Primary fermentor

[fuzzmeister]

Hi everyone my question is, when making a wine kit, niagra mist black cherry pinot noir, can you skip the stage 2 after it states to tske a SG test, and rack it into a glass carboy, could you not leave it in your primary fermentor for 2 weeks instead of going through the extra step of racking it ?

 

[Conquistadude]

If it says to rack it then that is what you should do. Always follow directions to the best of your abilities. There is a reason they say to do it that way. Just like Drugs, if it says to take two with food, then you should take it with food.

the reason you rack wine is to separate it from the sediment, and lees, which in the long run will give it an undesirable flavor (among other things). You will rack it a few time to aid the clarification possess. Each time you rack, you will get less and less sediment, until you get your pure hard earned wine.

 

[cpfan]

Fuzzmeister:

Always good to see somebody making a Vineco kit. Did you get that from the Wine Cellar in Regina? If so, does John still own it? Are the stores getting their "Ferment on Premise" licenses? Oh well, enough gossip.

Welcome to WMT. Thank you very much for being specific about the kit name, and for completing the Location field.

I prefer that people follow the directions, especially newcomers. And I have no idea if this is your first kit or fifty-first.

Since Spagnols (and now Wine Kitz) switched to a 14 day period in the primary, this question pops up. Personally I would not do the 14 day primary. Heck, I tend to do Spagnols kits as 7 day primary, then stabilize and clear after another 14 (or more) days. But a number of people are reporting that the 14 day primary works for them, and reduces the amount of degassing required. Basically it's your choice.

BTW I ran an FoP making Spagnols and Vineco kits. Several of the Spagnols products, esp Grand Cru Chamblaise, set a lot of sediment. I strongly felt they needed that extra racking to unload sediment.

Steve

 

[Wade E]

Actually if you leave it in the primary you leave more behind for that first racking making less in carboy after fining and do like the easy degassing but to each their own.

 

[fuzzmeister]

cpfan this is my first shot at making wine, and my daughter bought me a kit for christmas, she bought it at a wine store in saskatoon, may I ask were you a sask resident at one time?

 

[cpfan]

cpfan this is my first shot at making wine, and my daughter bought me a kit for christmas, she bought it at a wine store in saskatoon, may I ask were you a sask resident at one time?

Yep, lived in Regina from 1992 to 2001. That's where I learned to make wine.

Hope you enjoy that wine. It is pretty sweet, and some folks find it too sweet. Not being much of a black cherry fan, I was surprised that I didn't mind it at all. I've only had one bottle (traded with a friend).

Steve