Racking to secondary

[Pepperjack59]

Hello- I have about 11 gallons of Zin fermenting on their skins. Brix is down to 6 but I have to leave town in a few days. What happens if I press the wine before SG goes below 1? I understand I will lose a few days on the skins but won’t it continue to ferment in the secondary? All the guidebooks I read say to wait until SG drops below 1. Thanks for any insight. !

 

[Ohio Bob]

Hello- I have about 11 gallons of Zin fermenting on their skins. Brix is down to 6 but I have to leave town in a few days. What happens if I press the wine before SG goes below 1? I understand I will lose a few days on the skins but won’t it continue to ferment in the secondary? All the guidebooks I read say to wait until SG drops below 1. Thanks for any insight. !

Unless you’re going to be gone for a month, I would just press when you get back.

Yes it will continue to ferment even if you press early.

 

[Rocky]

Hello- I have about 11 gallons of Zin fermenting on their skins. Brix is down to 6 but I have to leave town in a few days. What happens if I press the wine before SG goes below 1? I understand I will lose a few days on the skins but won’t it continue to ferment in the secondary? All the guidebooks I read say to wait until SG drops below 1. Thanks for any insight. !

Tough decision. I usually move the wine to a secondary fermenter when the SG is below 1.020 without any issues. You are about 3x that reading so if you do move it be sure to leave adequate space in the carboy to avoid the dreaded volcano. Yes, the wine will continue to ferment and yes you will lose a little benefit from the skins, but if you press the wine thoroughly, this can be minimized.

When you get back into town, check the SG and top up the carboys if required, i.e. if the SG is down to about 1.010.

Edit: I just read Bob's note and I agree with him. If you don't press the wine now, it probably can wait if your time out of town to your return is less than a week or so.

 

[Ohio Bob]

I’ll add the point that according to the FWK kit instructions, when the SG gets to 1.020, put the vessel under airlock and leave for 2 weeks. Kits are not grapes, but at SG 1.020, I’d say they are identical in process.

 

[Pepperjack59]

Tough decision. I usually move the wine to a secondary fermenter when the SG is below 1.020 without any issues. You are about 3x that reading so if you do move it be sure to leave adequate space in the carboy to avoid the dreaded volcano. Yes, the wine will continue to ferment and yes you will lose a little benefit from the skins, but if you press the wine thoroughly, this can be minimized.

When you get back into town, check the SG and top up the carboys if required, i.e. if the SG is down to about 1.010.

Edit: I just read Bob's note and I agree with him. If you don't press the wine now, it probably can wait if your time out of town to your return is less than a week or so.

Thanks for the input. I will be gone about 3 weeks which is why I’m concerned. I have a few more days before I need to commit. Hoping SG will be close to 1 but fermentation always seems to go slower towards the end. Good to know that a premature press won’t be catastrophic. .

 

[Rocky]

Thanks for the input. I will be gone about 3 weeks which is why I’m concerned. I have a few more days before I need to commit. Hoping SG will be close to 1 but fermentation always seems to go slower towards the end. Good to know that a premature press won’t be catastrophic. .

PJ, 3 weeks would be pushing it. I say go ahead and press the wine before you go.

 

[winemaker81]

To answer your question -- pressing early produces a lighter wine, as the longer skin contact pulls more from the skins. The wine is just as good, just different.

Relax. Your wine will turn out fine.

However, 3 weeks of setting is too much time. Press as late as you can. Leave extra headspace in the carboy(s) else a vigorous final fermentation will blow wine through the airlock.

How are you measuring brix? If you are using a refractometer, you are not getting an accurate reading. What is the SG?

 

[Ohio Bob]

Another question is whether you added any enzyme to increase extraction. If you did, then pressing early may not be as detrimental as you think it will be. About waiting 3 weeks... iIf the kit mfg’s recommend 2 weeks, I can’t see how 3 weeks is going to be significantly worse. It all depends on your risk/reward tolerance. Please let us know what you decide and what the taste is going forward.

 

[Pepperjack59]

Hi- this wasn’t a kit- I picked 200 lbs of Zinfandel grapes at a local farm. It’s my first attempt with grapes rather than a kit. I did add enzymes so I’m not too worried about the shorter time on the skins. I will update in a few days as the fermentation progresses. Thanks for everyone’s input.

 

[JohnBurns]

This is a very timely thread for me as I may be facing the same situation. A follow up question I have is can the wine sit in the secondary for 3 weeks safely with no kmeta after completing fermentation? My normal process would be into secondary until <1.000 sg (maybe a week after pressing) and then rack off lees and add kmeta. Is the extra 2 weeks too long for completed fermentation to sit before racking/kmeta? Apologies for jumping on your thread pepperjack59

 

[winemaker81]

A follow up question I have is can the wine sit in the secondary for 3 weeks safely with no kmeta after completing fermentation?

Yes. The wind is outgassing enough that is ok.

 

[JohnBurns]

thanks!