Issue with Fermentation

[Antonio58]

Pressed my grapes (Zinfandel) last Saturday and are now in Demjohns fermenting nicely, my only concern is the stuff that has floated to the top. Is this normal, there is no foul smell I'm waiting for the fermentation to stop so I can rack the wine. I usuallwait up to 60 days to do my first racking, but I'm thinking I need to do this a lot sooner. Any thoughts or advice

 

[winemaker81]

The photo looks like grape solids. I line the receiving bucket with a fine straining bag, to catch the chunks. I'd rack off the grape solids within a week.

 

[Rice_Guy]

I agree that it looks like grape skins. I run a wine / must through a fine mesh nylon straining bag if I am cleaning gross solids. If you were in a big mouth bubbler I would say take a 3” kitchen sieve and pull it every day as it floats up. ,,, I can get a 1/2 oz ladle in my demijohn. You might look around for a small sauce ladle.

 

[ChuckD]

If it’s still fermenting I would pour it all into a bucket lined with a straining bag then gather up the solids, press out the liquid, and return the wine to a carboy.

 

[Antonio58]

Thanks for all the input, I was going to wait till fermentation stopped and a hydrometer reading of .992 then rack wine. Hopefully within the next couple of days

 

[winemaker81]

Thanks for all the input, I was going to wait till fermentation stopped and a hydrometer reading of .992 then rack wine. Hopefully within the next couple of days

Many wines do not have a final gravity that low. Generally speaking, if the SG <= 0.998 and doesn't change for 3 days, fermentation is considered complete.