Is the start of Wine fermentation more subtle then Beer??

[davefr]

I'm making my first ever batch of wine.

I pitched my Wine yeast 24 hours ago and see millions of tiny bubbles and it smells very pungent. However I don't see a cap pushing up or lots of foaming activity like I'm used to with beer.

Is this normal at the 24 hr point?

I'm sure I did everything right in terms of yeast qty, hydration and am keeping must temp between 70-75 degrees.

If I made a mistake it was pitching after 12 hrs of SO2 soak vs 24 hrs. but that's what my supplier recommended.

What should be the signs of fermentation at the 24-36 hr point?

TIA

 

[beninan]

bubbles and smells are the sign of fermentation. for most wines, no krausen (edit: very little) will be present. Sounds like it's fermenting very well.

 

[davefr]

bubbles and smells are the sign of fermentation. for most wines, no krausen will be present. Sounds like it's fermenting very well.

OK thanks!!

 

[brazedowl]

Out of curiosity... what kind of wine?

 

[davefr]

Out of curiosity... what kind of wine?

Cab Sav.

 

[brazedowl]

Kit or fresh?

 

[firewa11]

I think the first time I brewed cider I realized that wine (especially mead) is much slower at fermenting than ciders or beers. During the first week of active I'd get a bubble or two every few seconds. With cider, it looked like someone rigged an air compressor up to the bucket and turned it on. The lid was expanded out, and I couldn't count the bubbles they were coming so fast.

My understand is that's perfectly normal for cider and beer, but for wine, a slower fermentation process is typical.

 

[davefr]

Kit or fresh?

The Cab Savs were fresh from Columbia River Valley.

I tried a few kits in the past and wasn't too impressed. IMHO they were like a $5 bottle of wine.

I'm hoping using high quality/just picked grapes I can get much better quality then kits.

Tomorrow I'm also going to pick 100 lbs of Pinot Noir grapes to try now that I have a spare fermenter.

 

[larrybrewer]

You should see a cap forming which needs to be punched down. My pinot noir fermentation was literally roaring when I put my ear over the bucket. It made the room and part of the hallway smell great.