Primary fermentation questiin

[TheLush]

Hello,

I'm following this recipie:
4 lbs fresh, ripe red tomatoes
2 lbs granulated sugar
3-1/2 qts water
2 tsp acid blend
1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
1/8 tsp grape tannin
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1 crushed Campden tablet
1 pkg Champagne or Montrachet yeast

Boil water and dissolve sugar. Meanwhile, wash and cut fruit into chunks, discarding any bruised or insect-scarred parts. Pour fruit and any juice from cutting into nylon straining bag in primary. Tie bag and squash the fruit. Pour the boiling water with dissolved sugar over fruit. Cover and allow to cool one hour, then add acid blend, tannin, yeast nutrient, and crushed Campden tablet. Stir, recover and after 12 hours add pectic enzyme. Wait another 12 hours and add yeast. Stir twice a day for 7 days. Remove nylon bag and allow to drip drain, adding drained juice to primary; do not squeeze bag. Siphon liquid off sediments into secondary, top up, and fit airlock. Rack every 60 days until wine clears, then wait two weeks and rack again. Add stabilizer, wait 10 days, sweeten to taste with sugar water, then bottle. Wine will mature in one year and should be served chilled. [Adapted from Terry Garey's The Joy of Home Winemaking]

It says to stir twice daily for seven days before racking to secondary. I'm four days in and down to 0.998 SG already. By tomorrow I expect to be at 0.992. Should I transfer to secondary or will the couple of days to get to seven days not hurt the wine? I guess what I'm asking is, how important is the seven days in primary?

 

[richmke]

I have never made this before, but I stayed in a Holiday Inn Express last night ...

If you were making a White Wine kit, then fermenting the sugar is the main purpose of the first 5-7 days. Waiting that time gets most of the sugar fermented.

However, with Reds, extracting goodies from the grape skins is another purpose of the first 5-7 days. By day 5, the skins have given up most of themselves.

In your case, the pulp of the tomatoes is where you are extracting, and maybe the skins. IMHO, I would guess that 5 days gets most of it. Especially since it says "do not squeeze" - implies there is stuff you do not want (bitter seeds?).

 

[TheLush]

Thanks for the reply. This is a white wine when complete. At least it's a yellow color. I've drank tomato wine before but never made it. Would it hurt to allow it to stay in primary for seven days? Seems once fermentation stops there's nothing to protect the wine in the bucket anymore.

 

[richmke]

Put an airlock on. I don't think a day or two is going to hurt the wine at this stage. The dissolved CO2 from the fermentation will help protect the wine.

 

[Floandgary]

Considering that environmental conditions vary quite a bit the world round as well as each vintners styles, the numbers you refer to are strictly a guide. Hence the range from low to high. If SG hits bottom (or wherever you want it), it matters not if it's a couple of days sooner or a week later. As an example (in my experience), most all of the reds I've done can't wait to get fermented rock bottom dry, while the whites usually drag it out up to a week longer. SG is your control

 

[Tenbears]

Time frames within recipes are guideline, fermentation rates can vary greatly with yeasts and temperatures. once the yeast becomes anaerobic there is really no need to stir it, and so with few exceptions there is no need to keep it in a primary. At your current SG levels you would be safe, and probably wise to place in secondary and top up.

 

[TheLush]

Thanks guys. I'll transfer this evening.