So this is what I got going, 9 days ago I mixed up a batch of strawberry wine with 8lbs of strawberries, 10lbs sugar, lV1118 yeast, added yeast energizer and nutrients and beginning gravity was 1.090. I did not put strawberries in a cloth or anything just threw them in my 6 gal carboy and let it be. Checked my gravity tonight and was sitting at 1.000. Ok so my question is that the strawberries pretty much turned to pulp and is still kinda chirning in there...I'm under the assumption that it's still fermenting ? Do I transfer to secondary ? Try to filter it out ? Or just leave it be for a few more days to see what it does ? Thinking maybe the gravity will go down a bit more if I'm correct. Thanks in advance
Newbie question for transferring to secondary
- Thread starter Mapleguy
- Start date
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You can do the first racking any place between 1.020 and "done" (<=0.996). There are numerous reasons for choosing when to rack, but I'll keep it simple by explaining my reasons.
For fruit and white wines, I rack between 1.010 and 1.000, as I want activity. A fine straining bag which separates out the gross pulp makes life easier.
I put the wine into a carboy + extra containers, leaving 6" headspace, as the wine is still fermenting. Completion will take 1 to 2 weeks from this point, depending on numerous factors including temperature and nutrients. I generally don't check SG for a week, as there is plenty of CO2 being emitted so oxidation is not an issue. After fermentation completes, you'll see sediment dropping and compacting.
IME the final SG is between 0.996 and 0.990 (rarely as low as 0.988).
DO NOT filter the wine at this point. Filtering is for polishing -- if you try to filter the wine at this point you'll simply plug and waste filters.
Once fermentation is complete, stirring the wine will degas it. Some folks are totally against this practice, but I find the wine clears much faster with the CO2 eliminated.
For fruit and white wines, I rack between 1.010 and 1.000, as I want activity. A fine straining bag which separates out the gross pulp makes life easier.
I put the wine into a carboy + extra containers, leaving 6" headspace, as the wine is still fermenting. Completion will take 1 to 2 weeks from this point, depending on numerous factors including temperature and nutrients. I generally don't check SG for a week, as there is plenty of CO2 being emitted so oxidation is not an issue. After fermentation completes, you'll see sediment dropping and compacting.
IME the final SG is between 0.996 and 0.990 (rarely as low as 0.988).
DO NOT filter the wine at this point. Filtering is for polishing -- if you try to filter the wine at this point you'll simply plug and waste filters.
Once fermentation is complete, stirring the wine will degas it. Some folks are totally against this practice, but I find the wine clears much faster with the CO2 eliminated.
I like to filter through a nylon press bag some place between 1.005 and 1.020,,,to clean it up
To answer your question is yes, go ahead and rack to a secondary. Do not filter, it will clog up. Next time placing the fruit in a brew bag will be a tremendous help. Racking it will get rid of a lot of the strawberry pulp that is not needed any longer. Let it sit under an airlock until fermentation has completed. I would also swirl the carboy once a day to help with degassing. Getting rid of C02 will aid in the wine settling out better. You will not get rid of all the C02 but you will displace enough out of solution to help the wine clear up better. Once the fermentation has finished and the SG remains stable you can rack into a clean carboy thus getting rid of sediment and lees. This will also be a good time to add potassium metabisulfite and then again every 3 months. You can rack as often as once to every 3 months to help clear the wine further.
I have a straining bag large enough to fit snugly over one of my narrow-ish 7 gallon primary fermenters. I use it when pressing grapes to catch stray chunks, and it works great for pouring fruit through.
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