help in secondary fermentation???

[laxmaster1]

I left my wine in primary fermentation for 1 week. starting at 1.07, then at 1.01 when transferred to carboys for secondary. when transferring to carboys I added liquid malo and a nutrient,...its going on 4 days now and no little bubbles coming from airlock...(i think I see little bubbles forming a ring inside the carboy towards the top)...how much longer should I wait before I need to do something, as usually within one day after transfer to carboys the o2 is escaping the airlocks???any ideas???

 

[Jwatson]

The only proper and true way to determine if fermentation is truly over is by using a hydrometer. I made a Chianti last year that kinda did the same thing as yours. The specific gravity was 1.000 with no bubbling. 10 days later the specific gravity was 0.995 (3 days in a row). The lack of bubbles does not mean fermentation is over. There is enough CO2 over the top of and also dissolved in your wine at this stage to prevent oxidation. My biggest advice is don;t rush it. I have left my wine in the secondary for up to 18 days with no problem.

 

[ibglowin]

First off what the heck is this your fermenting? A kit, fresh grapes? We need more info before we can help answer any questions really.

 

[laxmaster1]

fermenting from fresh grapes ibglowin........jwatson, ive never reracked earlier than 6 weeks, 18 days seems like a short amount of time now you have me wondering...about my original question, Im wondering if I let the SG get too low before I moved nito secondary or if that even really matters since I added a nutrient.???

 

[ibglowin]

What kind of nutrient did you add? A yeast nutrient or a malo nutrient? Its pretty difficult to see visual signs of MLF. The bubbles at the top are about the most visible sign you will probably. MALO usually takes about a month to complete if all goes well.

 

[laxmaster1]

let me start by saying i ve never usedsulfites, carbonates,or any other additives besides yeast and a nutrient...this is my 1st expereince with ml cultures...




day 1: crushed/destemmed 10 lugs of grapes into must, added about 2/3 of a 5oz packet of fermax, and necessary amount of premier cuvee yeast, and allowed to ferment....sg was about 1070......

day 2-7: allowed must to ferment, with daily "punching" of cap...noticed that fermentation was progressing nicely...


day 8: sg about 1010...pressed must and transferred all juice to carboys...added remaining 3rd of packet of fermax to juice (distributd evenly) and liquid ml culture from white labs ( yes i allowed it to warm up before adding it)


day 9-13: today is day 13---still no o2/co2/whatever gas should be escaping airlocks is not escaping---no bubbles...i checked bungs, airlocks, etc. everything is seated snug and tight...the only bubbles i see are forming a faint, and i mean faint, ring around top of carboy a few inches below neck.......


So, my questions are: could my fermentation be done and I just notknow it (I could begetting a false reading from my hydrometer) or did I transfer to secondary to soon or could something have stopped yeast from continuing fermentation while in their new anaerobic state, etc...am i being paranoid...no idea, any help would be great, thx...

 

[Jwatson]

Sorry, did not know you were making wine from fresh grapes. My experience has been with kits. Timeline may be different.

 

[ibglowin]

What is the SG currently? If its 0.998 (or less) its pretty well done and you will be hard pressed to see anything happening. Pressing off the skins will release 99% of trapped CO2 in the wine from fermentation so at this stage (no sulfite really) it is important to make sure the wine is topped up or back filled with inert gas in the head space while MLF completes.

 

[laxmaster1]

the sg is currently about 1...more exact than that, my eyes arent good enough to see...using a hydrometer, i dont think anyone can really see1 from 998, or 998 from 996, etc....im just going to top up like you say and wait about 6 weeks and hope for the best....i think the mustreally fermented well the first week, so hopefully im not going to have 30 gallons of vinegar....thx...

 

[robie]

You have two issues - completion of yeast fermentation and whether or not mlf has started.

Usually, most hydrometers have markings clear enough to see the difference between 1.000 and .998. There is an appreciable difference between the two numbers. It's getting harder for me to see the difference, too. Use a magnifying glass if necessary. I'll bet your yeast fermentation is finished. The reading on your hydrometer, if it hasn't change for several days, will confirm this. It is better if the final reading is somewhat below 1.000.

You wrote you add Fermax, but did you add a nutrient for the malo? Doesn't your malo call for a malo nutrient?
I believe that Fermax is strictly for yeast fermentation only, but I might be wrong, since I have never used that brand of nutrient. Usually they are much different.

You said you warmed it up; is it in the temperature range for effective mlf?

 

[laxmaster1]

dancerman, just checked,- my hydrometer is reading exactly 1....... if i added wrong nutrient, will this hurt/damage the wine??? a nutrient isnt required for mlf, i figured id try to help it along, so I guess i can just wait and let it do its thing naturally?