Bubbles on top of cider

I made a cider/apple wine 4 weeks ago with pasteurised apple juice, some apple juice extract and safale s-04.

Starting gravity about 1.050 and gravity a week ago was 1.002. It smells OK. Almost like white wine with a touch of apple. And its really clear.

But, there are still some bubbles on top of the cider, and if i look inside the fermentor there are small bubbles coming up from the bottom sediment. The boubles form smal islands on the top and are very small. They don't cover the entire surface though.

Is that normal? Other ciders I have seen had a clean surface after fermentation was done. I mean, it has been 4 weeks now and it doesn't look like the bubbles are going away.

Here are some lousy pictures. Is this normal?

It is most likely CO2 still coming out of solution. Check the gravity for the next three days to see if it is still going down. I suspect it is done though.

RobertRGeorge said:

It is most likely CO2 still coming out of solution. Check the gravity for the next three days to see if it is still going down. I suspect it is done though.

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OK, I hope so. There is no film on the top or anything other that looks like any infection I have ever seen before.

Should I wait and see if the bubbles disappears before i rack to bottling bucket, or can I do that now? Assuming that the gravity readings tell me that it's done fermenting.

It looks really clear. If the gravity is stable I'd bottle it.

RobertRGeorge said:

It looks really clear. If the gravity is stable I'd bottle it.

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Many people say that it's important to let the apple wine sit in the fermenter for a long time.. Is 4 weeks enough? I know it will be getting better over time, but could this time be spent in the bottles instead of in the fermentor?

I've read that sitting on the lees encourages malolactic fermentation. If your juice was not particularly acidic (less than .6%) you needn't bother. Having said that I just bottled an apple wine that I'd aged in gallon jugs for a year. but it has a quite high alcohol content (about 12-14%) and if yours is pure juice it's probably more like 5-6% so I'd say considering the above, go for it.

RobertRGeorge said:

I've read that sitting on the lees encourages malolactic fermentation. If your juice was not particularly acidic (less than .6%) you needn't bother. Having said that I just bottled an apple wine that I'd aged in gallon jugs for a year. but it has a quite high alcohol content (about 12-14%) and if yours is pure juice it's probably more like 5-6% so I'd say considering the above, go for it.

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OK, thanks for the feedback. It was just cheap store bought apple juice + a little bit of apple juice concentrate (og 1.046)

I think i will bottle it this weekend..