Welches Grape concentrate Wine when to move from Primary to Carboy (Secondary)?

[JimC]

Okay my 1st wine has made it from OG of 1.1 (3/16/13) to SG of 1.024 (3/20/13). I thought somewhere I read wait until below 1.005 to move to Carboy and airlock but being the newbie I wanted to make sure I do the right thing. The Yeast is still bubbling actively, so when should I move it?

thx Jim

 

[saramc]

Welcome to the forum Jim!

This is what works for me...I transfer any non-kit concentrate based wines out of primary (bucket, no airlock) when OG has dropped by 2/3, or no later than Day 8--whichever comes first. Typically this occurs within 3-5-8 days but as you will find out variables will come into play like yeast, fruit, nutrients, temperature, starting gravity, etc. I really do not pay attention to how fast and furious the must may or may not be bubbling in the bucket, and I never count airlock bubbles per minute, but I always use and rely upon my hydrometer.

Your OG was 1.1_ _, two digits missing, always express your SG in terms of x.xxx. I would say you can go ahead and transfer to carboy and apply airlock. The protective layer of CO2 will start to dwindle soon enough.

In your example of waiting until SG was 1.005, what if that was a high gravity must that died off at 1.010? You would be waiting and waiting while your wine oxidizes. Always safer to transfer when the OG has dropped by a certain %, some use 50%, some 66%, some 75%. You do not have to be right on the nose, just in the ballpark.

Cheers, Sara

 

[JimC]

Sara,
Thanks for the guidance!... So OG was 1.100 and SG is now at 1.024 is that a 76% drop?

 

[Julie]

Hi JimC,

When you rack from primary to secondary can be done in a couple of different ways. Some like to keep the must in the primary and stir once or twice daily with a loose lid or towel covering until SG is down to around 1.010 then rack to carboy and then there are others who like to snap down the lid and add an airlock once sg is down to 1.010 and ferment to dry in primary before racking to secondary. Both methods are fine.

Also, your sg was pretty high which will give you a 13% - 14% ABV. Not sure if this was your intenetion but fruit wines and Welch's concentrate have a better flavor if the alcohol isn't so high.

What was your recipe?

 

[JimC]

Julie thanks for the input ... I actually started with lid lockled down for day one but then read lots of folks just lay the lid on with no airlock so i did removed airlock and loose lid covered. I just measured SG again and now at 1.014 so i guess close enough to rack to secondary carboy by with either school of though..... I assume no chemical make up just rerack to carboy and let it sit another 4-6weeks with airlock and Meta in teh airlock..? Oh and my recipie used was from the Keller one i posted on other post going...

 

[Julie]

JimC,

I apologize, t wasn't very clear on my comment, when I stated about locking down the primary it was when your sg was about where you are at right now.

Yes a lot will rack to a carboy at this point but you will need to watch for fermentation to be completed after you rack to carboy and rack again and add k-meta when it is done fermenting.

 

[JimC]

Okay I just got around to racking to primary and it was at SG of 1.004 to 1.006... Now in Carboy and air lock bubbling about every 3-4 seconds ... Now for this baby to sit for some time... Does this look full enough?

 

[Julie]

since it is still fermenting, yes it is but once fermentation is complete it would need to be a little fuller.

If you were going to backsweeten, you could stablize and backsweeten that would probably give you the level that you would need.