Jgmann67 -You're a man after my own heart. I went through all the same stuff you are when we first started, reading everything I could find, watching every YouTube video and fretting over every decision. What I eventually came to understand is that most of the time it doesn't matter very much. There are usually several different ways to do each step, each of which have ardent supporters that will argue to the death to prove their way is best but in the end most of the approaches work reasonably well. The differences usually come down to opinions and personal preferences.
For example: Snapping down the lid and using an airlock. This is absolutely the safest most sure fire way to get through the primary fermentation stage in good shape. It provides the best protection against outside contaminants. Fruit flies can't get in. Microbes can't get in. If the dog or the kid walks by they can't cause a spill if they bump into it, nor can they reach over and take a drink or toss in a toy.
The downside of using an airlock is that in the first few days of fermentation some batches can be very active and foamy to the point that some of the wine can blow out through the airlock and make a mess. We've had maybe 1 out of 6 kits that had a minor problem with this and got a little crud in the airlock or on the lid. We've only had one that went full on geyser and sprayed everything in a 3 foot radius. Some people opt to leave the airlock out for the first few days and just cover the opening with a cloth or something that will let the CO2 pass but keep most contaminates out. If you get some foam being forced out it won't be under a lot of pressure so no wine volcano.
Other people like to just cover the top with a cloth, open it up every day to see how things are going, take an SG reading and play with their wine by giving it a good stir. The theory being that this provides the yeast with more oxygen which will help it reproduce better thereby causing the yeast less stress that can produce off flavors. Some people swear that this produces better wine but I think it is just a good excuse to play with your wine
In reality all of these approaches seem to work just fine. During active fermentation a lot of CO2 glass is being given off which is heavier than oxygen so it will settle on top of the wine forcing the oxygen out of the bucket and produce a productive "blanket" that will shield the wine from the air above.
The thing to keep in mind is that the kit manufacturer has made each one of the kits they sell probably hundreds of times before they ever release it for sale. They have tweaked their process and instructions to maximize each kit makers chances for success. They have a reason for each recommendation and they certainly would not incur extra expense by including anything in the kit that they didn't think was necessary. A beginning winemaker would be wise to follow the instructions as close as possible in order to maximize their odds for success. I'm sure that the kit manufactures may on occasion recommend the safest course of action over a more risky course that might produce a minor incremental improvement in the final taste. But honestly, a beginning winemaker probably doesn't have a sophisticated enough pallet to taste the difference. Just be diligent about keeping everything clean and sanitized, minimize exposure to oxygen after the first few days and follow the kit instructions and you will make a good batch of wine. Then as you gain more experience you can start to make tweaks to see if you can improve the results. At least that's my philosophy.
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have been known to be incorrect.
