Is a slow fermentation bad for wine?

[gwm72513]

I started a skittle wine (from a recipe found on these forums) on March 3, SG 1.080. Followed everything I could think of for a normal fermentation (temp, nutrient, stirring, sanitizing etc) but the fermentation has been very slow since day one. Today (Apr 6), the SG was at 1.034. I put some more EC1118 yeast into the batch a couple weeks ago but it didn't make much of a difference. The must has been bubbling and is definitely throwing off CO2. It doesn't taste bad to me.

Should I keep it going or is this getting to be a lost cause? Can anything bad happen from a long fermentation like this?

 

[blabablab]

Greetings!

1. Slow fermentation does not inherently hurt the wine, though it does give a larger chance for bad stuff to gain a foothold in the wine. I have made wine with slow fermentation(on purpose) and it turned out fine. The slower the primary fermentation, the more time the must has to add body and flavor to the wine.
2. Have you been using an airlock from the beginning?
Keep in mind that the yeast needs oxygen to gain an initial foothold in the wine, so if an airlock is used from the start, it can make the process very slow. I typically recommend just covering the must with a clean towel for the first few days, then attaching the lid and airlock. Make sure you stir daily(1-3 times per day) during this time to keep the must wet, and to introduce oxygen into the wine.
3. How much C02 is being released? It is not unheard of to have it still releasing C02 for up to 4 weeks, but it should only be vigorous for the first 5 days max.

 

[gwm72513]

The wine has been in the primary fermenting bucket with a loose fitting lid the entire time. I have been stirring it on a fairly regular basis (definitely more so at the beginning). It seems to be releasing a fair amount of CO2 - every time I open the lid to check on things there are bubbles and it burns my nostrils when I take a whiff, which I assume is CO2.

I guess I'm just nervous that the batch may be ruined since every other batch I've made has been done within a week.

 

[heatherd]

I would say as long as it keeps going you are fine.

 

[montanaWineGuy]

What's skittle wine?

I don't measure the SG often. I do notice slow bubbles when the fruit is really cloudy. My apricot wine is spectacular but takes forever to clear, and bubbles very slowly. My guess, gases are being trapped. You might want to stir things, maybe.

 

[sour_grapes]

I tried to find the thread, but my dim recollection is that others have found that Skittles wine takes forever and a day to finish out.

 

[NorCal]

I was thinking that a slow fermentation will allow for nice extraction of the skins, but not sure that holds true with skittles

 

[JohnT]

What is the temperature of the must? You can speed up the fermentation by warming it up a bit.

 

[pete1325]

Does Skittle wine have "must" or "skins"? Are these terms used when making wine from grapes? I think a slow fermentation is okay.....no fermentation is a problem...

 

[NorCal]

Does Skittle wine have "must" or "skins"? Are these terms used when making wine from grapes? I think a slow fermentation is okay.....no fermentation is a problem...

Is it whole cluster skittles or have they been crushed and destemmed? While whole skittle fermentation can be slower, it does result in much better extraction....I say in jest.

 

[Boatboy24]

Is it whole cluster skittles or have they been crushed and destemmed? While whole skittle fermentation can be slower, it does result in much better extraction....I say in jest.

In addition, I usually press immediately after crush. The skins can overwhelm the delicate skittle flavor with tannin and throw off the color.

 

[gwm72513]

So I decided to dump this batch of wine. The SG stopped moving completely and the wine started getting a "chemical" taste to it. As much as dumping out six gallons sucked, I figured it would be best to try again. So I have once again started over.

For those that were wondering, here's a link to the original skittle recipe that I came across:

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11640