Is Gary Gilpatrick or any other home brewers around?

[bd]

Help!  I've got a wine making question - specifically a question about specific gravity.  Anyone here who can help? 

[jgray]

I homebrew (beer) and have made some wine. I might be able to help!  What'cha need?

[MidTNKayakAngler]

Brewed beer, never messed with wine though.

[bd]

Okay, it turns out that I have two questions.  I am trying to make watermelon wine for the very first time. I am an extreme newbie at winemaking, so forgive me for dumb questions.

1.  The "recipe book" I'm using said my watermelon wine must should have a starting specific gravity of 1.085.  Unfortunately I didn't have a hydrometer handy when I was mixing the must and adding sugar and stuff. I got one the next day just before I pitched my yeast, and my SG was actually closer to 1.095. Is that going to cause any problems other than my wine being sweeter than the recipe intended? I don't mind sweet wines so I'm hoping it's okay.

2.  The other instruction I'm not sure about is that the book says I should "stir daily" for the first week or so while the must is in the primary fermenter. What I don't know is whether that's just to mix up the pulp and keep it in solution, or if that's to oxygenate the must. So how intensely should I be stirring?  Should I really froth it up to oxygenate, or just gently mix it and then re-cover it?

Thanks in advance for the help. And if anybody knows how to reach Gary, tell him to give me a shout because he is the guru for this stuff.


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[jgray]

1.  Your wine will end up a little sweeter.  .01 is a pretty big difference in Original Gravity (OG), but still within the realm of normal for wine.  As long as you've got good quality yeast, it will still do its job.  Make sure to let it ferment out. 

2. What recipe book are you using?  Introducing oxygen before the yeast start doing their thing promotes yeast health. You will "gas" the wine towards the end of the fermentation schedule, but, until then, just a gentle swirl of the bucket will keep the yeast in suspension.  I wouldn't bother with stirring it. 

[bd]

I'm using an old book with a paper cover that several people highly recommended. It's called the wine maker's recipe handbook or or something like that.

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[icthus]

Looper is good at that kind of stuff.  PM him I am sure he knows the answer.  I know he makes killer beer.  He made some coconut/dark brown ale.  I shit a wheat field for two days, but had the best tasting beer I ever had the night before.

-PAl
AKA ---OP