FAST fermentation

[roostertail]

I started a batch of tomato wine a few days ago, about 2 gallons of tomatoes, half red and half green. I did the usual adjustments, added about 1/2 gallon of sugar water to bring the acid down, ta was .085, potential alcohol right at 12%, added tannin and nutrient according to whatever the bottles said. I added kmeta, waited 24 hrs, pectinase, 12 hrs, then pitched rehydrated Montrachet and covered with a pillowcase.

18 HOURS LATER, after stirring the cap twice, I check it with a hydrometer. 0.995! What the heck happened?! The room temperature was right about 70℉ the whole time. I've had batches of other wine finish in 2 or 3 days, but this was nuts! Any ideas for what may have caused it to go so fast, and how to slow it down next time?

 

[spaniel]

Best guess, your initial reading was wrong...perhaps due to too many solids. I've never seen anything ferment that quickly, even at much higher temps.

 

[midnightsolace]

That's pretty crazy! My guess, though, is that not all of what could be out of the tomato is out of the tomato. Keep working it for a little longer, then press it, and take another reading to be on the safe side. =) Or perhaps you just have SuperYeast!

 

[jamesngalveston]

my best, are fastest (which i strive for) complete fermentation is 4 days.
and that takes a little finese to get it right every time...
that is super fast, since you added kmeta before fermentation.
i would calibrate the hydrometer.

 

[Deezil]

I personally dont favor fast ferments, but if I remember right, Montrachet generates a lot of heat during fermentation.. I think it's one of those few (read: I could be wrong) that can get into the 90's even when the room temp is still in the 70's..

This heat generation can lead to cooked-sort of fruit flavors instead of the fresh fruit flavors that you find in cooler, longer, more drawn-out fermentations (my personal favorite)

Tomatoes are full of nutrients as well (its one of the nutrient sources for prison hooch ) & you added nutrient on top of that..

 

[closetwine]

I'm betting the solids prevented an accurate first reading.... But Deezil is right on (and he knows his prison hooch) ::

 

[dessertmaker]

I'm betting the solids prevented an accurate first reading.... But Deezil is right on (and he knows his prison hooch) ::

Ew. I have smelled prison hooch a couple times and I would NEVER drink it.

 

[jamesngalveston]

i dont think that a fast ferment means a prison hooch at all.
a faster ferment actually means you have your ducks in a row so to speak.
the right amount of everything in the correct order with the right temp.
montrachet yeast will ferment to a temp of about 87 degrees.
it is well known to cause h2s in fermentation.
pasteur red, will make a ferment temp go up to 90 to 95 degrees
as well as the premier curvee..both can really zap a ferment.

 

[midnightsolace]

Ew. I have smelled prison hooch a couple times and I would NEVER drink it.

I think I would if that were my only option. Desperate times, and all that!

 

[midnightsolace]

i dont think that a fast ferment means a prison hooch at all.
a faster ferment actually means you have your ducks in a row so to speak.
the right amount of everything in the correct order with the right temp.
montrachet yeast will ferment to a temp of about 87 degrees.
it is well known to cause h2s in fermentation.
pasteur red, will make a ferment temp go up to 90 to 95 degrees
as well as the premier curvee..both can really zap a ferment.

I'm trying an experiment. I keep hearing how blueberry wine needs to be really back-sweetened or needs blueberry flavor/concentrate added at the end to bring out the blueberry taste. I'm doing a one-gallon batch with blueberries from my lady's parents' land, and we're intentionally doing a really slow ferment. Supposedly, for fruit anyway, a slow ferment will draw out better and more balanced flavor. I'll let you know how it goes, but if we can get by without adding in any extra flavor, I'm going to be really happy (mostly just because we want to be able to surprise them and say, "This is 100% from your berries!"). =)

 

[jamesngalveston]

that would be cool surprise for them for sure..
after 3 days the pectin has broken down the fruit till there is nothing left of it....there is nothing to extract,release,are give anything.
looking at the must after 3 days under a 5x microscope its nothing but seeds,skins,and fiber. even the skins have no color any them anymore.
i have done slow ferments on blackberry up to 2 weeks.
I can tell no difference in taste.

 

[closetwine]

Blueberry has always been a slow fermenter for me... and to get more flavor use an F-Pak (search if you need to know more). Blueberry is one of the hardest and most rewarding wines I've done. Good luck.