Wine making - the next step

The wine finally made it out of the primary and into the secondary container.  Last weekend I used a syphon (that also comes with the kit) to get it into this gorgeous one gallon jar.  Have I ever mentioned that I adore containers?  All sorts - jars, baskets, boxes, bags.  I love things that hold other things.  Is that odd?  This even shows in the background I chose for these photos - an Audubon Society bag I got with my membership.  Whoa, sorry for that rant.  I got off subject.

Anyway, the wine stays in this secondary for about 3 weeks now to finish the fermentation process before the next step.  See that funny thing sticking out the top of the bottle?  That is a very important contraption.  

You see, the yeast is still busy at work in the wine converting that sugar into alcohol.  There is a steady stream of bubbles floating to the top of the jar right now.  You can't just put any old cap on the wine right now -- your jar would explode.  But, you can't have it exposed to the air either (all sorts of funky stuff would try to live in it).  This is called an airlock.  There is water inside it.  It allows air to get out of the bottle, but not let air get back in.

It is a pretty nifty contraption if you ask me.  I am getting anxious for my first batch to be finished.  It smells like wine, but who knows how it will taste.
Also, one of the folks that helped inspire me to make wine in the first place may be willing to sell some of his equipment to me.  I guess he hasn't been making wine as much nowadays.  Here is a link to the original post that talks about his homestead.  He had some nice larger bottles so I could make larger batches.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he quotes us a good price.