Help with first wine

[nobble1430]

Making a pear wine from fruit. My question is recipe said move from primary to secondary when fermentation begins to subside (3-5 days). Well I took an SG and then another hydrometer reading while transfering. It was 1.090 SG and 1.040 still at transfer.

Question1: Should I have waited longer was only slight foam on top? Is there any detrimental results from moving too soon?

Question2: I had extra juice I wanted to use for top offs. What's the best way to save the extra juice?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Yooper]

Nah, it's ok to transfer now.

Saved extra juice, or extra must? I save the extra must in a wine bottle with a stopper and airlock, and just top up when I rack. You don't want to use extra juice, unless you used sulfites and then froze the juice, or something like that.

 

[nobble1430]

Meant must. I don't have an airlock that will fit a wine bottle so I may just try the old saranwrap trick and when it settles out I can cap it and throw it in the fridge?

 

[Yooper]

You don't have an extra airlock? Well, next time you're at the homebrew store, buy a bung (I think it's like a #3, but I'm not sure- double check that!) and an airlock.

If you store it in the fridge, the yeast and stuff should settle out, but I wouldn't chance sealing it up tight just in case it's still fermenting. You can use a sanitized mason jar or whatever to store the extra must, that really doesn't matter as long as you have it set up so that the co2 can escape and the bottle won't explode.