Hi guys new to making wine. I bought a cellermaster 28day cab sav kit (Canada) from costco. It’s the concentrated grape must (juice no fruit) with the oak powder and other add in ingredients such as bentonite, you just add water. It was $100 for the kit and it’s a two pack, each is a 6 gallon kit. I started the process on Saturday but the instructions are not very good and its basically telling me to keep the wine in the primary fermenter for 14 days with a lid or an airlock system until it reaches a SG of less than 0.998. I put a larger lid than the pale will accept so that it does not sit on the rubber grommet, so its not an air tight seal. I understand the yeast needs oxygen to start which is why i put on the lid loose. At any rate I also have a heater running in the room to keep it about 72F since the room was probably at 68F. Based on what they are telling me 99% of the fermentation needs to be completed before transferring to the carboy than mixing in the clearing agents and sulfites and letting the must to clear and settle. Will leaving the wine in the primary for up to 14 days cause any dead yeast cells or bacteria to create any issues with the taste? I will transfer it immediately when it gets to 0.998 as per the kit. So in other words can I trust the kit? One other thing I was thinking of doing was putting an airlock on the primary half way through or when the SG reaches about 1.020 as im worried about oxidation ruining the taste or bacteria (from a starting point of 1.085 roughly). Im trying to follow the wine kit to a T since its my first time just a little worried that some of the vague instructions will ruin the taste, although I did add in a teaspoon of whole black pepper corns to give a bit of a peppery bite which I enjoy I don’t think that will drastically affect the wine or ruin it.
Currently last I checked was yesterday which was Monday just some foaming and slight bubbling like rice crispies in milk (I started on Saturday). I took a SG measurement with the wine thief and noticed very little change. I should also mention the the instructions had me sprinkle the dry yeast and not mix it. I replaced the lid back on in a loose fashion. About two hours later I went to go look and there was rapid foaming and bubbling. I just checked this morning (Tuesday) and now pretty much all the oak and foam and what not that was floating on the top is no longer visible. The wine is basically fizzing slightly, like a freshly poured glass of champagne would. Is this normal? Also should i be mixing the wine? the instructions specifically state not to mix once sprinkling the yeast...but what about once the yeast is no longer floating on top and has appeared to convert the sugars?
Currently last I checked was yesterday which was Monday just some foaming and slight bubbling like rice crispies in milk (I started on Saturday). I took a SG measurement with the wine thief and noticed very little change. I should also mention the the instructions had me sprinkle the dry yeast and not mix it. I replaced the lid back on in a loose fashion. About two hours later I went to go look and there was rapid foaming and bubbling. I just checked this morning (Tuesday) and now pretty much all the oak and foam and what not that was floating on the top is no longer visible. The wine is basically fizzing slightly, like a freshly poured glass of champagne would. Is this normal? Also should i be mixing the wine? the instructions specifically state not to mix once sprinkling the yeast...but what about once the yeast is no longer floating on top and has appeared to convert the sugars?