1st wine batch...

[Jessedavidson]

so, we were foolish enough to start our first ever batch of wine before our week holiday thinking it would be a great time to leave it for a week in the primary fermenter... well that week turned into 12 days before we got around to checking the SG again (original was 1.048). The kit said to rack into 2ndary carboy after 5-7 days or SG at 1.010... it’s already at .996! Should we be worried? It said to rack into 2ndary and wait 7-10 days till it’s At .996 and then add secondary juice bag and clarifying agents day after...

We proceeded to at least rack it into the carboy and thought we’d wait a couple days for it to settle and then just proceed...

Big question I guess is: did we ruin it by letting it ferment so much in the primary? Should we do something else? (We had people checking temp while we were gone and it was pretty stable around 72 the whole time)

Any help would be appreciated! We are brand new to this whole thing...

 

[tradowsk]

I did a cab last August that was in primary with skins for 6 weeks, and nothing bad happened! So your wine is almost certainly fine as long as there was an airlock on it. I would add a dose of sulfites (1/4tsp per 5 gallons) to make sure nothing is festering in there and push any oxygen out. Otherwise, keep following the instructions. You'll quickly find that kit instruction tend to rush things to get you bottled quickly so you buy another kit. So take your time and enjoy a great hobby!

 

[Jessedavidson]

I did a cab last August that was in primary with skins for 6 weeks, and nothing bad happened! So your wine is almost certainly fine as long as there was an airlock on it. I would add a dose of sulfites (1/4tsp per 5 gallons) to make sure nothing is festering in there and push any oxygen out. Otherwise, keep following the instructions. You'll quickly find that kit instruction tend to rush things to get you bottled quickly so you buy another kit. So take your time and enjoy a great hobby!

Well, our primary fermentor is just one of those plastic garbage bin looking things (I dunno how else to explain it haha) with a loose fitting lid, will that make a difference? there was a decent amount of humidity built up on the inside of the lid but I'm quite sure it had a fair bit of oxygen exposure

 

[tradowsk]

The only real way to tell is by taste and smell (how poetic haha). Look for smells or tastes of oxidation (like raisin-esque), rotten eggs, or other non-natural smells or tastes. The wine has a lot of CO2 in it so it will be sharp and acidic and won't taste good, but it certainly should not smell/taste awful. You can also draw a small 1oz sample and add some sugar to it to smooth out the harsher aspects so you can taste it easier.

 

[tradowsk]

But again, don't worry too much. Odds are everything is fine. Just get back on track with the instructions, add the sulfite, and keep an eye on it.

 

[Jessedavidson]

Oh ok, Well when we racked into the carboy I never noticed any off smells so that’s good. I didn’t know if it was safe to taste test throughout haha, I will definitely try that!

Thanks for the assurances!