Frozen juice ferment progress

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Robert R

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Last Saturday I kicked off my 2019 Gewurztraminer (frozen juice pail from WGD). SG 1.086, left at room temp until Monday, when it went to cooler room upstairs, air set to 62F. Added 3 gms Fermaid-O on Wednesday. SG this morning was 1.052, so I suppose it's right on track. Smelled good, tasted good, I'm happy with it so far! Also have a WE kit going, and about to start another kit. I've made a couple of goofs since these are the first wines I've made in 5 years, but hey, learning experiences...
 
Gewurztraminer update, day 14: First off, my OP above last Sunday gave the SG as 1.052, but when I just looked back at my notes, that should have said 1.032.
Just checked it again and SG is 1.010. It's fermenting in room with thermostat set to hold at 65F. With temps in the teens or lower outside, no danger of it overheating! Smells good, fresh and just a little yeasty (did I mention I am actually somewhat allergic to yeast? The stuffy nose is worth it). Taste was, well I don't have the words to describe it, but it wasn't unpleasant. I think it will turn out well.
I'm unsure if I want to rack it to glass now, or wait until below 1.000. The white wine pdf guide from WGD uses Chenin Blanc as the example, recommends racking to glass near the end of primary fermentation, then stirring the lees (battonage?) twice a week for 2 months. Would that be appropriate for Gewurz? Since I'm off Monday anyway, with too much snow and cold temps to do anything outside, I may rack it then. Or work on taxes. Ugh!
 
Finally racked the Gewurztraminer to secondary today. The unscheduled incursion of northern weather into the south has caused much havoc, including about 24 hours with no water and then reduced water, so no way to clean up if I had racked earlier in the week. Ended up with a full 5-gallon carboy plus another bottle in fridge for topping up later. SG was 0.990. Cannot wait to taste the finished product after a couple or 3 months of bulk aging, i could taste some fruitiness today.
 
Of course, it's your wine and you know your situation better than anyone. But, why are you in such a rush to bottle? Bottling now will undoubtedly produce fallout in the bottle. Gewurz is a strong cellaring wine that could age for many years. Why not bulk age for a year, or more?
 
I may bottle a case and bulk age the rest in a 3 gallon carboy for a while longer.
 
Life got in the way, or rather health did. I'm not in any shape to be doing much at the moment, so Gail (wife) helped me with a racking of the 2018 Reisling from WGD I started in April, and both the Gewurz and the Reisling will get a couple more months in carboys while we wait on the doctors to figure out what I'm dealing with. The Reisling is bone-dry, and has spousal approval.
 
Life got in the way, or rather health did. I'm not in any shape to be doing much at the moment, so Gail (wife) helped me with a racking of the 2018 Reisling from WGD I started in April, and both the Gewurz and the Reisling will get a couple more months in carboys while we wait on the doctors to figure out what I'm dealing with. The Reisling is bone-dry, and has spousal approval.
Feel better soon!!
 
Health issues have turned out much more serious than i hoped. How long can I safely leave reisling in a carboy before it starts going downhill? Might be a few months before I can do anything with.
 

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