Wow! Fast primary fermentation

[the_chalk_outline]

Hi guys.

I'm new to the forum and to winemaking so please bear with me until I get the jargon right.

I'm trying out on a six bottle California Connoisseur Shiraz kit to get into the swing of things.

I followed the instructions on the kit but when I took my first hydrometer reading it was 1.062 against an expected OG of 1.085. I checked it in water and got 1.000 so I'm relatively happy that it's calibrated ok.

I quickly read up on this and chaptalisation seemed to be the way ahead. I found a table that suggested I add 4oz of sugar to bring the OG up. So I stirred in the sugar, pitched the yeast and all was good.

I had a very active fermentation after about 12 hours and this continued for about 2 days then calmed down. By day 7 the airlock had stopped bubbling so I prepared for racking to my secondary. However when I checked the SG again I got 0.995

Have I killed my wine? I've gone ahead and racked it over but I'm getting no activity at all in there. I can't see any bubbles at all.

Your help would be appreciated.

Cheers

TCO

 

[Bearpaw]

Hey,
Nice to meet you and welcome on the forum!
You're wine is ok, but if you want to know for sure, you should do an alcohol test then. If it says that you have 12/13 % then your wine is ready, if not, you should add some yeast again so it will start again.

Good luck,
Bear


"Wines are like dreams, you will feel it in the morning when you got to much of it (Maurice, Vin de la famille, 2013)"

 

[the_chalk_outline]

The alcohol test? Is that the one where I pour a couple of glasses and have my wife drink them? If she then stops giving me a hard time for having wine fermenting in the upstairs cupboard does that mean there's enough alcohol

I'm just nervous about missing out the secondary stage. If all fermentation is complete am I going to put my wine at risk by having it sit in the secondary fermenter doing nothing at all, not even clearing.

If it's complete shall I begin the stabilisation and degassing process straight away?

 

[Bearpaw]

Hey,

I wish I had such winetester
An alchoholtest is a small glass object when you poor a few drops of wine in (vinometer). Wait a month or so until the wine is cleared. Then check the alcohol. Just let it rest for now.

Good luck
- bear


"Wines are like dreams, you will feel it in the morning when you got to much of it (Maurice, Vin de la famille, 2013)"

 

[the_chalk_outline]

Thanks fella

 

[Julie]

Hi the_chalk_outline,

welcome to winemakingtalk. to calculate your ABV take your sg - fg multiply by 131. After adding the additional sugar what was your starting gravity? .995 says it is dry but there is a chance it will go lower.

 

[the_chalk_outline]

Hi Julie

Thanks for the welcome

It was 1.085 before I pitched and 0.995 after primary fermentation. That's 11.8 %ABV (so far) and it certainly smells like it.

The temperature was 25C throughout.

 

[Julie]

you have an ABV of 11.79% I would leave it go for a couple of weeks and then check it again.

 

[the_chalk_outline]

So why do you think it's gone so high during Primary? The temperature is stable in that cupboard and it's inside the range specified by the instructions. I must have gotten hungry yeast!

Is this a case of too much sugar, then too much alcohol killing off the yeast?

 

[Julie]

I'm not sure on what you mean by "so high during Primary" You did not did not have too much sugar nor did alcohol kill off the yeast. Your starting gravity was a good number and you are currently down to .995, this is considered done but your wine can still ferment drier. Just give it some more time, the worst part of winemaking is the waiting.

 

[DBAKER]

I don't want to hi-jack this thread but I have a similar thing going on. I had started 5 gal of Niagara and checked the s.g. yesterday and it was 1.00. Wow, never had this happen before. Into the secondary and as of today, 24 hours later there is no activity. It tastes ok but the color is off from what I expected. Are you advising me as well to wait and see ? Thanks in advance.

 

[sour_grapes]

Chalk: it may calm your nerves to know there is no real difference between "primary" and "secondary" fermentation as used by your kit instructions. The idea of "secondary" is that you move the wine to a vessel that allows less air contact, so less chance of oxidizing. That is all. It is the same process, the same fermentation going on, so you didn't miss out on some magic of secondary. You are in good shape -- just be patient as Julie suggests.

 

[the_chalk_outline]

* sits on hands

 

[cpfan]

* sits on hands

Good approach for a wine maker. Unless you want to start a second batch.

My experience with Vineco kits like California Connoisseur is that they usually ferment down to .992. However, I have never made the 1 gallon kit because they aren't sold in Canada. (They briefly sold a 1 gallon Ken Ridge Classic kit and I made a Shiraz, but I didn't write down the specific gravities, if I took them.)

Re the starting sg of 1.062. Did you stir well (vigorously) before taking the reading? If not, you may have had layering, ie more concentrate on the bottom, and more water on the top. Thus if you just floated the hydrometer on the top, you would get a lower reading.

Steve

 

[the_chalk_outline]

I did give it a stir yes but what you say makes sense. More stir required next time.

 

[the_chalk_outline]

OK So I tested it again this morning and I'm down to 0.992. That's as far down as I want to go.

I've racked it and started the degassing and clearing process. The way I see it, I want it safe and sound in bottles to start ageing rather than sitting in a fermenter making alcohol I don't need. Smells good!

Your thoughts??

Cheers

 

[Geronimo]

In my experience, the lower the SG the faster (and lower) the FG will conclude. For a wine of 12%, you're right on schedule. For the ones that are 15% or higher you really have to baby sit them.

You've run out of sugars in the mix so the yeast will just drop out now. They can't keep going without sugar.

 

[the_chalk_outline]

Yes there wasn't much in the way of lees in the bottom of the secondary.

I did the calculations and came out with an ABV of 13.5% which is perfect.

It's had 3 lots of degassing now and is looking good. I'll do the same tomorrow then add the stabilizer and clearing agent then put it away until next weekend at least. Then it's off to bottles with it all!

 

[the_chalk_outline]

Had a quick taste prior to bottling this batch. It had an OK flavour but was a bit harsh on the alcohol side, leaving a buzz on the tongue.

Body was a bit on the low side too.

I'll put it away now for a few months and do a proper taste test in the summer.

Cheers