Worried about Fermentation Stalling after First Night

[JoaniB]

I started my very first kit last night and left it in my insulated garage, off the floor. I was unable to get quite the right lid for my bucket, so I got a lid that turned out to be just a tad too small and placed a towel on top of it and strapped it down (see previous question in the 'Lid or No Lid' thread).

This morning, I went to check on it and am a bit concerned, in my newbiness, that it's not fermenting properly. It smelled alright, a bit yeasty, a bit winey, but the bucket was cool to touch and there was no bubbling sound coming from it. I didn't dare take a look inside.

Am I worrying prematurely? Could fermentation have already stalled? What signs should I be looking for? Will a thermometer and SG reading tell me if something's really wrong? Should I take readings tonight when I punch down the grape bag?

Everything seemed to be going so well last night...

 

[robie]

It can easily take up to 72 hours for a fermentation to start, so don't worry.

When it starts, you will hear fizzing and see tiny bubbles, like what you get when you open a can of coke.

Don't know what type of wine you are making, since you didn't mention it. It helps for us to know.

You can go to places like Wal-Mart and Target to their bakery departments and they will give you more food grade buckets and lids than you can carry away. The dough and cake icing come in them. They are typically 1, 2, 3, or 5 gallon containers and they make great fermenters.

If one fermenter is not big enough, split the wine into two smaller fermenters.

 

[JoaniB]

Thank you so very much! I am making the Zinfandel from Glad Hatter, and you're right, I should have mentioned that first. The temperature was a balmy 23C and SG was 1.096 (sounds like the start of a detective novel).

 

[robie]

That's a good temperature, so it should start soon.

Good luck with your wine making.

 

[ShaunDanz]

What type of yeast are you using. I find that Lalvin EC-1118 usually starts within 12 hours but when I use Lalvin RC-212 it doesn't usually get "fizzing" for at least 24 hours.

 

[JoaniB]

Hi, Shaun,

The yeast that came with was the Lalvin EC-1118. Thank you for the information, though: I'll remember that if I ever use the 212!

 

[ShaunDanz]

JoanieB,

Did fermentation ever start?

Shaun

 

[JoaniB]

Well, I checked this morning and there was a mass of small bubbles on top. It didn't look like a bubbling pot per se (or even a simmering one), so I'm hoping things are more active when I get home tonight.

The temperature of the must had dropped by about 3 degrees (celcius) last night. I wrapped a towel around the bucket and will record the temperature again today. The book I am reading says to hold off a full-blown panic (my own words) until 'about the third day' (the book's words) when it should be bubbling happily.

 

[ShaunDanz]

Temperature will play a big part in the speed of fermentation. 20C is a little on the cool side, especially for a Zin. It's going to ferment, but it's going to take considerably longer.

For my reds, I keep a fermentation heater on my carboys set to 78 degrees F and then wrap a blanket around it. I keep it at that temperature until I stabilize and degas. With my whites I only keep the fermentation heater on it for a day and then let it ferment at a cooler temperature.

 

[JoaniB]

According to this link, I could even be doing something moderately right (totally by accident, of course). Under Fermentation Kinetics, the writer talks about starting cool and then warming up, so perhaps that's what this Zin is doing?

Anyways, I'll keep this updated with how things are going.

 

[JoaniB]

So... Strange situation and the internet, for once, is little help!

What is happening if my SG is rising (started at 1.096 and is now at 1.112)?

 

[robie]

Possibly the must and added water were not mixed up well, but now they finally have integrated. Or, if a grape pack was added, it takes a good stirring and about 24 hours before an accurate SG can be taken.

The must from the kit bag does not easily mix with any added water. One really needs to stir it well.

 

[JoaniB]

Hi, Robie! I have great news. I gave the yeast a little pep-talk last night, and things are doing much better.

The temperature is doing well, and the SG is down to 1.090. Whew!

When I looked in today, fermentation was happy and active! Also, I bought a new wine thief and it is so much easier to use than my last one.

 

[JoaniB]

I'm into day 11, and the fermentation continues, perhaps a bit slowly, but the SG is going down reliably. I tried a little yesterday, and it still tasted a bit... er, higher alcohol than what I'm used to. Not as grape-juice as earlier, but still not quite wine.

I'm wondering, will the time in-carboy for second fermentation, etc. make changes to the taste? I can only assume so because there's still so much to do (not because it tastes a certain way right now).

 

[robie]

Once the wine finishes fermentation, if you taste it and expect it to have a finished wine taste, you will be very disappointed. New, young wine tastes very tart and not very fruity. As the wine ages, the qualities you expect should start coming through.

By tasting, especially at this point, it is hard to tell if the alcohol is high or not. There are so many balance issue and youthfulness, just don't worry about such things.

 

[DoctorCAD]

Now the hard part.

Don't touch it for 79 more days (assuming that you have done all the additions and racked into a carboy already).

Bottle and wait another 6 months before even trying one bottle.

 

[JoaniB]

Racking and additions (not necessarily in that order, have to read the instructions again) are to occur this weekend, and yeah, I will have to sit on my hands for a while.

The temptation is worsened by my sudden declaration before friends (so, heard and witnessed) that a wine party would be just a great idea.

Also, thanks, Robie. As this is my first kit, I'm still learning what it will taste like through the different stages. Your advice has been so great for calming my concerns. Like a wine-making-newbie whisperer.

 

[robie]

Racking and additions (not necessarily in that order, have to read the instructions again) are to occur this weekend, and yeah, I will have to sit on my hands for a while.

The temptation is worsened by my sudden declaration before friends (so, heard and witnessed) that a wine party would be just a great idea.

Also, thanks, Robie. As this is my first kit, I'm still learning what it will taste like through the different stages. Your advice has been so great for calming my concerns. Like a wine-making-newbie whisperer.

It is good that you taste this and every future wine at each stage. This way, you will better know what to expect. Once you have tasted several wines right after it clears, you will begin to have a good idea about how it will turn out.

Don't get into a hurry to bottle, regardless of the instructions. Let the wine set in the carboy for a few months to give it time to drop out all the sediment. Otherwise, you will end up with sediment in your bottles.

Good luck!

 

[DoctorCAD]

This article, written by a guy that works for a kit wine maker, is a great read.

Gives answers to lots of questions and answers some thing you never even thought about.

http://winemakermag.com/stories/kit/article/indices/25-kit-winemaking/459-make-your-kit-wine-shine

 

[JoaniB]

To ask elsewhere