luna rosa @1.002

[captainl]

A little help from the pros please???

WE luna rosa. I have been following the directions to the T. STep 3 is stabilizing, degassing, and adding the clearing agent, chitosan I think. However I went to warm up the wine with a blanket heater and I noticed gas bubles starting to come up. I took the SG and it reads 1.002 @70 degrees. Supposed to finish @.998. It has been a little cold 68 to 70. Sample taste fine but definitely a carbonated.

Should I:

1. Follow the steps to stabilize and degas figuring a few point doesn't matter a whole lot.

2. Just degas but don't stabilize. Should I do that without at least adding K meta??

3. Nothing. Wait 5 days(going out of town), try to keep it warmer and test again. If no change then go ahead and stabilize, degas, and clear.

I am leaning towards option number 3.

I just read here about the bigger reds and CO2 increasing the SG. But I think mine is still a little too high. If I don't do anything tonight or tomorrow morning, I will have to leave it alone at least until Friday.

OG was 1.092
2-4 SG was 1.004
2.14 SG is 1.002 to 1.003

thanks.

mike

 

[robie]

A little help from the pros please???

WE luna rosa. I have been following the directions to the T. STep 3 is stabilizing, degassing, and adding the clearing agent, chitosan I think. However I went to warm up the wine with a blanket heater and I noticed gas bubles starting to come up. I took the SG and it reads 1.002 @70 degrees. Supposed to finish @.998. It has been a little cold 68 to 70. Sample taste fine but definitely a carbonated.

Should I:

1. Follow the steps to stabilize and degas figuring a few point doesn't matter a whole lot.

2. Just degas but don't stabilize. Should I do that without at least adding K meta??

3. Nothing. Wait 5 days(going out of town), try to keep it warmer and test again. If no change then go ahead and stabilize, degas, and clear.

I am leaning towards option number 3.

I just read here about the bigger reds and CO2 increasing the SG. But I think mine is still a little too high. If I don't do anything tonight or tomorrow morning, I will have to leave it alone at least until Friday.

OG was 1.092
2-4 SG was 1.004
2.14 SG is 1.002 to 1.003

thanks.

mike

It doesn't sound like it has stopped fermenting, yet. You didn't mention that the SG has been stable for 2 or three days in a row.

Don't pay any attention to bubbles, as they are likely only CO2.

Your SG is still a little high. If it hasn't been the same for three days in a row, let it ferment until you get home.

If it has indeed stopped fermenting for three days:

Your SG is still a little high. It might stop there, but you at least should try to get it lower. It is not likely CO2 itself is affecting the SG reading by that much.

Too bad you have to leave for several days, as it does complicate things for you. You really are in a dilemma.

In 9 out of 10 cases, leaving it for another 4 or 5 days would be OK, but you do risk getting the rotten egg smell (H2S). With the W.E kit, at this point you still have lots of lees under the wine, but not the gross lees. The problem is that with the lees "still present", you are supposed to degas and add kmeta and sorbate without racking.

If you don't add kmeta and sorbate, it will be setting almost dormant on its lees for 4 or 5 days. With the W.E. clearing method, you can't rack it off its less and still have it clear per instructions.

Here is what I would do, since you have until tomorrow morning -
Get the heat up to the mid 70's F as fast as you can, but without damaging the wine, of course.
In its current container, I would stir it really well to degas it. Excess CO2 can stop a fermentation, when other things might not be just right. Stirring it may help the yeast get going again.
After degassing, Check the SG.
Tomorrow morning, check SG again.

Tomorrow morning, if it has not changed from today's SG, I would not leave it for 4 or 5 days. I would go ahead and degas again, stabilize and clear. 1.002 is not really that bad. There will be no perceived sweetness at that level.

I hope others will give their opinion as well.

 

[MN-winer]

This kit gave me fits as well. I have a post on this same topic. Mine finished at 1.000, but the difference between that and .998 or 1.002 is like nothing. I tasted no sugar at all. Most of my kits that are heavy reds like this and anything with a grapeskin pack is not fermeting down as low as I expect.

 

[captainl]

Thanks for the tips. Some good info there. Air bubles I assumed where CO2. 10 days in secondary and it has only dropped 1 to 2 gravity points. 1.004 to 1.002. Maybe it got too cold one night and stalled thing up. I'll keep it warming through the day and maybe degas tonight. I will probably just leave it until friday though.

I am right at the 10 day secondary mark. As far as the lees...
The kit already has you sitting on them for a minimum of 8 days after degassing plus another day or two according to the instructions if you SG isn't down yet. So I don't really see 4 extra days being a problem (maybe my laziness is rationalizing).

Thanks. Definitely something to think about over valentines dinner with the wife!

 

[captainl]

MN-winer. I was just reading through your post. I'm not too worried about it now...I just can't make up my mind if I should give it another 18 hours in hopes that it decreases or just wait 4 more days. The sample tastes fine though.

 

[robie]

I am right at the 10 day secondary mark. As far as the lees...
The kit already has you sitting on them for a minimum of 8 days after degassing plus another day or two according to the instructions if you SG isn't down yet. So I don't really see 4 extra days being a problem (maybe my laziness is rationalizing).

Thanks. Definitely something to think about over valentines dinner with the wife!

There is a big difference in setting on the lees with no stabilization .vs. setting on lees compacted at the bottom and stabilized.

If it has been in secondary that long, it is likely done. While it is heating up, the first thing I would do is stir it really well to get rid of some of the CO2 and get the yeast up off the bottom.

In most cases, it is very hard to get a fermentation started again at that low of an SG.. but not impossible, as I have done it once.

 

[jdeere5220]

This particular kit is sensitive to temperature, you have to keep it nice and warm or it won't get below 1.000. Also you have to re-hydrate to exactly 6 gallons (I usually go a tad over, but not on this kit).

If it has stopped it's probably not going lower (I've never gotten this one restarted in 4 attempts), but my 2 cents is leaving it for 4 more days isn't going to hurt anything. Give it a stir and warm it up and let it sit for a few more days. My guess is you will come back and check the gravity and it will be right where it is now, so go ahead and stabilize.

No worries, it's going to taste just fine!

 

[captainl]

yep, I warmed it up and it was the same 30 hours later. So I went ahead and stabilized and all that jazz. I'm not too worried about it but next time I think I would leave it for another week or so. I think I messed up by having it ferment at 70 degrees, instead of the 74 degree recommendation. O'well. Thanks.