Apple Wine Secondary

[ZacMac]

I am fermenting my first apple wine. It will be 4 weeks next weekend, but I may leave some to ferment longer. I have two questions.

First: Has anyone tried not carbonating the apple wine and just bottling with out priming?

Second: I want to rack off 1 gallon to sample with some friends and leave the rest to keep fermenting for another month or two. Has anyone tried this with any luck or problems?

 

[Yooper]

Are you making apple wine, an actual wine made out of apples? Or are you making apfelwein, a cider-like drink? How you treat it depends on what you're making.

 

[ZacMac]

I am making apfelwein. Do you have any suggestions for this?

 

[Bobby_M]

Mine is always done fermenting between 3-4 weeks. It takes about 2 more weeks to clear and another 2 to start tasting great. You don't have to carb it. I don't see a need to secondary. It clears plenty in the primary.

 

[ZacMac]

Thanks Bobby! I appreciate your advice.
As for the fermenting of the apfelwein, should the creation of bubbles
stop completely before fermentation is over or can some still be lingering.

 

[Bobby_M]

If you see bubbles rising, it's still fermenting. You could assume it's just CO2 coming out of solution, but that would really only occur if you bump the carboy or raise the temperature. Also, you'll know it's done when you start seeing it clear up. It appears as "darker" liquid on top and a hazy lighter color on the bottom. Eventually the clear part works it's way down all the way to the trub layer and you know you're ready to rack into keg or into your bottling bucket.

 

[ZacMac]

Great Bobby, thanks for your advice.
I will keep a watchful eye on the "Tiny Bubbles"