Shiraz - Second go around

So yesterday, I started my second batch of Shiraz.   Shiraz was the first batch of wine I’ve ever made and that turned out pretty good.  I’ve learned allot since then, like how to filter out the lees before bottling, and how to kick up the potential alcohol at the start. 

Like the previous batch, I bought this kit from Vintners’ Reserve.  I got a good deal on it too…NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT.

I added the bentonite and the juice, brought the temperature up to 72 degrees F and added water.  The specific gravity was low, at only 1.072, so I added sugar to bring that up.  I’ve learned in the past that in a 6 gallon container, 2 lbs of sugar will bring the gravity up around .010 – which is exactly what happened when I added 2 lbs.  I wanted to get it up closer to 1.090 at the start, so I added a third pound of sugar.  That brought it up to 1.088 (good enough).  That will yield a wine with alcohol content of 11.5%.  Perfect.  I also got a new scale for Christmas…making the measurement a real snap.  Thanks Ginger!

Now, we wait.  About a week from today, I’ll check the progress and probably rack into a secondary carboy container.