First attempt

atyeastIgothops said:

. Is wine the same or different than beer as far as shaking/agitating the wine during fermentation? Do I want to agitate the wine to "recirculate" the yeast and sediment that has settled?

Thanks for your help!

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Agitation is good, but it has little to do with recirculating the sediment. A typical scenario for small batches is to start in an open container, much of the time called a primary. Then somewhere near the halfway point of sugar consumption, the must is racked in a rough manner to introduce more air (actually looking for oxygen). It can be racked into a carboy with a bubbler at this point as there should now be enough oxygen to complete the fermentation. You cannot saturate the original must with enough air to 'feed' the yeast for the entire fermentation with the elevated OG of wine, compared to say cider or beer, which can even be a challenge at higher OG's.

With larger batches, I will do a 'pump over', using a vessel like a beer grant. The must flows from a bottom valve of a tank that is setup with elbows that will create a small fountain into the grant. When enough must collects in the grant, it's pumped back into the tank, sometimes up over the top hatch, thus the pump 'over' term. Often this action is taken when sulfur compounds are detecting, as this is the way the yeast tell you that they are starving for nutrients. Oxygen is one of the top nutrients, but it's not unusual to add fermaid or DAP at this point.​