Help! FWK urgent suggestions needed!

[VinesnBines]

So I started two FWK kits on Thursday, June 9. One Zin and one Syrah, double skins for both. On Sunday, June 12 we had to leave town suddenly -no not on the run.... I considered taking the batches with me but hated to haul them around. I pulled the skins and popped all four bags in the freezer. I put the lids on the fermenters and added airlocks; I thin the SG was around 1.060 - too big a hurry to leave to test properly.

The Zin lid would not fit well so I put a 15lb weight on top. Looked fine. Came back this morning (June 17) not knowing what I would find. Syrah is 1.012 - great. The Zin is 1.00 BUT the lid had broken and the weight fallen in the bucket. Oh $#!^! No mold, no off smells, no fruit flies and the bucket had been in a closed room.

So, for the Zin: I can sulfate and transfer right away; I can add the skin packs back and do an modified extended maceration; I can sulfate and add the skin packs or let it go completely dry. Suggestions? Thoughts?

For the Syrah, I can add the skin packs and do an extended maceration for another week. If I don't add the skins to the Zin, I may add all four to the Syrah. Or I can let the Syrah complete without the skins and save all four bags for something else. Suggestions? Thoughts?

 

[cmason1957]

I wouldn't worry a whole bunch about the weight getting into the wine, by now it is what it is and you are probably fine.

I think if it were me and I had two wide mouth carboy devices, I would rack into those, add the skins and let it go in there for at least a week, but probably more like two or three. If I was worried about things, I might try to keep everything cooler than normal, like around 40-50F and do an extended maceration. But with only two days so far of contact time, I would really want some more. Although, if you decide to go straight to a carboy and proceed from there, they will turn out fine as well. It's probably a flip a coin, make a decision, do something kind of thing. It's all good.

 

[heatherd]

So I started two FWK kits on Thursday, June 9. One Zin and one Syrah, double skins for both. On Sunday, June 12 we had to leave town suddenly -no not on the run.... I considered taking the batches with me but hated to haul them around. I pulled the skins and popped all four bags in the freezer. I put the lids on the fermenters and added airlocks; I thin the SG was around 1.060 - too big a hurry to leave to test properly.

The Zin lid would not fit well so I put a 15lb weight on top. Looked fine. Came back this morning (June 17) not knowing what I would find. Syrah is 1.012 - great. The Zin is 1.00 BUT the lid had broken and the weight fallen in the bucket. Oh $#!^! No mold, no off smells, no fruit flies and the bucket had been in a closed room.

So, for the Zin: I can sulfate and transfer right away; I can add the skin packs back and do an modified extended maceration; I can sulfate and add the skin packs or let it go completely dry. Suggestions? Thoughts?

For the Syrah, I can add the skin packs and do an extended maceration for another week. If I don't add the skins to the Zin, I may add all four to the Syrah. Or I can let the Syrah complete without the skins and save all four bags for something else. Suggestions? Thoughts?

Should be fine, I'd add skins back into both batches, do the extended maceration, and wait until the maceration is done to add any chemicals. That's what my FWK reds are doing right now.

 

[VinesnBines]

Thanks to both of you. Adding the skins back was my first choice. I sanitized the lid but not the 15lb weight...glad I didn't get a couple bricks out of the back yard for weight.

 

[winemaker81]

I agree, you're probably fine. If the Zin is at 1.000 I'd put it in a different fermenter, add 1/2 cup sugar and the skins, and seal is for a week or two. Once fermentation was done, I'd hit it with a double dose of K-meta.

 

[VinesnBines]

Thanks Bryan, I'll add the sugar move it to a closed fermenter.

This was one of those "Isn't that typical?" moments. Funny in a warped way. Just as funny as tripping and dropping a whole (open of course) bottle of liquid flocculant into the deep end of the pool and falling in after it. I felt pretty stupid as I fell in and more stupid when I was trying to fish out the bottle. I felt pretty stupid as I stared at the broken lid of the fermenter. Ah well, I'll see how good the FWK kits are? Ha!