WineXpert Limited Edition Pacific Quartet

[loumik]

I am working on WE Selection Limited Edition/Pacific Quartet.To date I have completed the following steps:

March 21: Primary fermentation. SG: 1.086 Temp: 76f
March 27: Rack to Secondary. SG: 1.010 Temp: 74f
April 10: Added sulphite and sorbate degassed. SG: 0.996 Temp: 75f
April 11: Additional degassing, Added Susse Reserve then isinglass clarifier,
whipped again. SG: 1.002 Temp: 75f
April 30: Racked to clean carboy, added 1/4 tsp K-meta, topped off.

On approx. June 19 I can either bottle or leave to bulk age. I have decided to bulk age.

The problem I have run into, if there is a problem, is that over the past 3-4 days my airlock has started to show activity. I use a 3-piece airlock and the floatpart inside has gone up as high as it can, and a bubble will occassionally form in it. Is this normal or is there a problem?

Thanks for any help.

LOUMIK

 

[jdeere5220]

I think you have to figure out if fermentation has started again or if it's just CO2 release, maybe caused by changing ambient air pressure. I don't know a better way to figure out if it's fermentation than to check with Hydrometer. If your SG is dropping again, then you are fermenting, and I think you will have to hit it with K-Sorbate again to try and shut down those yeast. If this is supposed to be a semi-sweet end-result (sounds like it is) then you might have to back-sweeten again once you kill the ferment.

Before you added the Sulphite, did you check the SG over a few days or a week to be sure fermentation had stopped? I've been giving mine an extra week lately, as in once I think fermentation has stopped I wait one more week, check again, and if still no change then do the next step.

If this is what happened rest assured it's not that unusual, my local ferment-on-premises guy was just showing me a kit that started fermenting again after he was in the clarifying stage.

 

[loumik]

Thanks for your help jdeere5220, I'll check it out. Your suggestion to slow down and give the wine more time is a good one. I do have a tendency to get ahead of myself.

 

[loumik]

I checked the SG when I got home this evening and it is still 1.002 as it was on April 30.
I'm assuming that means fermentation has not restarted and even though I whipped it 8 or 9 times to degass there must still be some CO2 in there. I put my vacuvin on the airlock and pumped it down and got a pretty heavy stream of tiny bubbles.

If I keep at it with the vacuvin and bulk age for at least 6 months do you think it will be ok? When I checked the SG I tasted a sip and it is going to be a very good wine, if you like off-dry wine. It is crystal clear already I'm hoping it will settle out ok.

Any advise or suggestions will be welcomed.

LOUMIK

 

[jdeere5220]

OK, sounds like just some CO2 escaping, no worries. I like using my wife's canning/freezing vacuum to get rid of the gas, seems to work better than agitation to me.

If it's already tasting good to you and the plan is to age for six months, sounds to me like it's going to be more than OK, it's going to be great. Enjoy!