Finer Wine Kit snapping the lid

[wineview]

Is there any value in keeping the lid loose for a couple extra days so you can punch down the muslin bags of skins? Seems to me keeping the skins submerged and moist would be a good thing.

 

[Ohio Bob]

Depends where you are in the fermentation. If just starting and the SG is above 1.030 ish, then a loose lid or even a cloth towel is advisable. You need to provide oxygen to the yeast. If below 1.010 ish, CO2 generation will soon start declining. CO2 protects the wine from spoilage bacteria. If you punch down your skins at this point your risking spoilage.

 

[wineview]

I have taken SG down to .996 before snapping the lid. Maybe I’m lucky but never had a spoilage issue. During my primary, the lid is loose and I drape a white flour sack type dish towel soaked in StarSan over the top.

 

[Ohio Bob]

I have taken SG down to .996 before snapping the lid. Maybe I’m lucky but never had a spoilage issue.

There will still be a lot of dissolved CO2 in the wine even with a loose lid. But the more you punch down the cap the more risk of spoilage. I’ve had CO2 stay in the wine until splash racking so maybe you’re at less risk than I thought. Also probably depends on how clean your fermentation area is as well.

 

[wineview]

It’s pretty clean plus I believe the StarSan soaked towel keeps a lot of unwanted critters out.

 

[heatherd]

@wineview No reason not to get as much goodness from the skins and seeds as possible.