When to bottle wine???

How do you know when it is time to transfer the wine from the primary to the secondary? I didn't take any hydrometer readings, its been 2 weeks and the primary is still bubbling once @ 30 seconds

For winemaking, I found it's essential to use my hydrometer. I transfer to secondary when the s.g. is 1.020 or lower. That's about when you want to get whole shebang under airlock, and the wine off the fruit that you are fermenting- this is usually about after 4 days. I don't use an airlock for primary, since the o2 is needed to ferment such a high gravity liquid, and I stir it often to break up the "cap" and keep it moist. If you already are using an airlock, the only reason to move it to secondary is to get it off the lees (sediment) on the bottom. If you have lots of sediment, it should be racked. If not, no reason to rack.

As for the question in your heading, when to bottle, I bottle after it's been in secondary and racked at least 4 times, then aged. The wine should be completely clear, done fermenting, and dropping absolutely no lees. Maybe 6 months for whites, 8 months (or longer) for reds.
Lorena

Does it then need to age in the bottle?

Depends on what you're making. For a big red, yes it needs to age. Maybe a year or more. If it's a fruit wine, maybe 6 months.

Of course, people can and do drink it young. If wines aren't sulfited, they shouldn't be aged anyway since they'll be susceptible to infection and go bad sooner.

I've a bottle of wine at each stage and it does improve with age, but it's mighty enjoyable right away, too. Just make sure you put some away to sample as it ages so you can compare.

Lorena

possibly a stupid question, but do you have to store/age bottled red wine in any particular temperature range?

BeanPot Brewery said:

possibly a stupid question, but do you have to store/age bottled red wine in any particular temperature range?

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If you plan on storing it over time the best conditions are a constant temp (55-60deg F) that doesn't fluctuate beyond a few degrees +/- and in the dark. I can't get my temps that low and store at a slightly higher temp (but still constant and in the dark).

Thanks, Caplan.
I don't think I can find a place that consistently cool either. I guess I'll just do the ebst I can and hope it doesn't screw things up too badly.