I read through your thread, and I've never run into this, but it is always interesting to read what others go through. The only thing....I do not ferment with a tight lid and airlock. I just put a cloth over the ferment bucket...I think to allow the CO2 to escape? I've learned HOW to do things, now I am in the stage where I am trying to remember WHY I do it! Glad it is turning out for you.
Hi fabrictodyefor, Thanks for reading my post. Are you sure you don't cover your vat with your special fabrics? Lol
You're in a good place if remembering WHY you do things is your concern. & possibly another glass of wine will help.
But, I believe at the start of fermentation it's actually good to have the oxygen to help feed the yeast. This is why the primary isnt topped up like during storage. And actually the CO2 creates a layer on top of the must which then protects it from oxygen for a short time til the first racking; when the specific gravity is low enough not to produce enough CO2 & thus the protection will wane.
I think this batch of wine forced me to re-learn the whys of doing things as well. For starters I was using fresh juice & from now on at the start of fermentation I will measure the ph, absolutely add yeast nutrient & also top up my wine at the first racking and continue to do so throughout. In addition Ive switched sanitizers from easy clean to star san & kmeta.
In all my years Ive never had a wine not clear in 6 months time, especially with super klear & filtering. I dont think it was bacteria because I added sufficient sulfites both before pitching the yeast & again after primary fermentation. I think for whatever reason thus juice has an enormous amount of potassium bitartrate (cream of tarter) crytals present. Elsewhere Ive read that they will stick to the sides of the bottle during a cold stabilization. What else could this have been? Lol
Im glad it's over & will definitely take the lessons learned with me.
Meanwhile I've started 2 grand cru kits to bring my confidence back up. 1 Cabernet & 1 Chardonnay.
And planning on ordering the fresh juice next month.
Heres to the next grape journey into wine.
Paul
