# How long? Primary Fermentation.



## MrWrong

My first post.

I am making 3 galloons of mango wine according to a recipe I found on Jack Keller dot com. 

My concern is that the recipe requests that I leave the fruit and nylon straining bag in the primary pail for 10 days. I am concerned about this time frame. I am afraid it is too long for both the fruit to be in there and for primary fermentation. What are the risks here? Is there another method of gauging the time frame rather than just using a flat 10 day period?

I am at day 1.5 now; S.G. was 1.097 and it already at 1.074. I am new to making wine from scratch but I have never seen must ferment like this. It is going gang busters! I did start the yeast 18 hours ahead of time.

MrWrong


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## Sirs

10 days isn't to long I normally leave most of my fruits in primary for 14 days(with all the pulp) and never have had a problem on that part some might say to pull earlier but I see no problem long as it is working good and you keep must pushed down so nothing starts to grow


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## Wade E

I leave my fruit in there for 8-10 days all the time. Just make sure you punch it down under the wine 2 times a day to keep everything wet and all will be fine.


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## MrWrong

So 10 or even 14 days is OK to leave in primary fermentation as long as pulp is submerged. Good to know. 

What if fermentation is slowing and S.G. is reaching 1.000 or less?


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## fifthhorsm

*primary fermentation*

this is very little time at all. remember your trying to extract all the flavor components you can and this takes time. for some fruit wines such as blackberry i always leave it in for far longer than this. as others said just punch it down often and all will be fine so long as things are still working.
mike


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## MrWrong

Grateful for the help. Still wondering though if there is an S.G. that the wine should be moved regardless of the days? Nobody is mentioning S.G. in their replies, Is S.G. really not important in primary fermentation?

thx


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## jet

MrWrong said:


> Grateful for the help. Still wondering though if there is an S.G. that the wine should be moved regardless of the days? Nobody is mentioning S.G. in their replies, Is S.G. really not important in primary fermentation?
> 
> thx



I do not make fruit wines, but with grape wines, primary fermentation is all about SG.


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## winemaker_3352

Welcome aboard!!

For fruit wines - I like to remove the pulp when the SG gets around 1.020. Once the SG gets down to around 1.005 or so - i will transfer to the carboy to finish fermentation.

For white wine from grapes - I just cold soak the grapes, crush and press the juice and ferment only the juice.


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## sly22guy

there are two schools of thought on this subject, ferment dry in primary (sg1.00 or less) or ferment to 1.02 or so and rack over to secondary. Both methods revolve around sg readings. Actually all wine making revolve around sg readings. Both are good, you just need to try them and see which you prefer.


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## Midwest Vintner

i personally wait till 1.02 or lower and rack. i like to protect the wine asap. IMO, with any slow oxidizing type fruit, you should be fine. it's the pear, apple, etc. that will be more susceptible to oxidation.


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## docanddeb

I feel it depends on the fruit. I usually remove elderberries & raspberries after 4 days. You don't want bitterness from seeds breaking down. It's personal preference.

Debbie


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## MrWrong

thx for all the help. Useful and informative.


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## Alexander1

I put a white chardonnay wine kit on Sunday the 12th .It started to ferment by Monday.By Teusday it was working very well.By Wednesday it totally stopped.Sp on day 5 was 1.050.
Today it is 1
.030.Is 2 days too short of a primary fermentation time?
Signed Wes,New wine maker


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## sour_grapes

Alexander1 said:


> It started to ferment by Monday.
> By Teusday it was working very well.
> By Wednesday it totally stopped.Sp on day 5 was 1.050.
> Today it is 1.030.



It is great that you have a hydrometer and are using it. I guess the fermentation did NOT totally stop. It went from 1.050 to 1.030. I would reckon it is still chugging along. Just continue to keep an eye on it. If the SG stops going down, then, and only then, do you have a problem.


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## SBWs

I've found out (and sometimes the hard way) that when it comes to wine making there are very few times when waiting a extra day or two or even three will hurt. Most of the time when there is a problem it's because I did something to soon. 

The only time critical element of wine making that I can think of off the top of my head is getting the wine under airlock once it stops giving off gas or you degas it. Others may be able to think of a few more. Just about everything else it's better to, think about what you are doing, read up on the next steps, think about it some more, and than if you are still not sure ask someone on here before doing it. This is especially true when you are new to wine making. It's all part of learning the 3 p's. 

As for the wine kit question, best to follow direction as close as you can.

This is a great hobby, great to see all the new people on here.


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