Fermenting 1/2 bucket, 1/2 carboy

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wineforfun

Still Trying To Make The Perfect Wine and Now Tryi
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Ok, here is my situation. I think I know the answer but am going to defer to those of you with more experience than I.

I obtained 6 gal. of pear juice and 3 gal. of apple juice, courtesy of @knifemaker (Dale) this past weekend. Thanks to Dale for a great day of grinding, pressing and friendship.

Came home Saturday afternoon, added all the normal ingredients/chemicals to each primary bucket(4 gal.primary - apple, 8 gal. primary - pear) and let it rest. I had added kmeta and pectic right after pressing into primary, while at Dale's.

Sunday, early evening, I pitched Cote des Blanc into each primary. This morning, before stirring, I could see we had some action starting, albeit small. Now if these ferment like most of my ferments, by Wednesday morning, they should be around 1.030-1.050. I normally run my ferments down to 1.000'ish before racking to secondary(carboy).

With all that said, I am leaving for Colorado, for three days, Wednesday morning. My first option is to leave everything for my wife to do, ie: stir twice daily, rack when needed, etc. However, I am not overly comfortable with that as I am pretty OCD about things. She has seen me do a hundred times but..............

So my thought is to rack to secondary(carboy) Wednesday morning before I leave and let the ferment finish in the carboy. I have never done it this way before so am looking for any pointers on doing this. Yes, it is ok. No, because you need to........, Yes, it is ok, but remember to............

Any thoughts are appreciated. I am sure, like with most things, I am overthinking this. This is very good juice I received and just don't want to screw it up and not have it ferment out all the way.
 
I have fermented white juice either fruit or grape in a carboy from the beginning. just make a stopper out of a paper towel so that you have a loose fit and allows the co2 to vent. no need for an airlock.it will be okay in the carboy.
 
I am a BIG fan of open fermentation. I would let the Wife do it. If you are really OCD about it, you could always Skype her while she is doing it (so that you can be sure that things are done correctly).
 
@salcoco Will it hurt to put an airlock on it and just let it finish out dry or will that hurt things?

@JohnT I am with you on the open fermentation. That is the only way I do it. However, as of now(and Lord knows that could change anytime with me) I am leaning toward the 1/2 and 1/2 method. Though she has helped me here and there with my winemaking, it may be much to ask/require to rack 9+ gallons of wine into 3 or 4 vessels, get them airlocked, etc. Skype is a good idea, although I don't really want to spend the time doing that as I will be on a mini vacation skydiving, hiking, etc. with my daughter for her 30th birthday.

I would like to just leave Wednesday morning and be done with it until I get back Saturday afternoon, whether that be the 1/2 and 1/2 way or having my wife do it.
 
Ok, another thought I just had.
I(or I should say my wife) could just snap the lid(s) down and airlock the bucket primaries when/if they hit 1.000 or lower while I am gone. When I get back, I can then rack them.
They will be sitting on quite a bit of sediment from the fresh fruit, but it would only be for a few days. Not sure if the sediment would impart unwanted flavors.
Thoughts?
 
D.J. Leave them in the buckets, have Judy snap the lids on with the airlocks at 1.010 or less and forget about it. They will be waiting for you when you get back and I will put money on it, they will be just fine. You should be in for a treat with that pear. The ones I have made come out really good. If your s.g. is a bit high when she airlocks the bucket, tell her she might get some noise from them. I have had the bucket lid expand and contract with the pressure from the co2. No big deal, just makes some noise. Arne.
 
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@Arne Yeah, the more I think about it, I may go the "leave them in the bucket" route. I just wasn't sure about leaving it sit on all that sediment. I need to drill a hole in the one lid as there is no hole in it.

On a side note, hopefully you can make it to Clarkson next time. Only thing is, I told Dale he may need to make plans on a couple extra bodies spending the night if you show up as you never leave home without your "jug" and we will all be in trouble. :)
 
@Arne Yeah, the more I think about it, I may go the "leave them in the bucket" route. I just wasn't sure about leaving it sit on all that sediment. I need to drill a hole in the one lid as there is no hole in it.

Don't stress with this. Remember we are making wine and it is really pretty forgiving. Time is on our side.

On a side note, hopefully you can make it to Clarkson next time. Only thing is, I told Dale he may need to make plans on a couple extra bodies spending the night if you show up as you never leave home without your "jug" and we will all be in trouble. :)

Yep, but remember I usually have my sober driver with me. We can try again sometime, we were at the lake. One of the nicest weekends we have had this year. Arne.
Hmm, somehow screwed up trying to have two answers in the one post. I will let you figure it out. LOL, Arne.
 
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