WineXpert fermentation Problem

[Jim P]

On 10/14 , I started an Island Mist , Blueberry Pinot Noir , and followed all directions. Starting SG was 1.047 , and temp varied from 72-75 deg during the primary fermentation , yeast was Red Star Premier Curvee.
Last night after about 3 daysthe SG was at 1.008 , soI tranfered from the primary into a 6 gal carboy , and attached airlock.After the transfer , there was a lot of bubbles in the airlock.
When I checked it this morning, there was no more activity or bubbling in the airlock.
Is it possible thatI have a stuck fermentation , and what should I do now.

 

[ibglowin]

Have you checked the SG today?

Was that the yeast that came with the kit?

 

[Jim P]

I did not check the Sg today , but will check it later this evening.
Yes , that was the yeast that came with the kit.
I have read in other parts of this forum , that some add half of the F-pak , and app.3-4lbs of sugar to increase the abv of these kits.
Would you recommend this at this time ?

 

[ibglowin]

Yes, thats a pretty general tweak for these types of kits, raise the starting SG to ~1.08 or so. Its a little late in the game to be adding that much sugar at this point as the yeast are about done. Are these the first kits you have made? If so you just may want to let them go as they are this time and then next time you will be ready to bump up the SG. Remember this will void the warranty so you need to have some experience under your belt before you go tweaking things too much. If you need to top off the carboy just remember to find some type of similar wine, do not use water!

Give it a gentle stir today, check the SG, check the temp to make sure its still warm enough. Its probably just slowing down as normal. Sometimes its still fermenting even though you can't see the airlock going. The Hydrometer is really the best way to tell.

 

[v1rotate]

On 10/14 , I started an Island Mist , Blueberry Pinot Noir , and followed all directions. Starting SG was 1.047 , and temp varied from 72-75 deg during the primary fermentation , yeast was Red Star Premier Curvee.
Last night after about 3 daysthe SG was at 1.008 , soI tranfered from the primary into a 6 gal carboy , and attached airlock.After the transfer , there was a lot of bubbles in the airlock.
When I checked it this morning, there was no more activity or bubbling in the airlock.
Is it possible thatI have a stuck fermentation , and what should I do now.

When you transferred, you probably freed some of the trapped CO2 gas and some was still coming out of solution when you put the airlock on, Jim. At 1.008 SG there isn't a lot of sugar left to ferment, so the signs of fermentation will be subtle. Can you see very fine bubbles around the top edge of the wine? Regardless, the instructions say:

You may not see further fermentation activity in the carboy. This is not a cause for worry. In 10 days you can proceed to the next step.

So that would be a week from this Friday. It won't hurt anything to wait another week after that if you like before you stabilize. You definitely don't want to stabilize before the 10 days are up.

I'll look forward to hearing your impressions of this wine on bottling day!

 

[Jim P]

I just checked the , and the SG is at .992 , and temp is at 72 deg.


Yes , this is my 1st kit and a very new experience for me.


In the past 4 years ,I have been making my wines from fresh fruit , and from Vintner's concentrates.
I do plan on waiting for the next 10 days , for the next procedure.


I thank you all for your quick response , and help.


Jim

 

[rhoffart]

good job, .992 is good. After 3 days at the same SG you can move on to the next step.

 

[v1rotate]

good job, .992 is good. After 3 days at the same SG you can move on to the next step.

I've read that there are various biochemical reactions taking place in the carboy during this period of time after fermentation is complete and it would probably be a mistake to move on to the next step before the prescribed number of days has gone by. There is nothing to be gained at this point by rushing the process.

 

[rhoffart]

I've read that there are various biochemical reactions taking place in the carboy during this period of time after fermentation is complete and it would probably be a mistake to move on to the next step before the prescribed number of days has gone by. There is nothing to be gained at this point by rushing the process.

Really ... I did not know this


I understand Sur-Lie aging but I don't think 7 days is going to make a difference. Most of the directions I have read to date state ... the number of days is only a guide but always use your hydrometer and after 3 days at the same SG level the fermentation stepis complete.

 

[robie]

I've read that there are various biochemical reactions taking place in the carboy during this period of time after fermentation is complete and it would probably be a mistake to move on to the next step before the prescribed number of days has gone by.

Could you share your source of that information? I would like to read more about it.

 

[v1rotate]

Could you share your source of that information? I would like to read more about it.

Sure, Richard. I'll look around and see if I can come up with it.

 

[v1rotate]

Well, it isn't much, just a quote from Tim Vandergrift (I know, boo, hiss) of Winexpert in another forum:

Don't process early: when in doubt, do the thing that takes the
longest. There are biochemical reactions involving the action of yeast
that take place after fermentation is complete. Racking or fining early
can result in negative changes in flavour.






Technically it would be possible to ferment, clarify, filter and
bottle a wine in about 48 hours, with enough yeast and powerful chemical
and mechanical intervention. I guarantee the wine would be horrible.
Patience, grapsshopper!

The thread concerned a WE Brunello which had been stable at SG 0.996 for four days. The OP was considering stabilizing 10 days before the instructions called for since the SG was holding steady.


The thread is here.

 

[robie]

Thanks. That brings up a new point for me. When a wine is in secondary, it is generally not considered necessary to top-off the wine. However, if a wine finishes in 4 days, but it should set for (as an example) a full 10 days, maybe the wine should be topped-off after those 4 days, or as soon as it has been established fermentation is complete, especially if there are several days left before racking.

There is of course still lots of CO2 being expelled, even after those 4 days and the wine will not have been degassed, yet. Still, I wonder if it would not be best if to be safe, it should be topped-off.

I would think this could be more of an issue for white wines.

Thanks again. Good find!

 

[v1rotate]

If the wine is under an airlock, I would think that the escaping CO2
would continue to form a layer over the wine to protect it. I've never
had a problem with oxidation until I left 3 gallons of the wine that
wouldn't fit in my 2 barrels in 3 1-gallon milk jugs for 2 months. Had to pour them out, sigh.

 

[robie]

I tend to agree, but it is still something we should be mindful of to make sure we don't do anything to disturb the CO2 layer. It needs to set quietly undisturbed for those additional days.

For those who leave the wine in the primary for the entire fermentation, with my example above, it would mean 6 extra days on the gross lees. Probably not an issue unless you added a big, juicy grape pack. Just something to think about.

 

[Wade E]

I still wouldnt worry that much about the wine as its loaded with C02 at that point. Once its been degassed then there in lies the extreme need to keep it topped up and protected.