Fermentation Bin

[gazzy3005]

Hi all, I'm a first time wine maker and poster, so be gentle.
I am trying out a wine kit to get myself started. I have demijohns with bungs and airlocks and a 25l fermentation Bin. The bin lid doesn't have a hole for an airlock. If I'm making a 30 bottle kit in the bin does it need an airlock? If so I'll drill a hole and secure one but if it doesn't need one, I won't bother.

Thanks all. Gaz.

 

[pumpkinman2012]

Gaz,
Starting with a kit to get use to the wine making process isn't a bad idea.
If you are making a 30 bottle kit is probably going to be 23 liters, a 25 liter fermenter is cutting is very close, however, to answer your question, most people use an airlock, if you do drill a hole, make sure that you get a rubber grommet to hold the airlock, it might just be easier to purchase a 7 or 8 gallon fermenting bucket that has a lid pre drilled.
Is the airlock absolutely necessary?
It is not absolutely necessary, it will help you to gauge when fermentation is slowing down, but using a hydrometer is much more accurate, and highly recommended. If you go with the lid on the fermenter, make sure it is on loosely so the CO2 being produced has somewhere to go or you may have a lid that pops off.
When making wine from fresh grapes, most of my batches are made in 32 gallon brutes (food grade) with lids that snap on but are still loose fitting, no airlock, While the wine is fermenting and actively producing CO2, it will blanket the the wine and protect it.

 

[gazzy3005]

Brilliant. Thank you very much for your quick reply. I do have a hydrometer as well. I don't think that the lid to the bin is airtight when sealed so I would imagine that the gas could escape through the seal. I may look at getting hold of a lid with the hole already in it then. With it being my first time, I'd like to see how the fermentation process speeds up and slows down, just for the experience so that I can see what's going on.

 

[DoctorCAD]

Id say just the opposite, most people just loosly cover primary fermentation. In your case, with so little room, there is a good chance you would pop the lid right off.

 

[gazzy3005]

Ok, DoctorCAD, you would suggest that an airlock is a bit of a must with not a lot of room.

 

[DoctorCAD]

Ok, DoctorCAD, you would suggest that an airlock is a bit of a must with not a lot of room.

Only for primary fermentation. When your must hits 1.020 or less, rack it to the carboy and airlock it.

 

[pumpkinman2012]

If you rack at 1.020, you run the risk of a stuck fermentation, why rack it until it is fermented to dry?

 

[DoctorCAD]

If you rack at 1.020, you run the risk of a stuck fermentation, why rack it until it is fermented to dry?

Uhh, first I have ever heard that. Guess I have been lucky in 5 years of racking.

 

[pumpkinman2012]

Well, let me be the first to tell you then, it happens more often than you would believe, if it hasn't happened to you in 5 years, that is great, but why risk it?

 

[gazzy3005]

Oh god, you're running into racking and hydrometer talk now, that all really scares me. I'll be honest and I bodged an airlock into the lid. It's holding and working, which is great. The gas that is bubbling out of it I think may have blown the lid off! ;-)
Is there any kind of rule about how long I should rack a kit bottle of wine for to get it at its best, or should the missus just do in all of it within a few weeks?

 

[DoctorCAD]

Well, let me be the first to tell you then, it happens more often than you would believe, if it hasn't happened to you in 5 years, that is great, but why risk it?

I read this and other winemaking forums and can't ever recall someone stalling a fermentation due to racking. Poor nutrients or bad SG or too high alcohol or "no bubbles in my airlock", sure, but simply because of racking???

 

[DoctorCAD]

Oh god, you're running into racking and hydrometer talk now, that all really scares me. I'll be honest and I bodged an airlock into the lid. It's holding and working, which is great. The gas that is bubbling out of it I think may have blown the lid off! ;-)
Is there any kind of rule about how long I should rack a kit bottle of wine for to get it at its best, or should the missus just do in all of it within a few weeks?

Follow the instrucions to the letter for your first couple of kits. Learn what and (most importantly) why you do what you do when it is required. After you understand what is happening, its pretty easy to "judge" when to do the required steps.

 

[RegarRenill]

I read this and other winemaking forums and can't ever recall someone stalling a fermentation due to racking. Poor nutrients or bad SG or too high alcohol or "no bubbles in my airlock", sure, but simply because of racking???

I stalled a bochet mead last year, but I racked WAAAY too early (it was only my 2nd batch, ever) at 1.04. Tried restarted with and acclimated starter, nada. I stabilized it and am using it in some blended pyments made from Welch's concentrate wine ;-) was using ex-1118 shooting for 17% and had proper nutrients and degassing. I racked early becuSe I wanted the bucket for the next batch...so instead I tied up a carboy for a year -.-

 

[botigol]

From what I recall, stalled fermentation from racking is generally also accompanied with low/poor nutrient content at the time of racking. Mead seems to be a whole different animal in this regard. That said, I think that 1.020 is too high for wine. I don't think that I have racked above 1.005. My thought process is that you want some CO2 to protect the wine after the transfer, but you also want to leave the gross lees behind. In order to leave as much of the gross lees as possible behind, you have to wait and since CO2 will continue coming out of solution, even after fermentation completes, it is better to wait until the SG is low or until the wine is even completely dry. I have seen a LOT of opinions on this subject, but this is my $0.02.

 

[botigol]

Follow the instrucions to the letter for your first couple of kits. Learn what and (most importantly) why you do what you do when it is required. After you understand what is happening, its pretty easy to "judge" when to do the required steps.

This is the best advice. I bolded the extra important portion.