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Our grape wine is nearly ready (we decided to make fruit wine with the grapes rather than "proper" wine this year", but how do we get it into bottles?

There is quite a lot of sediment in the bottom, so obviously we want to keep it there!

How does one siphon off wine into bottles?

(We're going to drink it at Christmas providing it's drinkable! )

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"Its not who you are underneath, it's what you do that defines you" - Bruce Wayne

I can tell you how my mother used to do it but in hindsight it wasn't very hygienic although it did give you an idea of what the wine would taste like!!

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Bright Blessings
Earthbabe
If at first you don't succeed, open a bottle of wine.

You can buy syphon kits which are basically bits of narrow hose with a simple valve on them. I've primed them by sucking some though and then as long as you keep your levels right and don't introduce any air then you can fill the bottles up. If you have the valve then it makes it easier as you can turn it off and on between bottles but if you've just got a piece of pipe then you can stop it with your thumb and risk losing the prime and spilling some wine.

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Some of us live in the past, always talking about back then. Some of us live in the future, always planning what we are going to do. And, then there are those, who neither look behind or ahead, but just enjoy the moment of right now.

Which one are you and is it how you want to be?

Should leave it at least a year before drinking though. If you're just racking off now Christmas is way too soon. You need to siphon off into another demi jon and cork. Keep in a dark place for about another 2-3 months then siphon off into your wine bottles and store.

Also gives you a chance to sample it as I usually suck a bit hard at first (can't be helped one has to do it!) ! Can get a bit messy as well with spillages

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

The recipe we've followed has said that after 2 months in the airlocked-demi-john (in the dark) you can siphon off and drink

It's not "proper" wine, rather a fruit wine - similar to what you would make with elderberries/strawberries etc

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"Its not who you are underneath, it's what you do that defines you" - Bruce Wayne

Hi! O'Grower, the only thing that distinguishes a grape wine from another fruit wine is commercialism. Just because the romans liked grape wine does not make it the best, just easy to grow.
The usual way to rack/syphon a wine off is to block/plug the end of your tube and then cut an opening an inch from the end. You can then hold the tubing on the bottom and leave the yeasty muck in the demijohn. You may need assistance to rack or bottle as you should avoid disturbing the sediment. You can buy glass tubes with side entries if you prefer spending money.
I Like the Bruce Wayne quote, have you seen the adverts that say 'it what you are on the outside that matters' How shallow is that.

good idea brewer!
we use one of those metal spiral egg cups and the foot out of a pair of tights, our syphon hose is a bit cut of the garden hose.
sterilize everything first.
put the hose in the egg cup, wrap in the tights, put demijohn on table, bottles on floor on a tray to catch spills, suck to start, fill bottles, enjoy!

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Yo an' Bob
Walk lightly on the earth
take only what you need
give all you can
and your produce will be bountifull

Just a quick note.The yeast muck mixed with water makes a very pleasant drink for plants, mines are still dancing the night away
Don Vincenzo

I've now got an image of plants shaking their stuff to disco!

I also heard that it can be (to a certain extend) reused in another bew? No idea if you need to keep it under special conditions or anything though

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Shortie

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding Carter

Sorry, can't answer your query, Shortie, anyway am too busy laughing at the thought of p*ss£d plants!

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Some of us live in the past, always talking about back then. Some of us live in the future, always planning what we are going to do. And, then there are those, who neither look behind or ahead, but just enjoy the moment of right now.

Which one are you and is it how you want to be?

The sludge at the bottom of a finished but not racked wine is dead yeast cells. When it is dead you cannot use it again. Wines usually finish at about 12-15% alchohol and so does the yeast. This is why you should rack the clean stuff off often, otherwise you get the mousey smell and taste that is reported here often and puts people off for life. Happy brewing

Oooooohhhhh, that reminds me of when I was a student and tried to make dandelion wine! We only left it for a few weeks and then drank it! Was ill for days - never did try to make it again, I wonder why? DDL

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Appreciate the little things in life because one day you will realise they are the big things

I hope that didn't put you off home brewing for good, just dandelion wine. I have made wines and beers better than I can buy at the super and they are about a tenth of the cost. Said it before but my early pick blackberry was excellent, the taste and body really surprised me. The only cost was a lemon, some sugar and 5p of brewing yeast to make one gallon.

I had to come in on this one, having just arrived today I realise it's a bit late, but...
You CAN keep the lees going. CJJ Berry talks about it in his beginners book and I've tried it successfully.
What you need to do is decant whilst the wine is still occasionally plopping. Pour the lees into a sterile container (bottle or jar), add a little more fruit juice - anything will do, or at a push some sugar, then keep warm for a few hours until it starts frothing. Voila working yeast. Apparantly as long as it hasn't completely died this will 'refresh' it and it can then be kept in the fridge covered with cling film.

I am exploring self sufficiency and was worried about buying yeast, but this solves the problem.
I also experiemented and made a loaf of bread using yeast made from the lees of parsnip wine. It worked very well. I added some raisens just in case, but you couldn't taste anything from the wine. I feel a lot happier now I know I don't have to rely on the Capitalist system.
All I need now are some bees for honey and we are laughing.

All the best

I agree you can make yeast live as long as you want but I was saying you cannot bring it back to life. If you really want to get into it I would suggest you cultivate a red, white and bread yeast. They all have different structures but will all survive in the fridge in small pots. You can add sugar to feed them each week and when they get too big throw some out or give it away. In the summer if you contact your local highways dept they will be only two pleased if you would come and remove new swarms of bees which hang on street signs and trees

Thanks for the advice. At the moment I've got two going : one from parsnip which I will use for bread, and another from all three wines I decanted today - plum, blackberry and apple. The last is going wonderfully and I'll use some of it tomorrow to start the blackberry I've got in my bucket!

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Regards, Jane
What sane person could live in this world and not be crazy? The creative adult is the child who has survived.
Ursula LeGuin
http://www.etribes.com/madderbat