France.

While 95 per cent of wine bottles had natural corks in 2001, five years later more than a quarter of bottles used alternative closures, Rein said — about 19 per cent used synthetic cork closures and 7.5 per cent used screw caps.

“It’s a very dynamic market and there’s a lot of controversy,” said Rein.

But he praised the WWF campaign as ” an excellent initiative. … It asks people to be conscious of the whole chain of production. They should know that when they buy cork, it won’t have an impact on the forest.”

The industry is starting to address the rapid rise of alternative closures and their impact on the environment, said Chris Thomson, the national sales manager in Canada for Cork Supply USA Inc.

“Of the three, natural cork is the most preferential in terms of doing the least amount of harm,” said Thomson, whose company produces and distributes a variety of natural and alternative closures.

© The Edmonton Journal 2007