WineXpert Pinot Noir kit - am I okay?

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OilnH2O

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Actually, is the KIT okay...or have I waited too long to ask this question.


I started this kit on 2/12 -- sg at 1.092 -- followed directions explicitly and on 2/17 sg at 1.005 -- but with other obligations, I could not rack that day (day 5) and since the kit said " ...5-7 days..." I racked on day 7 (2/19) but bythen sg down to 0.994 (corrected for temp.)


From 2/19 to today, in the carboy, temp has been mostly around 75 down to 72 today, but one day (when overnight on the heat pad - remember, this is Montana!) got up to 80F, but then back down to 75.


During the time in the carboy, it has NEVER been as actively bubbling through the s-airlock as my first kit of Bourgeron Rouge, which bubbled away merrily at the beginning of secondary fermentation, tapering off, but continued to bubblefor8-9 days. The Pinot Noir had an occasional bubble the first and second day (after racking) -- about 1 a minute at first (versus 10/minute the first day of the bourg rouge) but from the s-airlock, I could see that it was bubbling, just very slowly. The airlock still had it's fluid "unbalanced" with more in the one side than the other, so I knew pressure was still coming out of the carboy -- until this morning. Now, temp is at 72 -- but level of fluid in s-airlock is even -- no pressure.


Is this the difference between the two kits? Or perhaps from waiting too long before racking from primary to secondary? Or letting the temp get up to 80F that one day... Or is this just part of my learning curve of "PATIENCE!"
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Whaddaya think?
 
You are perfectly fine and I have made kits myself and made the transfer to the secondary when the SG was down below the 1.010 target. The main goal is to get the wine away from the gross lees and under a good airlock so the yeast can complete the fermentation.


Since the SG was already low most of the bubbling in the airlock was the CO2 coming out of the liquid. Follow the directions for10 days before proceeding to stabilizing and degassing.
 
Like Masta said.

At .994 your wine is just about dry and you can't expect much overt
fermentation activity to be visible. As you did with your first kit, now you
need to watch for at least two consecutive hydrometer readings that remain
the same toward the end of ten days, then you know what to do.
smiley2.gif
 

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