RJ Spagnols First Kit - Chianti

[ChrisD1]

Hi folks

My first wine kit is a R J Spagnols Grand Cru Chianti which I started last Sunday with and SG of 1.084. Fermenting started well by that evening. SG on Day 4 (Wednesday) was 1.038 and on Day 6 (today) is 1.008. Temperature of the wine is 80 degrees C.

Does this sound on track? Is fermentation too fast? Difficult to reduce the temperature here in Texas. Will I need to go on to the next stage earlier than two weeks?

Thanks
Chris

 

[ChrisD1]

Correction : 80 degrees fahrenheit

 

[vcasey]

You're fine and so's the wine. When in doubt use the SG as your guide. I've had wines that fermented to dry in less then a week and others that seem to take forever. Temps & humidity can really effect how fast (or not) the wine ferments, I'm in Florida so believe me I do understand.
An easy way to cool it down is to put it in a bucket with cool water and put a t-shirt over it.
Welcome to the forum.

 

[ArdenS]

I concur with what vcasey said. It's amazing what the evaporation from a damp cloth can accomplish. For those really hot days, which we'll be getting shortly here in Dallas, a small fan blowing on that setup can enhance evaporation, provided the humidity isn't through the roof.

 

[robie]

Yep, the SG reading is more important than the time table.

 

[ChrisD1]

Thank you much.