Temp control during process

[armypilot]

I am getting ready to make my 2nd batch of wine and I have been reading the directions online of a couple of kits I am thinking of buying from Midwest. Both are saying in the last process to keep the temp between 59 - 66. Not sure how to obtain this. I have a basement but it is around 70. I would have to crank the a/c down a lot to get it to 66. How do most people obtain these temps? Is 70 going to screw it up?

 

[wineforfun]

What do you mean by "in the last process"?
Are they talking about bulk aging? or storing? or.........

I ferment all my wine in 70 degree(plus or minus) temperature and have had no issues. The only wine I have to heat up are ones that I use RC-212 yeast with. It needs the warmth.

 

[salcoco]

ferment in a carboy. place the carboy in a tub of water, about 6 inches worth. add two or m ore frozen bottles of water to the water in the tub every twelve hours. also take an old towel cut a hole in center, drape over carboy. wet the towel and direct a fan onto the towel the evaporation of the water will cool the juice down to 65 deg. keep towel wet .

 

[Floandgary]

To simplify,,,, Reds like to ferment 70-75F range,,,, Whites do just fine in the 60's,, that is they don't require an elevated temp but will not go awry at 70.

 

[armypilot]

The last step I am talking about is sitting in the Carboy for a few months after transferring from Primary fermentation. So long as 70 is good then I am good.

 

[ibglowin]

Since this is a kit wine, you will need to keep the wine warm so it will degas and clear in a decent amount of time. By warm we are talking 70-74F. After the wine has degassed and cleared then cooler is always better as far as bulk aging and long term storage.

 

[Noontime]

We live in Southern FL and have to cool almost every wine we make (our ground water is 82 degrees). We've learned that fermentation temperature plays a pretty important role in the flavors yeast help produce and the amount of esters and such that get blown off (if too warm). We do exactly as Salcoco said, although we use a lot more water. Just change out the frozen bottles once or twice a day to keep the temp low. At 70 you're probably good for any kit you make.

 

[wineforfun]

The last step I am talking about is sitting in the Carboy for a few months after transferring from Primary fermentation. So long as 70 is good then I am good.

You will be good to go.

 

[ErikM]

I use an immersion cooler. Its a wort cooler but for wine. The immersion part is a coil of stainless steel tubing. I use a $10 fountain pump to pump ice water from a cooler (filled with ice). I have a temp controller that controls the pump. The temp sensor is submerged in the fermenting juice. It works great. I am just finishing a long cold riesling fermentation. I was going thru about 20lb of ice every day.

 

[DoctorCAD]

Never worried about it with kit wines, they are pretty bulletproof.

 

[vacuumpumpman]

I think you should be fine - in that temperature range.

There are alot of folks that can not even get it down to 70 degrees - they have to use air conditioners in order to keep that room at a specified temp and all.