Super fast ferment - any concerns?

[Brandon M]

Bottom line questions: Should I be worried about a super-fast fermentation (just over 2 days to 0.988 SG)? How fast should I move to secondary?

Two days ago I pitched Red Star Premier Classique yeast into a gallon of mashed grape must freshly picked from my front yard vine (after the usual 24-hour rest with a campden tablet). Starting SG was 1.084, Brix 20.4, pH 3.5; I added yeast nutrient, acid blend for proper pH, pectic enzyme, and 2 cups of water and 8 oz sugar to get the SG I wanted (1.061 SG before sugar; I prefer sweeter wines).

According to my measurements, in just 56 hours I've hit 13% ABV - the typical tolerance of that yeast strain. Refractometer says Brix 6; hydrometer shows my current SG as 0.988. There's no more bulk foaming, although there are still some bubbles in the skins and cap when I stir it. (The photo of the must is an hour after stirring.)

The room temp is 76 deg; I don't know what the must temp has been. I do know my daughter had the stove on next to the bucket on the first night, and probably warmed it up several degrees just as the yeast was getting happy.

I used a full packet of yeast, so probably way more than I really needed. I strictly follow the yeast packet instructions for hydration.

Are there any concerns? Should I do anything different next time?

Should I:
- let it rest on the skins for a few days for complexity and flavor?
- decap it and let the juice sit for a couple more days in primary?
- go ahead to secondary right away?

(I'm fairly new to winemaking; this is my fifth or sixth batch. See my "Hello World!" post from yesterday.)

 

[winemaker81]

No concerns. Yeast needs time to build up a sufficient colony, then it starts eating for real. A 5g packet of yeast is good for 6 gallons of juice -- you used it in 1 gallon of must. You used 6 to 8 times as much as necessary, which means the colony started big and didn't need much time to hit critical mass.

You don't need to make any changes. However, if you get a fine measurement scale, you could scale the yeast back to 1 to 2 g for the batch. You need to seal the remainder well and refrigerate.

You may consider making larger batches. You're getting very few bottles from each batch, and they will be gone very quickly. It's something to consider.

 

[BigDaveK]

I usually eyeball a half packet of yeast for a 1 gallon batch. I guess I could even go with less but why bother.

Yup, not a problem. I think we've all had super fast ferments and even super slow. I usually assume that all the variables align just right, the yeast are very happy and go crazy. And besides, they're going to do what they want.

 

[winemaker81]

I'd rather have fast than slow, as at least we know it's working!

 

[Brandon M]

No concerns. Yeast needs time to build up a sufficient colony, then it starts eating for real. A 5g packet of yeast is good for 6 gallons of juice -- you used it in 1 gallon of must. You used 6 to 8 times as much as necessary, which means the colony started big and didn't need much time to hit critical mass.

You don't need to make any changes. However, if you get a fine measurement scale, you could scale the yeast back to 1 to 2 g for the batch. You need to seal the remainder well and refrigerate.

You may consider making larger batches. You're getting very few bottles from each batch, and they will be gone very quickly. It's something to consider.

Trust me, I'd LOVE to make a larger batch. I'd hoped for 2 gallons, but the deer found my grapes one freaking day before harvest. I'll add higher fencing next year.

 

[Brandon M]

No concerns. Yeast needs time to build up a sufficient colony, then it starts eating for real. A 5g packet of yeast is good for 6 gallons of juice -- you used it in 1 gallon of must. You used 6 to 8 times as much as necessary, which means the colony started big and didn't need much time to hit critical mass.

You don't need to make any changes. However, if you get a fine measurement scale, you could scale the yeast back to 1 to 2 g for the batch. You need to seal the remainder well and refrigerate.

You may consider making larger batches. You're getting very few bottles from each batch, and they will be gone very quickly. It's something to consider.

One nice thing about smaller batches: I can iterate faster to learn faster. A bottle lasts me a week or so, and if I had a couple dozen bottles, I'd only need to make a couple batches per year. It would take a LONG time at that rate to figure out this rather complex and fascinating art/hobby/skill/discipline/science.

After a couple more years of learning, I'll probably scale up a bit, and make enough to give some away too.

 

[Brandon M]

To reiterate part of my original question: should I:
- let it rest on the skins for a few days for complexity and flavor?
- decap it and let the juice sit for a couple more days in primary?
- go ahead to secondary right away?

 

[Ohio Bob]

It’s quite common to seal the carboy/jug with an airlock and leave it for 2 weeks. Some do longer but you take the risk. When you decide to unseal the carboy to press the skins, also add Kmeta at a rate of 1/4 tsp per 5 gallons. The wine is still full of dissolved CO2 gas and is thus protected against spoilage. It’s also not uncommon to stir/whip the wine to get the gas out. Although it’s also very common to leave the gas and let time do the job. If you bottle in a year, most likely you do not need to whip it.

 

[FlamingoEmporium]

At that SG I would move to secondary. id also be tempted to take your must and add some juice and sugar and make a second lighter batch of something.

 

[winemaker81]

Trust me, I'd LOVE to make a larger batch. I'd hoped for 2 gallons, but the deer found my grapes one freaking day before harvest. I'll add higher fencing next year.

Venison is delicious.

You can get a spray that is effective for driving deer and rabbit away.

 

[BigDaveK]

Been using Liquid Fence to protect my hostas and day lilies from deer. Works great! Smells bad only for the first day. Keep dogs away - they love the smell and will need a bath.

 

[BigDaveK]

After a couple more years of learning, I'll probably scale up a bit

Some day you'll laugh at this. I'll say 6 months, 8 tops.

 

[DansWinemaking]

I wish I had found this thread before I opened mine. Same thing but with Merlot concentrate. Fermented in 3.5 days with a 13% ABV. I racked to glass to get off the lees. What did you end up doing in terms of time for the secondary ferment in the glass?
Did I mention what a great site this is? Helpful people and many lessons learned.
Dan

 

[Jusatele]

there is a great book that is written for beer brewers that covers nothing but yeast. I normally is sold at most home brew stores.
Any way, it goes over the process of how yeast infects a batch of fermentable liquid till the end, explaining the life cycle of yeast.
Fast fermentation, as mentioned above, means you pitched a lot more yeast than you normally would and it finished sooner because the population was well expanded. Now consider what is called a yeast starter. you take a small amount of wort, (must in wine talk), and pitch yeast in a lab type atmosphere and let it super populate the culture, then pitch that. The benefit is the fermentation started earlier and finishes faster. It is a common practice. That book also goes deep into capturing yeast, and creating strains.
Good luck

 

[Jusatele]

To reiterate part of my original question: should I:
- let it rest on the skins for a few days for complexity and flavor?
- decap it and let the juice sit for a couple more days in primary?
- go ahead to secondary right away?

by the time it is ready to press those skins, most of the fermentation is done and getting a wild yeast infection is rare. And with the elevated percentage of alcohol if you are using good sanitation it is a small chance of a bacteria infection.