Primary Fermenting wine

[johnsonbrew]

I am going to do my second wine and went with a higher quality kit with grape skins this time and read that it would be a good idea to use a 7.9 gallon bucket so I ordered one, not realizing that it did not come with a lid. I have read on other posts about fermenting in buckets and just draping a towel over the top to keep stuff out of the primary but allowing the gas to escape. Is this common practice and what are the necessary steps needed to sanitize the towel before placing over the fermenting wine?

 

[Kdog22]

A towel secured over top of the bucket is perfectly fine for the first number of days of the ferment. This also allows easy access to stir/punch down the cap during that time.

 

[stpug]

I have one fermenting right now with just a flour sack draped over the top and stretchy band thingy to keep the towel in place. Works beautifully for fermenting with pulp where you need access to the cap.

 

[johnsonbrew]

How do you go about sanitizing your towels over the bucket or is that even necessary? Also, do you do this for the duration of the primary or just the first few days?

 

[stpug]

I don't sanitize the towel. It was washed and put in the cupboard. I simply pulled it out, shook it a couple times, and make sure to always put the same side facing down. It doesn't touch the fermenting wine at any point.

I use the fermenter/towel until my gravity is down in the 1.010-1.020 range (~5-8 days), at which point I'll strain everything through a large paint strainer nylon bag into a carboy (using a really big funnel). I also squeeze the crap out of the strainer bag and get that into the carboy as well. After which, I affix a regular stopper and airlock setup.

You move it at that gravity so that there's plenty of co2 production left to push out the headspace in your carboy, and also because your wine becomes more vulnerable the closer it gets to FG.

 

[johnsonbrew]

St. Pug,

You pour into a carboy not siphon? No concerns about oxidation at this point? This seemed to be a huge concern when making wine, making sure there is as little oxygen exposure as possible. As you know I am still new to this so I don't have all the specifics figured out yet.

 

[Sammyk]

I too use a towel until the reading is 1.020 to 1.010 and then siphon off the lees to clean sanitized carboys.

 

[stpug]

St. Pug,

You pour into a carboy not siphon? No concerns about oxidation at this point? This seemed to be a huge concern when making wine, making sure there is as little oxygen exposure as possible. As you know I am still new to this so I don't have all the specifics figured out yet.

When I've witnessed wine pressing using the wooden bucket press, you see the wine roll down the sides of the press, across the collection plate, and fall into the collecting bucket. This whole process is oxygen-laden.

Additionally, I had been told by my cousin (a non-pro winemaker) that the first racking of red wine benefits from a "splash racking" as a way to drive off h2s. I had never really questioned his advice, but questioned him once you ask about oxidation.

I think this provides a better explanation of oxygen in the wine making process than I ever could:
http://winemakermag.com/541-oxidation-as-partner-techniques

Cheers!

 

[johnsonbrew]

Ok, so now it is in the primary but not without a few issues. I was pressed for time, which I know is my first mistake, I started putting the kit together and realized I didn't do step one, I dont have the instructions with me, but it was to add packet 1 to 4 cups of warm water and stir, I didn't add packet one until I put the juice and water in the primary. I moved through the rest of the instructions and pitched the yeast. I then realized I did not add the oak packets which it said to stir so I added the oak packets and stirred after pitching the yeast. There was not a lot I could do since I screwed it up. My OG was at 1.083 which seemed low to me so I am thinking I may not have mixed everything up enough. Will these things work themselves out. I know they are in the instructions for a reason, but will it ruin everything or just not make things as efficient?

 

[stpug]

Packet 1 was probably (guessing here) bentonite clay. It takes a bit of mixing to really get it well distributed since, as a clay, it just wants to "dough up". I believe it acts as a first stage fining agent (i.e. a clarifier). I would not worry that this was added out of order. Just know that if you find a lump of clay at the bottom of your fermenter then that's were it came from.

I think that leaving the yeast on top of the must is done to aid in the rehydration of the yeast. It allows them a moisture source (the must) and an oxygen source (the air). By stirring the yeast in you are inhibiting it's availability to oxygen but how much this is going to affect your fermentation is unknown to me. You incorporate oxygen when pouring the grape juice into your fermenter, and again when you add oxygenated water to your concentrate. I personally would not be too concerned with it as yeast is an opportunistic organism that fiends for itself really well. I guess you could add oxygen to your must by aerating in some manner, or you could simply pitch another exact same strain yeast on the surface to ensure a healthy and vigorous fermentation. For future reference, if you forget the oak again, simply wait 12-24 hours and add it once the yeast is well hydrated and fermentation has begun. In my book, stirring in the yeast is not a big deal and I wouldn't lose sleep over it.

I actually rehydrate my yeast prior to pitching and it "sinks" under the surface, but my fermentation have all been successful thus far.

1.083 does seem a little low considering you're typically looking for about 1.090+ depending on variety. If you kit included a grape skin pack then there is a fair amount of solid sugars bound up in that pack that can take a while to dissolve into solution. The yeast will find it if you can't manually get it dissolved yourself. I couldn't get mine mixed up very well but by day 2 the skins were all free floating and no longer clumped so the yeast had found the hidden sugars

Don't worry about it. Kits are fairly forgiving and foolproof.

 

[johnsonbrew]

Sorry for the noob questions but now that the wine is fermenting it recommends stirring everyday for 10 days, do I just fold the top layer gently in the rest of the must? It's not a vigorous stir is it?

 

[Yooper]

Sorry for the noob questions but now that the wine is fermenting it recommends stirring everyday for 10 days, do I just fold the top layer gently in the rest of the must? It's not a vigorous stir is it?

Oh, yes- stir it like you mean it!

 

[stpug]

Oh, yes- stir it like you mean it!

^^What she said

I don't try to re-aerate the must, but I DO try to help knock out any built up co2. I guess I stir it up for a good 20-30 seconds; like making a whirlpool.

 

[Thunder_Chicken]

Sorry for the noob questions but now that the wine is fermenting it recommends stirring everyday for 10 days, do I just fold the top layer gently in the rest of the must? It's not a vigorous stir is it?

Smack dat wine!

That is actually the coolest thing about making wine, you really can crack open the fermenter and see, hear, and smell the ferment in progress. You want to stir out as much of the gas as you can while the ferment progresses and punch down those skins. You probably want to try to keep the wine off the walls and ceiling, but other than that let 'er rip!