RJ Spagnols Fermenting in carboy

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Teamsterjohn

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Sorry for all the questions. In my kit, the one listed below with skins, the instructions say to let it fermentate to a SG of 1.020 in the primary, at 1.020 rack to a carboy, witch I did this morning. Its still fermentating in there. I have to wait till it hits 1.000, the instructions say around day 28. The way it's going. ill hit 1.000 by this friday. Why do they have you racking it, why don't they just let it get to 1.000 in the primary? Here is my bad timing. This saturday im going away for a week. Because it took 3 days to start the fermentation, I lost some day here. My question is, if it hits 1.000 by friday, ill rack back to the primary, and add the sulphite and sobate, stir, then add the kieselsol and chitosan and stir like the instuctions say to do. If its not at the SG of 1.000 by friday, I will have to leave it for 1 week. Will this harm anything? am I just better off waiting till I get back in a week, check SG and if at 1.000 do the above as the instructions say? This way I can do what I read in the other tread about adding the sulphite and sobate oneday, then the rest the next day? Thanks guys again, John
 
I would let it sit in the carboy until you get back. If the instructions say to finish the ferment in the carboy until day 28, you will be safe until you return - the wine will be protected by a layer of CO2 - make sure your airlock is filled. Don't rush the stabilization.
 
Agree with Dugger. John, the kit makers set their timing so they can call themselves 4 week kits, six week kits etc. Generally keeping something in a carboy longer will only benefit the end result of the wine. If it were going to be several weeks before you added sulfites you might risk spoilage but a week at this point is no problem in my opinion.

Darren
 
OK, great guys. I have the dry airlock on it. Its fermentation and coming out of the airlock, I have a plastic tube hooked up to it, and going into a bottle on the side as not to make a mess on the floor.
 
Not sure what you mean by a dry airlock ( not a term I'm familiar with) - does the bottle on the side have water in it and the hose bubbles through that? If it's truly "dry" then the wine would not be protected.
 
He's using the airlock as a blow off tube instead of just filling the airlock just incase its a little to violent at this point. I lock down the lid with an airlocj at 1.020 and let them finish fermenting in the primary and have been doing so for quite some time. I get better color and tannin nextraction this way and its easier to degas with all the extra open area. I would just leave it in the carboy as dugger said, dont try rushing your wine through, its never in your good interest to do so. It will be fine in there till you get back.
 
Thanks wade, I was just doing what the kit said to do. Today its doing fine. Dugger, the dry airlock is for the better bottles. It let's the gases out, but dothing can get back in. Like a one way vavle. Since im going away, I didnt want to take a chance of a airlock running dry on me, so with this one, I wont have to worry. Thanks again guys...
 

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