Wine brewing temp??

Hi Everyone,

I've been making wine kits for the last few years and in the intructions it always says to brew the wine in temps of 72-75F. Some of the wines have been good, some ok and some are just bad. I typically only buy kits that have at least ~15-18L (4G)of wine juice for a 23L (5G) carboy.

Recently I decided I wanted to experiment more with home brewing and have been trying meads, ciders and fruit wines. Most of the reading I've done has led me to believe that I should be brewing at a lower temp so the yeast doesnt go nuts and produce fusels. So now I'm brewing in my basement at around 68F. Seems like the fermenting takes longer but I think it will be better.

My question is...for my wine kits...maybe I should also brew a little cooler?? Could this help with the final quality a bit more? I can't see why wine kit grape juice would need another set of temperatures separate from every other type of fermented product.

Any thoughts?!

Thanks
E

winemaking, not brewing; there is no elevated-temperature step.

Grapes provide a much better nutrition package for yeast than honey or apple juice, and wines tend to have a pretty complex flavor profile anyway, so you don't have to "baby" your yeast as much as you would for mead. If your kits aren't turning out, it probably isn't because of your fermentation temps.

ErinRae said:

... My question is...for my wine kits...maybe I should also brew a little cooler?? Could this help with the final quality a bit more? ... Any thoughts?!

Click to expand...

Mostly depends on the yeast you use and the conditions that yeast works best in and the results it gives when fermented cooler.
One issue is the possibility of the yeast not performing well at low temp.
But it's not just temp that stresses or stalls yeast, but the pH, the alcohol, the nutrients, and so forth ... so using a yeast suitable to those lower temp ferments and those specific other conditions is a good part of the process.

Basically, do a lot of reading to know specific yeast.
Know which ones perform in a certain way when fermented at lower temps, and how other vinters have traditionally used those specific yeasts in that regard and for what purposes and with which grapes and/or fruit and conditions.