Tips to get wine to bottle by Day 28

[Llamapup]

Hello All

I'm new to wine making so didn't pay as much attention as I should to the fact that I'm going on holiday on day 29 of the brew. I'm making California Connoisseur Savingnon Blanc. It started ferminting yesterday at SG: 1.080. The airlock is bubbling nicely about 3 times a minute.

I need some advise to make sure the following reccomended steps stay to time:
Day 1 Primary Fermentation
Day 8 Secondary Fermentation
Day 20 Degassing
Day 22 Stabilizing and Clarification
Day 28 Bottling

So its still only day 2 in the brew, but I've only just left myself with the reccomended 28 days. The cupboard the FV is sitting in has a digital thermometer reads a reasonably constant 20.2 degrees although it did drop to 19.4 degrees in the night so I've wrapped a fleece blanket around the FV with some gaffer tape.

Is there anything I can do to make sure this batch of wine gets to bottle in good condition at day 28?

Thanks

Llamapup

 

[RobWalker]

Nutrient or tomato puree will feed the yeast so it ferments quicker. Put it in the cool to clarify if possible, what's the secondary fermentation for? If its a straight fermentation then just let it run and clarify as soon as fermentation finishes.

 

[fermentall]

Hi Llamap whats the rush?,just rack it into a clean fermenter under airlock & leave it until you are back then proceed as you will. : Ken.

 

[Moley]

Throw away the instructions, yeasties can't read.

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

Throw away the instructions, yeasties can't read.

:rofl: :rofl:

 

[Llamapup]

what's the secondary fermentation for? If its a straight fermentation then just let it run and clarify as soon as fermentation finishes.

The directions for the secondary fermentation says that "most of the fermentation should be complete, SG target <1.010. Siphon the wine leaving sediment. Leave wine for 12 days to complete fermentation".

Are you suggesting I leave it in the prmary fermentation until it clears? Presusumably you are sugesting that 12 secondary fermentation indicated by the intructions is unecessarily long. Wont that mean it will need to degass in its primary fermentation? How will I stir in the potassium sorbate and the fining agent without stiring up loads of yeast?

Thanks

Llamapup

 

[Llamapup]

Hi Llamap whats the rush?,just rack it into a clean fermenter under airlock & leave it until you are back then proceed as you will. : Ken.

So you are suggesting I transfer into secondary FV at around day 8 and then leave it there until I get back from holiday to clarify/ That will mean it will be in the secondary fv for about 28 days. Could that be too long?

 

[Onionman]

Nope - get to day 22 and leave it as long as you like. Leaving it a month or two to clear cannot possibly do any harm and will almost certainly improve matters. As long as you keep up the sulphites with campden tablets, leaving it a year with one or two rackings will do it no harm and will almost certainly improve it. Better still, leave it two years bulk aging before bottling and it'll be perfect.

 

[Llamapup]

Nope - get to day 22 and leave it as long as you like. Leaving it a month or two to clear cannot possibly do any harm and will almost certainly improve matters. As long as you keep up the sulphites with campden tablets, leaving it a year with one or two rackings will do it no harm and will almost certainly improve it. Better still, leave it two years bulk aging before bottling and it'll be perfect.

Right.... I get it now. Do everything short of bottling and just leave it in the secondary FV. That will mean it will be clarifying for about 2 weeks then.

The kit comes with a sachet of 4g of potassium metabisulpate which it says to add as part of the degassing stage at day 20. Is this where the sulphates get introduced then? Will the sachet be enough for the longer than reccomended clearing stage given what your are saying above.

I'm reluctant to add more sulphites than is necessary. I doubt the wine will last the summer before being drank anyway.

The kit directs tell you to add potassium sorbate 5.5g and fining agent (No 5 Isinglass Ichtyocolle 60ML) at the clearing stage. Will these items be sufficient for a longer than reccomended clearing stage?

Does one of these additives stop fermentation so that's why its okay to leave it for so long?

Thanks

Llamapup

 

[RobWalker]

K sorbate will stabilize it. Well, inhibit yeast reproduction.

I was under the impression that you wanted to take the bottles away lol! +1 for leaving in secondary. I often start fermenting a cider and let it sit for 3 months, trub and all, and its fine. You've no worries with leaving it in a secondary for sure.

 

[Onionman]

Actually, a good general response is that there's no stage you can't leave it awhile bar if it's sitting on a bundle of sediment when it should only be left for a maximum of three months (Source: http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/racking.asp ).

Leaving it to clear is never time wasted, but leave it at any stage and it won't come to harm.