do you prefer a fast or slow ferment?

[pete1325]

Just curious, how many prefer a slow ferment over a faster ferment? I'm sitting at almost two week in primary and only at 1.03, started at 1.085.

 

[Ajmassa]

a “slow ferment”?
Never heard of it

 

[Kitchen]

Depends on the wine.

Roses' and light bodied whites I'll ferment at 48F, which will really extend the fermentation. Full bodied reds I'll ferment at 82F to 86F, which will be a short. Although I have some really high quality grapes coming in soon that I plan on fermenting at 86F but leaving on the skins for 20 days to produce a very full bodied wine.

Washington Chard starting tomorrow I will ferment at 60F that will be in between I guess.

 

[BI81]

Depends on the wine.

Roses' and light bodied whites I'll ferment at 48F, which will really extend the fermentation. Full bodied reds I'll ferment at 82F to 86F, which will be a short. Although I have some really high quality grapes coming in soon that I plan on fermenting at 86F but leaving on the skins for 20 days to produce a very full bodied wine.

Washington Chard starting tomorrow I will ferment at 60F that will be in between I guess.

Agree with @Kitchen it all comes down to stylistic goals and what the wine is. Fast = high temps which increases extraction of Phenolics and Anthocyanin at the expense of volatilizing/losing some aroma compounds. Right now I’ve got a Cab franc getting started that I plan to get to the mid 80’s then drop the temp to try and draw out the fermentation a bit. I also have a rose that was pulled from the cab franc saignee that I’m keeping between 55-60.

 

[pete1325]

Thanks Guys.....I've experienced both fast; a week in primary, to slow; my latest bath of Cab from grapes. As mentioned above this coming Sunday will be two weeks in prImary and (I Feel) is a slower than normal ferment. The room temps has been in the low 70's and sometimes in the 60's so I'm sure that has had something to do with the rate of fermentation. I've tried a small space heater to raise the temps, it helped but I only keep in on for small periods of time. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining and as long as the S.G. continues to drop and goes dry, 1.000 or less I'm fine. just thought I'd ask what the group thought.