May have to rack off primary early

[olusteebus]

I have five gallons of blackberry jam wine that is at about 1.045 now it took over two days to get started at all going down at about .oo5 a day. It has been fermenting about a week and a half! it is fermenting steadely.
I got to leave Thursday morning and may be gone a month.

That means it will be between 1.04 and 1.025 tomorrow night when I have to rack it off primary. I really don't want to leave it unattended on gross in a primary bucket. It is in a warm bucket (aquarium heater), I think a carboy will be safe in the bucket if I fill it up with water.

Any recommendations?

 

[winemaker_3352]

I would say you need to rack it before you leave - otherwise it will finish in the primary and be exposed to too much O2.

My next question is though - if you rack to secondary and are gone for a month - who will rack it again and keep it topped up if it finishes in 2 weeks?

Your secondary will not be topped up - due to racking early - you will need head space for the fermentation not to foam up into the airlock.

 

[olusteebus]

Thanks, I am thinking that I will stir the must pretty good in an effort to keep as much yeast as I can in the racked wine. I will remove the oak and bananas of course.

I will fill my airlock with sterile glycerin and top off with a little water. I am not too concerned about watering it down a little as - 1 it is made with 9 jars of blackberry jam, the starting sag was about 1.10 or more and 2 I am combining this blacberry with six gallons of muscadine made from near fifty pounds of grapes.. If need be, I will back sweeten with blackberry jam. Again , thanks.

 

[robie]

Sounds like you have few options. Best if someone can rack it for you but
short of that, just before you leave, rack it off the gross lees into a carboy, add an air lock and let it finish up that way.

I'd guess it will be fine.

 

[saramc]

Having made oodles of jam wine, I do not anticipate a problem with you racking to carboy; you will be close if not at the 2/3 sugar break anyway. It typically is past any excessive foaming by then & I never rack for a month when I transfer for the first time (unless dealing with gross lees, and I do not think that will be a problem with jam wine). Use a fine mesh strainer to capture any fruit pulp/seeds. If you need to top up, just use a light sugar water, or one that was close to OG if maintaining ACV is critical.

 

[olusteebus]

Well, like I said, I was not too concerned about racking some lees with wine. Well, I did get some - like a half gallon! I checked on it about a half hour and the lees had come to the top, bubbled up well into my airlock. I don't think I want that much lees in the wine.

Should I rack again and leave the lees behind. Should I leave it alone. If I repackage I will have to you off like you say Saramc. If I did that I think I would mix enough water and a can of white grape concentrate to top off (no preservatives). That would raise my sg less than .0030 I think.

Should I rerack?

 

[robie]

Sara is experienced with this particular wine. I'd take her advice.

 

[saramc]

Yes, rerack off the gross lees. The water + concentrate works too for topping up.

 

[olusteebus]

I racked again and have less lees. In my short 14 months I have not seen a ferment like this. I guess it is because my og was so high. It was very slow getting started and once it did it was somewhat slow but steady. It picked up stem and it is now throwing off co2 like crazy. Hope it is not "rocket fuel".