# Temp limits for Fruit Wine ?



## Scooter68 (Jan 8, 2016)

As with so many topics it seems that the best temps and the max/min temps for wine musts fermentation has folks all over the map.

One article said temps below 60F will stop almost any wine while another site stated that for white wines you are better with temps between 45F-60F and for Reds 75F-85F. 

Anyone actually been doing some testing with different temp ranges?

I just started a 2 gallon batch of Apricot with Red Star -Pasteur Blanc yeast that is listed as working down to 50F and as high as 95F. That seems like a very flexible yeast and of course it's listed as remaining active up to 18% Alcohol.

The reason I ask now is that the house where I do my wine making is not kept at normal temps. Right now in January we have the heat set at 55F and the basement is staying around 53F. (I can adjust the temp for few days with not issue - (House is not occupied)) I don't mind a slower fermentation process because this last summer I actually had the opposite problem with 1 gal batches hitting .990 SG within 3-4 days - frightening for a newby. 

So if anyone isn't shoveling snow or pumping out flood waters I'd be interested to hear the feedback. Here are the three web pages with the extreme ends of temp suggestions:

http://winemakersacademy.com/effects-fermentation-temperature-wine/

https://www.baderbrewing.com/content/troubleshooting-fruit-wines

http://wineandbeermaking.com/freque...what-temperature-should-i-ferment-my-wine-at/


----------



## ceeaton (Jan 8, 2016)

Good question.

I just started making wine in earnest this time last year. I did five or six batches, mostly with Welch's concentrates and added fruits. I mainly used K1-V1116 and 71B-1112 yeasts. 

According to Morewine, these two yeasts can go down to 59*F, but according to Lallamand's site, which is acting funny at the moment, I'm pretty sure they can go down to 10*C which is around 50*F.

Checking my notes, one (a blueberry) was fermented at 65-67*F which means it was done off the side of my kitchen on the main floor. The others were done at 56-57*F which is definitely my basement. All went dry (.990 to .992) and all tasted fine. 

I'm thinking the cooler temperatures are good for any wine that has white grapes as a base or light colored fruit as the lower, less active ferment doesn't drive off the nice aromas of the fruit.

Higher temperatures are good for red grapes as they have enough flavor to stand up to the added "higher" fusel alcohols that are produced at higher temperatures, plus I think it is easier to extract the red pigments from the grape skins. Now does that apply to "red" fruit like blueberries and raspberries, I dunno. Hopefully someone else chimes in.

Sorry to drag on, hope it was somewhat informational.


----------



## Scooter68 (Jan 9, 2016)

Appreciate the response. I did my first 9 batches in the basement of the house this summer and the temps were in the lower 70s which probably contributed to the lightning fast fermentations.

I did go ahead push the temp in the house up to 60F for a few days. Figure that will provide a good start without getting things too hot for the Apricot must I just started I consider that a light colored must even though right now it's pretty golden brown looking. 

Upstairs and downstairs right now are only about 2-3 degrees different. In the summer it can be 10-15 degrees cooler in the basement. Now I have to build a rack to keep the finished and bottled wines on - Have an old wood shelf set that will need only a little modification and then mounting on the basement wall to be ready.


----------



## Stressbaby (Jan 9, 2016)

Hey Scooter,

Virtually all of my wines are "country" wines, or fruit wines. I have not done any formal testing but I will offer some observations. 

For the most part, my anecodotal experience has been that for most fruit wines destined to be "whites," lowering the temp in the same fashion that you would for a white grape wine is a good idea. Similarly, allowing a temp spike on fruit wines destined to become reds is also fine.

I have not resorted to any extreme measures to manage the temps myself. I have a cold drafty basement in the winter. I've had good luck using a large tub to help with temp management. I have two of these. When I need to cool a ferment, I just put the bucket in the larger bucket, add water to the larger bucket, and drop ice packs in. I will rotate the ice packs about every 12 hours or so. You have to be a little careful that you don't stall the ferment near the end, so when I get down 1.020 or so I slow down or stop with the ice packs. My target on these is usually something in the 60s. I have not driven it lower based on my very limited experience with stalled ferments down in the 50s. However, after reading and considering your links, my next couple of batches (kumquat and hibiscus wines) I may drive them lower and strive to be a little more patient with the ferments.


----------



## Scooter68 (Jan 9, 2016)

Given that many if not most of us do our fruit and grape wine making when the fruit is fresh that leads us into the time of year when high temps are a greater problem than low temps. So this year I may resort to some delaying tactics and see if I can freeze the fruit until the temps drop and I can work with temps in the mid 60s rather than 70-75F or Low 50s. That should work out well with the aging process occuring more in the cooler months and bottling before the temps get too hot in my basement. If it was a residence that was kept at 'people' temps it might not be much of an issue since the basement would then have more moderated temps as well. 

Just one more part of the fun of wine making at home where there are so many factors that influence the outcome and the process. Nothing is automatic or a 'given.' Makes it interesting that things can change so much from season to season year to year based on not just the steps you take but the fruit condition/content and the climate in the home as well. Would be boring if it was like building something from a kit with the same parts, nuts, and bolts every time.


----------

