Low S.G. After Primary

[BallardBoy]

A little freaked out at the moment. Making my first batch of wine from a Vino Italiano Tuscany Rosso kit and after 5 days in the primary I'm showing a S.G. of .994 when instructions say should be 1.020 to 1.000. Started at 1.08 and primary has been in a cool room but used a brew belt to compensate.

The question is what should I do? Go ahead and transfer to secondary I would assume but then what? They say to bottle at .998 to .990 when fermentation is done but it seems I'm pretty close. Any suggestions? Thank you!

 

[winemaker_3352]

Yea - i would rack it over - what was the temp of the must? using those brew belts you can really heat things up - that is probably why it was done so quick.

 

[cpfan]

The question is what should I do? Go ahead and transfer to secondary I would assume but then what? They say to bottle at .998 to .990 when fermentation is done but it seems I'm pretty close. Any suggestions? Thank you!

PATIENCE. The wine needs a lot more time. My approach is to watch the calendar, and then check the sg.

In this case, yes you can rack to carboy because the sg is below 1.000. Now wait until the calendar says it is time for the next step. The sg should be good (check it, of course), and continue on.

Rushing wine to completion does not make good wine.

Steve

 

[mxsteve625]

I agree with winemaker. Fermantation was fast. After racking to secondary let it ferment down to .990 and let it sit there for a couple of weeks before stabilizing and fining. Just make sure after fermentation is complete you top of the carboy so you don't have a large airspace.

 

[vinividivici]

I agree with winemaker. Fermantation was fast. After racking to secondary let it ferment down to .990 and let it sit there for a couple of weeks before stabilizing and fining. Just make sure after fermentation is complete you top of the carboy so you don't have a large airspace.

If you are using a plastic bucket, would you top off at the same level before fermentation started? If not, does topping off to the very top of the bucket dilute the final product?

I'm following this thread as I just started a kit yesterday and the fermentation is very vigorous. Also using a ferm wrap on the bucket as my basement temp is ~ 57 (nice for storing the finished bottles, eh?) and the ferm wrap is keeping the temp at ~ 72 average.

Cheers!
Bob

 

[BallardBoy]

I didn't take a temp of the must I'm afraid. Didn't have a thermometer and instructions didn't request it but maybe that is my next purchase. I've read that EC1118 is a vigorous yeast so maybe the belt wasn't necessary for the entire time. Good thing to know.

So, I will rack to the carboy and let it sit there for 6 days as per instructions, checking the SG as I go. At that point rack to carboy, top up and continue on. Thank you all for your instruction!

 

[vinividivici]

I didn't take a temp of the must I'm afraid. Didn't have a thermometer and instructions didn't request it but maybe that is my next purchase. I've read that EC1118 is a vigorous yeast so maybe the belt wasn't necessary for the entire time. Good thing to know.

So, I will rack to the carboy and let it sit there for 6 days as per instructions, checking the SG as I go. At that point rack to carboy, top up and continue on. Thank you all for your instruction!

BB, I saw a post regarding temps and the OP suggested using a laser thermometer. So, I bought one from Harbor Freight, I think, for under $30. I love it. No need to dip a standard thermometer into your batch and try to read it. Just point the laser at the outside of the carboy or bucket and get an instant reading. It's also useful for a hundred other things, too.

Cheers!

Bob

 

[phermenter]

If you are using a plastic bucket, would you top off at the same level before fermentation started? If not, does topping off to the very top of the bucket dilute the final product?

Bob

You don't top up a bucket, because it's only used for primary. And the secondary carboy isn't topped during fermentation, either. You don't top until after you stabilize.

 

[BallardBoy]

Vini, thanks for the suggestion on the laser version! Love that idea!

 

[mxsteve625]

You can get the stick on thermometers for about $1.50 that stick right to your fermentors. You can also get a Hydrometer with a built in thermometer.